This tantalizing rich chocolate brownie ice cream cake is heavenly. 12 ingredients are all you need to replicate this luscious homemade ice cream cake.
I will be giving you lots of information in this blog post about how to make this easy ice cream cake. You will find easy to follow directions, photos, and a video too.
If you taste this recipe and are still in the mood for chocolate, try my chocolate cherry galette, it's out of this world!
Why this recipe works:
- It has a rich, decadent, and luscious intense chocolate flavor.
- Everyone raves about how delicious it is.
- You only need 12 ingredients.
- It's perfect for all occasions and parties.
Photo instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line two 9" (23cm) springform pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl stir together butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla just until combined. Don't use a hand or stand mixer or you have too many air pockets in the batter, and this makes the batter cakey instead of fudgy. Stir by hand with a whisk.
Sift in cocoa, flour, and salt and stir just until combined.
Divide into the two prepared pans equally and bake for 25-30 minutes until the brownie layers don't jiggle anymore and are just set to touch. A toothpick should come out dirty. Don't overbake them or they are getting cakey. I baked mine for exactly 29 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. They will keep baking in the pan. Then remove from pan and transfer with the baking paper to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Place chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream in a heat-proof bowl and microwave for about 2 minutes until it has the typical chocolate fudge sauce consistency. Stir every 20 seconds, that the chocolate doesn't get too fast too hot.
Place one layer into the bottom of a 9" springform pan. Spread half of the chocolate fudge sauce all over it.
Fill with 3-4 pints of ice cream of your choice and spread evenly.
Drizzle with more chocolate fudge sauce if desired. Place the second brownie layer on top. Freeze at least 12 hours or until firm. Cut into thin slices before serving and drizzle with remaining chocolate fudge sauce.
Store leftover cake in the freezer up to 1 week. Store leftover fudge sauce in the fridge up to 1 week and warm up in the microwave a few seconds before serving if too firm.
Top tips
- Mix ingredients with a whisk by hand and just until combined. Overmixing or using an electric mixer, incorporates too much air into the batter and makes the layers cakey instead of fudgy.
- For the batter, you can use either natural cocoa powder or dutch-processed. The dutch-processed cocoa powder is darker in color and is the one I used.
- After baking let the layers cool to room temperature before you fill them with ice cream.
- It's easiest if you have lightly softened but firm ice cream to work with. It makes your life so much easier to be able to spoon it out without it getting runny. A good recommendation is to place it on the counter up to 5 minutes before you are ready to use it. Then it should easily come out of the container.
Substitutions
Consider the following substitutions when making this recipe:
- Use 1 cup (175g) of white chocolate instead of dark chocolate.
- Substitute the vanilla beans for 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract.
- For gluten-free cake layers substitute with Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour 1:1.
Variations
Feel free to add different flavors. Consider trying the following ideas:
- Instead of using 1 cup of dark chocolate, replace half the chocolate with peanut butter chips.
- Add ½ cup (62.5g) of your favorite nut as a garnish on top of the ice cream cake or mix it in with the ice cream layer.
- Top with fresh strawberries right before serving.
- Drizzle the top with caramel for a fun flavor.
- Sprinkle with a few crushed Oreos on top of this easy ice cream cake.
Storage
Store the cake in the freezer for up to 1 month. It should be tightly covered to prevent any ice crystals from forming. It should never set out for more than a few minutes because you don't want it to become too melted. It's easier to slice the cake when it's frozen too; otherwise, you would have a giant mess.
You can also store the fudge topping for 1 week as well. It should go in the fridge in an airtight container. If you want to melt the topping a little bit, just toss it in the microwave for a few seconds.
