recipe: ice cream cake (but not like you think)
If you’ve been following along, you’re probably aware that I collect cookbooks. Specifically, cookbooks created by New England civic organizations between 1950 and 1980 for fundraising purposes. With yard sale season in full swing, I find myself solvent with new recipe ideas, among them one I found in this vandalized and water-damaged collection.
The picture on the cover somewhat suggests the architecture of Calvary Baptist Church in Easthampton, but I bought the book in Millbury and it has no date (I’ve never been to that Church, I just tried to do some due diligence in my googling). Nevertheless, it *does* include a chocolate cake recipe with a secret ingredient: ice cream.
And hey, no cake flour or fancy measuring required, because we’re using cake mix.
I let my ice cream soften by scooping it up into small chunks and letting it sit a few minutes. At teaspoon size, your mixer will take care of any further softening required right quick.
The recipe calls for greasing & flouring a tube pan. Since I’m making chocolate cake, I dusted with cocoa powder instead of flour so my cake won’t look dusty. In fact you can do this with any chocolate cake, with the added bonus of a little extra kick of chocolate, and hey, that’s the name of the game, right?
After 4 minutes of beating, the batter kinda just looks like . . . well, melted ice cream.
This is one of those situations where a process shot gives a much clearer picture of the character of the dish than the final picture can. Connie Aubuchon, the contributor of this recipe, assures that the cake is “very moist, rich and chocolatey.”
She was right. This is about as moist as a cake gets without being outright wet, and it even has this spongy noise as you cut into it. In short, it is the most delicious chocolate cake you ever had.
I wanted to see just how chocolatey I could make this, so I stayed true and made a chocolate cake mix with chocolate ice cream. But I was *thisclose* to trying chocolate cake with mint or ginger ice cream, and other combos that come immediately to mind are vanilla mix with mango ice cream, yellow cake mix with strawberry ice cream, and funfetti with pretty much any ice cream. What combo would you make?
Chocolate Ice Cream Cake (but not like you think)
with thanks to Connie Aubuchon
1 box chocolate cake mix (or any other flavour)
1 pint chocolate ice cream, softened (again, any other flavour)
3 eggs
1 c water
Preheat oven to 350o. Grease a tube or bundt pan, then dust with cocoa powder.
Beat all ingredients together for 4 minutes, pour into pan and bake 45 minutes. Serve with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar, a thin icing, whipped cream or the frosting of your choice.
approximate nutrition summary (will vary depending on the brands used): 230 calories, 6g fat, 1g fiber; about 5 weight watchers points
Glad to see I’m not the only one with a liking for those cookbooks. Though I don’t limit myself to certain dates (yet). I’ve also been trying to make things from them, but there is only so much a single girl can eat…
This looks amazing. I’m going to make it for my birthday. Thanks for posting the tastiness!
I just had a friend request chocolate cake for her birthday, I think this may be the winner! Maybe I’ll try cupcakes, I think my bundt pan hates me. Oh and the cocoa powder instead of flour trick is pure brilliance.
Ooh, chocolate cake! I don’t particularly like cake mixes, but this looks so simple… it’s kinda scary!
nice! i’m glad it turned out good, i can’t wait to try this!
girl, i think you just discovered a gem.
That’s awesome! I remember as a child wanting to make cookies out of mint chocolate chip ice cream. It’d definitely be fun to try out the different combinations of cake mix and ice cream flavors….
I’m not much of a chocolate cake fan… but chocolate cake mix and mint choc chip icecream combo sounds right on the money to me
I am so excited to try this! I usually make the birthday cakes for my family, and my dad’s is on Saturday. He loves chocolate cake and is addicted to ice cream. You can’t get anymore perfect than this!
This is one I am definitely going to try…. seems so simple! I’m thinking of Breyer’s Butter Almond ice cream with chocolate or yellow cake mix. Ooohh! And a coffee flavored ice cream with chocolate cake. So many possibilities!
Oh I definitely will be making this.
OK that is some serious inventive thinking right there! Love it!
Wow, such a cool way to make a cake. I just got my first vintage cookbook and I can’t wait to try a recipe.
I bet this would be even better with a homemade cake batter. Interesting. I could make this with the Hershey’s recipe.
I can’t tell you how much I love your passion for the most mundane of cookbooks. They’re like the most housewifiest of all treasures. Sounds like a fun collection.
This looks wonderful. I’m going to try it tonight with yellow cake and my own orange-cardamom ice cream!
Stuff like this is why I love your blog.
Oh, wow, that sounds yummy! I told my boyfriend I wanted that rainbow cake you made a while back for my birthday this year; I wonder if he could combine the two recipes?!
Simple and easy. Looks wonderful…can’t wait to try it!
