Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake

This Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake is a delectable fusion of moist chocolate cake, luscious fudge, and a decadent chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

Topped with creamy frosting, tantalizing cookie dough pieces, and a rich chocolate drizzle, it’s a fantastic ice cream cake perfect for any occasion.

There is nothing better on a hot summer day than a scoop of ice cream, unless, you know about this ice cream cake loaded with chocolate chips and creamy goodness of cookie dough ice cream and whipped cream.

A delightful treat that comes together quickly and will satisfy even picky eaters (of any age) as it combines the best of two worlds: chocolate chip cookies and ice cream.

And all you do is prepare and lay out each layer and let the cake chill in the freezer. It is that simple, and I am using every possible shortcut in this recipe to save precious time for cooking mains.

Why This Recipe Works

• Shortcuts like using boxed cake mix, ice cream, and frozen whipped cream instead of making them from scratch helped us assemble this cake in 30 minutes. We don’t need to use any baking powder or baking soda, worry about mixing the dry and wet ingredients wrong, churning the ice cream, or the cake layer tasting bad.
• Perfect to make ahead as you need minimal prep time and can let the cake chill overnight.
• Decadent and yummy. There are 4 layers in this ice cream cake and each layer has chocolate in it, the ultimate treat for chocolate lovers. It also looks stunning and will be great for any summer party or birthday.

Ingredients List & Notes

Considering this ice cream cake has 4 stunning layers, it only needs 7 ingredients. It is basically a lot of chocolate and cookie dough ice cream as you can guess!

Chocolate Cake

• Chocolate cake mix with the ingredients to make the cake (1 box). This is a cake recipe so we are baking the cake layer. I do chocolate mix, but you can buy any you like – vanilla will work great too. Technically, you can even make a no-bake crust, I’ll share a few options in the Substitutions below.

Middle Layer

• Chocolate fudge sauce, I bought it but you’re more than welcome to make homemade hot fudge sauce, it takes minimal effort and just under 10 minutes.
• Optional: chocolate crunch cereal or candy (e.g., Cocoa Pebbles, Buncha Crunch). The cereal will not stay crunchy but does give texture to the middle of the cake. 

Ice Cream Layer

• Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream softened. Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough ice cream is the top choice as guys invented it, but any will work. It is a vanilla ice cream with added cookie dough bits and chocolate chips. It will be the last cake layer before frosting. For a simpler cake, you can use just straight vanilla or chocolate ice cream. We will need roughly 1.5q so 3×16 oz containers. It sounds like a lot, but trust me it is well worth it!

Frosting

• Whipped topping, thawed if frozen. Cool Whip is a go-to option but you can always make homemade whipped cream by beating heavy whipping cream with sugar and vanilla extract in a medium bowl with a mixer until stiff peaks form. Store-bought whipped topping is better for freezing the cake and making it last longer as it is stabilized, unlike anything homemade.
• Chocolate chip cookie dough pieces. Cookie dough balls are made with heat-treated flour and mini chocolate chips and are ok to eat raw and add to the ice cream cakes that we don’t cook. So make sure to buy edible ones! Pieces, chunks, balls – use any shape you like. Of course, you can whip some homemade edible cookie dough balls. Save some extra cookie dough balls for topping like Cold Stone does!
• Chocolate chips melted to make a quick chocolate drizzle to decorate the cake. Semi-sweet chocolate chips are best for drizzling.

As you can see I use no added butter, sugars, or vegetable oil. If you wish to make the cake batter or cookie dough from scratch, I recommend using brown sugar for added toffee-like caramel taste and enhancing the cake batter with cocoa powder for chocolate flavor.

Kitchen Equipment

• 9-inch springform pan, greased with butter or non-stick cooking spray. The recipe makes one ice cream cake that easily serves 8-10 guests.
• Serving plate or cake board to move the ice cream cake from the pan onto something to decorate and slice.
• Optional, stand mixer with a paddle attachment – in case you’re making cake batter and ice cream from scratch, and a whisk attachment for homemade whipped cream frosting.
• An offset spatula often helps to smooth whipped cream and ice cream better than a regular rubber spatula.

How To Make Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake

Before you start making and building the cake, make sure you have enough space in the freezer to store the whole cake flat.

1: Bake The Cake layer

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9-inch springform cake pan.
2. Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions.
3. Transfer the cake batter to the prepared springform pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
4. Let the cake cool completely on the cooling rack before assembling the ice cream cake.
5. Carefully level the cake using a serrated knife. Discard the top of the cake.

2: Assemble The Cake Layers

1. Spread the fudge sauce over the cake layer.
2. Optional, sprinkle the cereal or candy evenly on top of the fudge sauce. Freeze for 30 minutes.
3. Remove the cake pan from the freezer and spread the ice cream over the fudge layer or cereal layer (if using). Smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Freeze for at least 2 hours, or until firm.