Related Recipes
Even More Brownie Recipes To Try Out
Recipe and Video
Brownie Ice Cream Cake Recipe
Ingredients
fudge brownie layers
- 2 cups unsalted butter, melted and cooled (452g)
- 2 cups granulated white sugar (400g)
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar (400g)
- 8 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder, spooned and leveled (168g)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (240g)
- 2 tsp salt
chocolate fudge sauce
- 1 cup dark chocolate, chopped (175g)
- 6 oz sweetened condensed milk (170g)
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream (120ml)
filling
- 3-4 pints ice cream of your choice (1.4 - 1.9L)
Instructions
Cake layers
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line two 9" (23cm) springform pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl stir together butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla* just until combined. Don't use a hand or stand mixer or you have too many air pockets in the batter, and this makes the brownie layers cakey instead of fudgy. Stir by hand with a whisk.
- Sift in cocoa, flour, and salt and stir just until combined. Divide into the two prepared pans equally and bake for 25-30 minutes until the brownies don't jiggle anymore and are just set to touch. A toothpick should come out dirty. Don't overbake the brownies or they are getting cakey. I baked mine for exactly 29 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. They will keep baking in the pan. Then remove from pan and transfer with the baking paper to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Fudge sauce
- Place chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream in a heat-proof bowl and microwave for about 2 minutes until it has the typical chocolate fudge sauce consistency. Stir every 20 seconds, that the chocolate doesn't get too fast too hot.
Assembling
- Place one layer into the bottom of a 9" springform pan. Spread half of the chocolate fudge sauce all over it. Fill with 3-4 pints of ice cream of your choice and spread evenly. Take care that you don't overfill the pan and the second layer has a place.
- Drizzle with more chocolate fudge sauce if desired. Place the second brownie layer on top. Freeze at least 12 hours or until firm. Cut into thin slices before serving and drizzle with remaining chocolate fudge sauce. Store leftover cake in the freezer up to 1 month. Store leftover fudge sauce in the fridge up to 1 week and warm up in the microwave a few seconds before serving if too firm.
Video
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Notes
- Mix ingredients with a whisk by hand and just until combined. Overmixing or using an electric mixer, incorporates too much air into the batter and makes the layers cakey instead of fudgy.
- For the batter, you can use either natural cocoa powder or dutch-processed. The dutch-processed cocoa powder is darker in color and is the one I used.
- After baking let the layers cool to room temperature before you fill them with ice cream.
- It's easiest if you have lightly softened but firm ice cream to work with. It makes your life so much easier to be able to spoon it out without it getting runny. A good recommendation is to place it on the counter up to 5 minutes before you are ready to use it. Then it should easily come out of the container.
Trisha
Hi! Do you think it would matter if I used a store bought Carmel ice cream sauce instead of fudge? Also, I have a 10” springform pan. Would the baking time differ? Would it matter for overall texture with larger pan?
Thanks!
Sabine
I haven't tried store bought caramel sauce yet but I guess the taste would be amazing. However, I suspect that the sauce could be too liquid giving you a hard time to assemble the layers. But you could give it a try. Regarding the pan size. Yes, you can totally make this in a 10" pan. Just shorten the baking time for a few minutes and use a toothpick to check if it's done. Hope that helps!
Wendy
I have made this. It is actually the brownies that are the the best!! My go to brownies now and they are seriously the best! Thank you
audrey frank
Just one question...is the chocolate for the sauce unsweetened or semi sweet?
Sabine
It's semi-sweet.
Susan
I only have one springform pan. Could I bake the brwonie all at once and then slice it evenly in half once it's cool? or do you think that would be a disaster? I have never needed a second spring form pan and hate to buy one just for this recipe. Tell me your thoughts, because I am definitely making this ice cream cake one way or another!
Sabine
I don’t recommend to bake both brownie layers at once in one pan and cutting it in half afterwards because this is going to be a disaster as you said. In your case I recommend to bake one brownies layer, then let it cool down until you are able to remove it carefully from the pan and then bake the second layer in that pan. You can cover and store the remaining batter at room temperature until you bake the second layer. Just whisk it a few seconds before pouring it into the pan that it is smooth again. Please use baking paper for both layers. Hope that helps!
