Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

One of the most iconic frozen desserts is the strawberry shortcake ice cream bar. You know the one: the ice cream truck novelty with a strawberry ice cream center that’s layered with vanilla ice cream and cake crumbles. It’s the perfect combination of strawberries, cream and crunch. But why wait for the familiar Yankee Doodle tune to sound down the street? You can make a similar treat right at home—one that’s big enough to share. And the best part? Strawberry ice cream cake is super simple to make. It’s one of our most nostalgic (and delicious!) ice cream truck copycat recipes.

Ingredients for Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

• Golden Oreos: Finely crush the cookies in a zip-top bag using a rolling pin, or pulverize them in a food processor. Don’t scrape out the cream filling. You need it for the cookie crust ingredients to adhere.
• Butter: Melt the butter first so it mixes easily with the crushed Oreos.
• Vanilla ice cream: Soften ice cream at room temperature for a few minutes so it’s easier to spread. Buy the best vanilla ice cream from the store, or dust off the ice cream machine and churn homemade vanilla ice cream. I personally love buying or making vanilla ice cream with vanilla bean flecks. They’re so pretty and add bursts of flavor!
• Strawberry ice cream: We have a stellar strawberry ice cream recipe that uses real strawberries. They give the ice cream beautiful baby pink hue, and tiny pieces of the strawberries are suspended throughout the ice cream. Of course, store-bought strawberry ice cream works; I recommend a high-quality brand. The ice cream needs to soften a bit so it spreads easily in the pan and makes distinct layers.
• Whipped topping: Thaw the whipped topping for a few hours in the fridge prior to starting our strawberry crunch ice cream cake recipe.
• Freeze-dried strawberries: Coarsely crush the freeze-dried strawberries in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin. Make sure there’s a mixture of big pieces and small pieces.

Directions

Step 1: Prep the pan

Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Editor’s Tip: Leave a 1-inch parchment overhang so it’s easier to lift out the cake later.

Step 2: Make the cookie crust

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Finely crush 24 cookies. In a small bowl, mix the cookie crumbs and melted butter.

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Press the cookie mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the cookie crust until it’s firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

Editor’s Tip: Try not to pack the cookie crust into the pan. Rather, spread it out and lightly press it. Packing will make the crust very hard to cut when serving.

Step 3: Spread the vanilla ice cream

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Spread the softened vanilla ice cream onto the crust, making sure to fill in all four corners. Cover the pan with storage wrap, then pop it into the freezer and let it chill until the ice cream is firm.

Editor’s Tip: As you wait for the vanilla ice cream to firm up, take the strawberry ice cream out of the freezer to start softening.

Step 4: Add the strawberry ice cream

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Take the pan out of the freezer and set the cover aside. Spread the softened strawberry ice cream on top.

Step 5: Finish with the whipped topping

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Immediately follow the strawberry ice cream with the whipped topping, spreading it evenly all over the top. Cover the pan again and freeze the cake until the ice cream and whipped topping are firm.

Step 6: Scatter on the crunchy topping

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Coarsely crush the remaining Golden Oreo cookies. Combine the cookie crumbs and the freeze-dried strawberries, then sprinkle the mixture over the whipped topping.

Step 7: Chill and serve

Cover the cake, then freeze it until it’s firm, for eight hours or overnight.

Remove the cake from the freezer. Lifting with the parchment overhang, remove the strawberry crunch ice cream cake from the pan. Gently peel off the parchment. Let the cake stand for 10 minutes before cutting it. If desired, garnish the ice cream cake with fresh strawberries.

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Recipe Variations

• Swap other berries for the strawberries: There are many other freeze-dried fruits available to use in place of strawberries, like blueberries and raspberries. Be sure to change the ice cream to match!
• Add a cake layer: Instead of a vanilla ice cream bottom, use a layer of cake. Bake a single layer of vanilla or strawberry cake in a 9-inch square pan, then let it cool completely to room temperature.
• Change the cookie: Instead of Golden Oreos, feel free to use graham crackers, shortbread cookies or vanilla wafers here if you prefer.
• Make it vegan: Golden Oreos are already vegan, so no need to substitute another cookie (unless you want to!). Replace the ice cream with the best vegan ice cream, the whipped topping with a dairy-free coconut whipped topping, and the butter with vegan butter.

How to Store Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

Store strawberry crunch ice cream cake covered in the freezer. It can last for up to two months. If the cake has already been formally served and you no longer need it intact, I recommend cutting the entire cake and storing the slices in freezer-safe airtight containers. This will make it a lot easier to get a piece when the mood strikes!

Can you make strawberry ice cream cake ahead of time?

Yes, you can make strawberry ice cream cake ahead of time. Assemble the entire cake one to two days in advance, then cover it with storage wrap and stash it in the freezer. Before serving, allow the cake to sit at room temperature for five minutes so it’s easier to cut.

Strawberry Ice Cream Cake Tips

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How should you serve strawberry crunch ice cream cake?

You can serve this simple strawberry crunch ice cream cake right in the pan if you’d like, but to show off all those beautiful layers, you’ll want to slice it into squares. Use the parchment paper to lift the ice cream cake out of the pan. You might need to let the pan sit for a minute, but the cake should pull out easily (a thin spatula always helps, too). Or, run a dishrag under hot water, wipe the hot dishrag around the pan to soften the ice cream, then pull out the cake. Then cut the cake into squares.

How do you cut a strawberry crunch ice cream cake?

To cut strawberry crunch ice cream cake, first lift the cake out of the pan. Take a sharp chef’s knife and run it under very hot water, then make the first cut. Run the knife under hot water again to remove any ice cream debris and to get it very hot again, then make the next cut. Repeat these steps until you’ve cut the cake into nine squares.

What are freeze-dried strawberries?

Freeze-dried strawberries are strawberries that have been treated with low pressure and low temperature in order to remove all the water from the fruit. What’s left behind is a super crunchy, shelf-stable treat with a concentrated strawberry flavor. Freeze-dried strawberries sound kind of space-agey, but are easy to find these days at your local grocery store in the baking or snack aisle.