This looks delicious! I left a lovely blog award from you on my blog. Because I fell in love with your pancakes (among other things).
When I saw those pictures I was like “WHAT DO YOU MEAN ICE CREAM CAKE NOT LIKE I THINK???” This all makes sense now.
Great job. I loved the pictures. This is a great way to share a recipe.
It looks so good and certainly sounds easy enough. I’ll definitely have to give it a go! I’ll be sharing a link to this with my readers. Thanks!
[...] ice cream + chocolate cake mix = moist and delicious chocolatey goodness! Check out Omnomicon to read more about this super-easy cake [...]
I just used white cake with vanilla bean ice cream and made a two layer cake with it. Waiting to see how it comes out, it takes longer than the regular cake mix says it will so I was kinda scared at the 20 minute mark and it was wobbly in the center. But it’s been about 35 minutes now and it’s looking good. Fingers crossed! -=D
I have to try this! It sound amazing and fun. I’m linking so I can remember this!
So I bought the ingredients to make it this weekend… any thoughts on how long to bake in cupcake form? Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Do you think cookie dough ice cream would work? Def trying this out this weekend!
Is the cake rich and moist or just moist? I wonder how using whole milk instead of water would turn out.
It’s really spongey, not at all cakey, but the flavor is pretty much perfect. I’d be curious about the whole milk substitution myself, but you can’t go wrong with just water.
This cake turned out amazing! It’s so easy to make. I spaced on the beating for 4 minutes and only gave it about 45 seconds (until it all looked incorporated) and it still turned out as pictured. To Chez, I think the richness depends on the cake mix, ice cream, and frosting you choose. I went with dark chocolate mix and ice cream and used a chocolate ganache to frost it. It was decadently moist AND rich. A total crowd pleaser, thanks for sharing!
I need to state for the record that this is the only chocolate cake recipe I will be making for the rest of my life. Seriously. I’m not even a chocolate cake fan, and WOW. The recipe made 24 cupcakes (baked for 17 minutes) and 24 mini cupcakes (12 minutes), and I used cream cheese frosting. Ben and Jerry’s chocolate ice cream with Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge mix. Thanks Aleta!
[...] Surprise Chocolate Ice Cream Cake at [...]
I made this with passionfruit ice cream and lemon cake mix, then made a sort of whipped cream icing with some pear puree and just did a little ring around the top and put cherries on and it was cute as fuck and super super delicious
Wow. I’ve heard of this but never tried it or known anyone who did. It looks crazy moist. What great shots of the process too!
This looked so yummy I just had to try it! Mine’s in the oven now, but I used chocolate cake mix with mint chocolate chip ice cream. I’m worried the chocolate will cover up the mint taste too much, but let’s see what happens. I’m very excited! I’m going to cover it with a frosting I make that tastes a bit like marshmallows, and than I’ll put some cherries on top. It’ll be just like an ice cream sundae!
I just tried this after reading your blog this afternoon. My husband and I loved it. Very moist and delicious
I used Betty Crocker Moist in dark chocolate, and Blue Bell dutch chocolate ice cream.
Hilarious, Mitch. I’ll have to try the passionfruit and lemon combo. I’ve been having so much fun thinking of new combos. I can’t wait to try using lavender, ginger, coconut, almond, or Baileys ice cream. Thanks again for this great recipe! With it a beginning baker like myself can make different and interesting flavor combos like a pro!
holy mother of god, that cake looks so awesome I just threw up all over myself. Wow.
Update: The chocolate cake mix with mint ice cream is ridiculously good.
Make it now.
Greatness – I baked two cakes with this recipe: chocolate with mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate glaze and a lemon with strawberry ice cream and cool whip. Thanks so much, sure to be a crowd pleaser tomorrow!
I like recipes where the number of ingredients and steps are small
thanks for a great recipe!
I made this for a woman at work’s birthday…she lost her husband of 47 years last summer and wanted to work so she wouldn’t be alone. Being a chocolate cake fan, the cake made her day. Thanks for sharing this!
Oh, and I told my boyfriend about it…now I have to mix strawberry ice cream with white cake mix, and do a banana-pudding frosting for his next birthday
just made this cake with a dark chocolate fudge duncan hines cake mix, chocolate frosting and blue bell dutch chocolate ice cream! kept the circular shape but poked holes in the top with the end of a wooden spoon, filled with hot fudge. it’s being chilled until i can bring it to work tomorrow…i will let you know how it goes. so far, it looks great! THANK YOU – best blog and such creative recipes!
[...] “Ice Cream” Cupcakes Adapted from Omnomicon Makes 36 [...]
I just made this for Father’s day with white cake and moose tracks ice cream. I made two cakes, layered together with cream cheese frosting. To die for. I’ll be making this again.