3 – Add Whipped Cream Frosting

1. Once the cake is completely frozen, carefully remove it from the pan and transfer it to a serving platter.
2. Frost the entire cake with whipped topping. Smooth with an offset spatula.
3. Sprinkle the cookie dough pieces evenly on top.
4. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the ice cream cake. 
5. Return the cake to the freezer for 30 minutes to allow the chocolate drizzle to set before serving.

Decorate And Serve

1. Remove the ice cream cake from the freezer and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften just a little bit, do not let it melt.
2. Release the outer ring of the springform pan.
3. For easier slicing, let the ice cream cake sit at room temperature for a few minutes before cutting. 
4. Warm a sharp knife by placing it with the blade side down into a glass of hot water. Wipe the knife dry before each slice. 

How to Store Ice Cream Cake

• Cookie dough ice cream cake leftovers are stored well in the freezer for up to a week.
• However, if you are making homemade whipped cream frosting, I would recommend eating the ice cream cake within 2 days, as it can separate or become runny after defrosting.
• Tightly wrap it or use an airtight container with a lid to prevent freezer bites. Deep freeze.
• Homemade ice cream cake does not sit on the counter well, even though I used store-bought ice cream that definitely has some preservatives. 
• It can melt pretty fast, so serve either out of the freezer for a firmer ice cream, or let it soften for a few minutes on the counter to let it be more like a soft serve.

Make Ahead

You can prepare the ice cream layer and bake the cake one day ahead.

To prepare the ice cream layer, let the store-bought ice cream soften for 15-30 minutes at room temperature. Do not let it melt.

Line a separate 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to make sure all sides and bottom are covered, as evenly as possible.

Transfer the ice cream to the pan, making sure it spreads well at the bottom and to all sides. Use an offset spatula to make a flat top. 

Cover with another layer of foil or plastic wrap, press with something flat, and freeze overnight or until you’re ready to make all the layers.

Substitutions & Variations

• No-bake crust options. To keep the chocolate flavors in place, you can use classic no-bake Oreo cookie crust. Another no-bake crust in spirits of this recipe is cookie dough crust which I personally prefer over Oreo crust for this specific recipe.
• To enhance the chocolate cake layer, add some instant coffee to it! Coffee flavor won’t be strong but it opens up the chocolate taste nicely.
• Best Frosting & Topping options for this ice cream cake: apart from classic whipped cream frosting, you can make chocolate whipped cream, chocolate ganache, chocolate hard shell, buttercream frostings, or simply add chocolate shavings. Buttercream frosting is rather hard for beginners to spread nicely.
• Top this frozen cake with cookie dough bites for a fun birthday party celebration. 
• Famous Dairy Queen cake has an ice cream layer at the very bottom too. I’m not going that way, but rather making a more classic “cake”.
• For a more stable and filling homemade cookie dough ice cream cake, you can use 2 cake layers: one at the bottom, and one after the ice cream layer. You can cut the cake layer you bake in half lengthwise to have 2 cake layers.

Popular Questions

What’s The Difference Between Cookie Dough And Cake Batter?

Cookie dough is much denser than cake batter and doesn’t always contain eggs, baking powder, or baking soda. Cookie dough makes cookies while cake batter is used to bake cakes.

You can eat heat-treated cookie dough raw while you can never eat uncooked cake batter.

Can You Cook The Dough From Cookie Dough Ice Cream?

In theory, you can pick all the cookie dough pieces from the ice cream and bake them in the oven – they will turn into chocolate chip cookies. However, it is easier to make the cookie dough from scratch or buy it separately from the ice cream.

Is It Safe To Put Cookie Dough In Ice Cream?

Yes! Edible cookie dough is safe to eat and use in ice cream or no-bake cakes, even though it is made with a few raw ingredients. Manufacturers heat treat the raw flour and pasteurize eggs to make sure the dough is edible.

What Is The Crunchy Stuff In Ice Cream Cakes?

To add some crunch to the ice cream cakes you can use Oreo cookies, candies, crunchy cereal, or chocolate chips in the middle layer or ice cream layer.

Can Ben And Jerry’s Cookie Dough Be Baked?

Yes, you can experiment and bake Ben & Jerry’s cookie dough in the oven for no longer than 112 minutes to turn the dough into a cookie. There are no official baking directions from the brand though. 

If you love this ice cream cake recipe, you’re going to love these other recipes for ice cream flavors you can use in this cake too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Ice Cream Desserts

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Cake

Easy Fried Ice Cream Recipe

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake

Oreo Ice Cream Cake

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