Susan
Thank you, that makes a lot more sense!
Kai
Hi Sabine! I think this cake is to die for! I want to make it this Christmas season for my family. I just wanted to check.. is it too sweet? I see 4 cups of sugar plus the sweetened milk, I'm scared the oldies will say it's too sweet haha. Can i cut the sugar in it and still make it aa good? Or will the sweetness balance off with the dark chocolate? Perhaps choose an ice cream flavour that offsets the sweetness too? I really want to make this cake!! Aaah!!! Lol
Sabine
Hi Kai, for me or my family it is not too sweet but it's hard to tell if it would be too sweet for your family because, you know, tastes are different. However, the dark chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder need sugar to make this cake sweet. You can cut down the sugar by 1 cup if you like. The texture won't change a lot with that 1 cup missing. The fudge sauce is actually not overly sweet because of the dark chocolate. Use 70% chocolate to make it even less sweet. To use a neutral ice cream is absolutely a great idea! I hope that helps! Happy Christmas! 🙂
Mariam
I tried out this recipe for my brother and it came out so so good!! I wish I could post a picture of my cake here. Love this recipe!
Sabine
I'm so happy to hear that! I would love to see your cake! You could post it on Instagram and tag me that I can see it. Have a great day!
Maria
Hi, this recipe looks wonderful but I don't have a microwave. How do you suggest I do the fudge sauce. Thanks
Sabine
Hi Maria, you could place a bowl over a pot with about 2 inches of cooking water instead. Hope that helps!
Maria
thanks, will try and let you know.
Sara
Hi, this recipe looks amazing! I was just wondering if it is possible to make the cake and leav it in the freezer overnight? I’m thinking if I don’t have the time to make it the same day, Or will the cake taste different?
Sabine
Hi Sara, thank you so much, I'm glad that you like the recipe! You can make the brownies one day ahead. Store them covered at room temperature until you assemble the cake. The fudge sauce can be made 1 week ahead and stored in the fridge. Once the cake is assembled you can easily store it in the freezer for 1 week. Hopefully, that helps! Happy baking!
Jian
How much cakes does this recipie make
Sabine
These are two 9-inch brownie layers filled with ice cream. It is one cake about 3 inches high.
Amanda
3 pints of ice cream? Oh, Sabine. We are 2 peas from the same pod. I love Phish Food or anything with cookie dough, but this mile-high Fudge Brownie Ice Cream Cake? I'll take one or a dozen 😉 If you were moving to the east coast, I would say plan a visit to the Vermont Ben & Jerry's facility, but San Francisco definitely has it's perks like the Museum of Ice Cream and also these fabulous Ice Cream destinations: https://sf.eater.com/maps/best-ice-cream-san-francisco. From what I hear, people rave about Salt & Straw, Humprhy Slocombe, and Three Twins. Can you tell I love ice cream? I know. I am probably giving you way more information than you need, but I can't wait for you to start blogging about all of your amazing discoveries here in the states!
Sabine
Oh yes, Amanda! 3 pints at least (: We really love ice cream, don't we? When I live in the states, I want to see every state. So, I definitely will visit the Vermont Ben & Jerry's facility one day. Thank you so much for the SF ice cream hot spots. Salt & Straw is the only one I knew and tried and they are really great! I also can't wait to move and share my discoveries with you!
Sandy
Hi! I just made this last night and I think the ONLY suggestion I have outside the recipe is maybe when assembling use a SLIGHTLY larger springform pan so the ice runs down the sides of the brownie rather than down/out the sides of the pan. Otherwise this was a delicious recipe 🙂 and likely to be made again -- sooo many flavors to try out!!!
Sabine
Thank you so much for your feedback, Sandy. Yes, that happens to me too sometimes when I fill it up too much and the ice cream is already too soft. I'm happy that you liked it! 🙂