I just made this for father’s day and it was delicious!!!!!!!!!!! I used chocolate ice cream just to be safe but it was so good, I’m ready to experiment now.
Made with Betty Crocker Butter Recipe Mix so added a stick of melted butter and Hagen Daz Creme Brulee ice cream. I usually only make cakes from scratch but no more. This will be my go-to recipe. So easy and SOOO super moist. AMAZING! Thanks!
Mix the water with instant coffee for another dimension of flavor
Is it more moist than when made with instant pudding (powdered form, not pudding form)? ‘Cause I know THAT is some pretty fine and super moist cake.
It seems pretty expensive…a pint of decent ice cream is like $4 now in NY state, if not more. A package of instant pudding is about $1.50 in comparison…thus my asking which is better.
*Hint* If you don’t have any cocoa powder, use the powdered cake mix itself to dust over the greased pan!
thank you for putting this up! i am going to a baby shower and wanted to make something different and special- and well wanted by the mother-to-be. this is perfect! thank you <3 and thank you Kim for the powder info!
ice cream and cake cake cake…
I was stumbling through websites and came to yours about the Calvary Cookbook recipe. I was stunned when I saw the photo of the book. When I was about 16 years old, I did the illustrations and the handlettering of the cover page for that book. I’d say it was around 1974. It was fun to see this. Thanks!
As I type this, a Chocolate Coffee Cake is baking my oven! I’m topping it with an espresso glaze. Mmmmmm…… coooffeeeeeee………
I want to try this….but has anyone tried using frozen yogurt instead? or gelato? they have some really nice flavors out there
Fabulous! I’d love to add this ice-cream cake to my blog. Would that be o.k. Already RT’ed on Twitter. How incredibly easy, and, of course, it will be moist!
oooooooh cant wait to try it
Now that sounds really interesting. I’ve got a couple of that sort of cookbooks and have never read them properly .. although one has a recipe for dolphin in (They mean a fish which is called a dolphin fish rather than proper dolphin) – must be loads to investigate in these little books!
I just made this cake and I must say that it is absolutely delicious. I’ve tried making moist cakes before, but it just takes so much work. This was unbelievably easy, and it was definitely one of the richest and most delicious chocolate cakes I’ve ever made.
I’m the dessert maker tonight for the dinner I’m going to and found this delicious recipe. I’m using Strawberry Ice Cream, White cake mix, and going to top it with melted white chocolate and strawberries. I can’t wait to taste
Smells good so far! Thanks for the post!
Looks great! Not as low fat as your rainbow cake, but Im sure it’s a lot moister!
OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM!!!
I made this last night and can not believe the difference it made. Dense and moist as can be. Like it was made from scratch. Thanks so much for this. xo
What a great idea. This looks delicious, I can’t wait to make it.
[...] Bake Date Merissa and I had a baking date on Monday. I arrived at her place at around noon, armed with my digital camera (for documentation) and film camera/lenses/ancient instruction manuals (to try to decipher). We had a lunch of poutine (which I recreated the following night for dinner at my place) and bengal spice tea, then started on our baking project of the afternoon – Ice cream cake (but not like you think). Click here for the recipe! [...]
The cake is a lie.
thats so funny! i recently went on a spree with southern version of the exact same type of cookbook. my grandmother had about 90 of them from all over texas. they contain some totally horrifying things like chocolate chow mein and potato chip cookies. this one actually looks good though
Love it! So does my husband! I was boring and used a white cake mix with vanilla ice cream (spouse is not near the choco-holic that I am) – divided it into two 8×8 pans – one for a friend and one for us. I asked my husband to test it and make sure it was good. He took a bite – did a really good job of hiding his delight and said ‘oh, you can’t give this away’ and tried to tell me it was awful – he loved it so much he wanted to keep it all to himself!
This is So Super Easy and the Best Cake ever!! You can eat it without icing. Even my husband, who loves frosting said its moist, sweet and the best!!
Thanks for posting the recipe!!
I made this cake for thanksgiving and everyone loved it. Though i decided to go over the edge on chocolate and i made Brigadeiro (look it up) and covered the cake in that, quite frankly the most delicious chocolate cake ive ever eaten, though not for those unable to stand much chocolate or sweets.
I made this cake for my wife for her birthday. She picked out the cake, ice cream and the frosting. She wanted a classic yellow cake with a Peanut Butter ice cream which had pieces of peanut brittle as well in it. She finished it off with a chocolate fudge frosting! IT WAS AMAZING! She loves Cold Stone Cake Batter with Peanut Butter Cups and this tasted JUST like it. Thank you again for the best cake recipe ever!
If you would like to add a little “spunk” to this recipe, try cutting the water to a 1/2 cup and add 1/2 of Kahlua……mmmmmm!!!! deliciouso!!!!!!!
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