Strawberry Crunch Ice Cream Cake
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 12 to 16 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 14 servings
- Calories
- 388
- Total Fat
- 12
- Saturated Fat
- 4
- Carbohydrates
- 68
- Dietary Fiber
- 1
- Sugar
- 21
- Protein
- 4
- Cholesterol
- 16
- Sodium
- 302
- Total: 3 hr
- Prep: 50 min
- Inactive: 1 hr 30 min
- Cook: 40 min
Ingredients
1 16- to 18-ounce box vanilla cake mix (plus required ingredients)
1 1.5-quart rectangular carton strawberry ice cream
1 1.2-ounce bag freeze-dried strawberries, crumbled (1 1/2 cups)
1 16-ounce tub white frosting
Directions
- Prepare the cake mix as the label directs for a 9-by-13-inch cake. Bake and let cool 15 minutes in the pan on a rack, then transfer the cake to the rack to cool completely.
- Trim the domed top of the cake with a long serrated knife to make it level. Cut the cake in half horizontally to make 2 layers. Trim a 3/4-inch strip from each long side; reserve the strips and trimmings.
- Cut the carton off the ice cream and set the ice cream block on a cutting board. Slice lengthwise into thirds.
- Arrange the ice cream on the bottom layer of the cake. Let soften, then smooth with an offset spatula to cover the cake, leaving a 3/4-inch border on the long sides.
- Press 1 reserved strip of cake against each long side of the ice cream layer. Reserve the remaining 2 strips of cake. Place the second cake layer on top of the ice cream. Freeze 1 hour.
- Cut off a corner of the frozen cake to look like a bite. Remove the ice cream from the trimmed bite and reserve the cake trimmings. Return the cake to the freezer.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Crumble the reserved cake strips and trimmings on a baking sheet. Bake, tossing occasionally, until golden, 10 minutes. Let cool, then crumble together with the freeze-dried strawberries.
- Finely crush 1 tablespoon of the strawberry-crumb mixture; combine with 1 tablespoon frosting to make it pink. Cover the whole cake with the remaining white frosting. Press the strawberry-crumb mixture into the frosting, without covering the bite or the opposite short side.
- Spread the pink frosting inside the bite. Add a line of crumb mixture at the bottom of the bite. Freeze until firm, at least 15 minutes. Insert a wooden spatula handle or large craft stick into the cake before serving.