Homemade ice cream cake with coffee and caramel is pure delight, with a buttery cookie crust and a dulce de leche filling. It's rich, smooth, and tastes just like a frozen latte.
This ice cream cake is wonderfully low-stress, no baking, just simple layering and a few bowls, and best of all, you can make it in the morning and have it ready by evening.
The sweet caramel-coffee flavor reminds me of a chilled café con leche.
The cookie crust is crisp and buttery, made with crushed digestives or graham crackers mixed with melted butter.
I whip cream, sugar and instant coffee until stiff peaks form, then fold in the dulce de leche.
Pour into the crust, freeze for a few hours, then top with whipped cream for an elegant finish.
It slices clean, holds its shape, and tastes creamy; in fact, it's an easy ice cream cake recipe that always impresses.
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⭐Why You'll Love This Ice Cream Cake
- No Oven Required: This is a true no-bake recipe, just mix, chill, and freeze. Great for warm days or when you want a dessert without turning on the oven.
- Incredible Coffee-Caramel Flavor: The mix of instant coffee and dulce de leche creates a deep rich flavor.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: I love how I can prep this the night before and have dessert ready without doing anything last-minute.
- Easy to Decorate: With just a quick whip and a piping bag, you get a pretty finish.
- Perfect Texture: The creamy filling stays soft enough to slice but firm enough to hold its shape.
🧾Ice Cream Cake Ingredients
Here's what you need to make this Ice Cream Cake recipe:
- Cookies: I like using buttery cookies like graham crackers or digestives; they give the crust a solid base.
- Unsalted Melted Butter: Melted butter binds the crumbs together and helps the crust set up nicely.
- Cream: I always use full-fat heavy cream for both the filling and frosting, it whips up thick and creamy.
- Sugar: A few tablespoons is all you need to lightly sweeten the whipped cream filling without making it too sugary.
- Instant Coffee Powder: I use a bold instant coffee that dissolves easily and adds depth to the filling; it's like a frozen cappuccino in cake form.
- Dulce de Leche: This adds caramel sweetness and richness to the filling. I love how it blends in smoothly with the whipped cream.
- Icing Sugar: I use this to sweeten the frosting because it dissolves easily and keeps the whipped cream smooth and pipeable.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
👩🏻🍳How to Make an Ice Cream Cake
These step-by-step instructions and photos will help you visualize how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for a printable version of this recipe.
1. Make the Crust: Pulverize cookies into fine crumbs, mix with melted butter until it resembles damp sand, then press into the base and sides of a cake pan. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. Prepare the Filling: Whip cream with sugar and instant coffee until firm peaks form, then fold in dulce de leche until smooth. Pour over the chilled crust and freeze for at least 4 hours.
3. Whip the Topping: Beat cream with icing sugar until stiff peaks form, then transfer to a piping bag.
4. Decorate and Serve: Remove ice cream cake from the pan, pipe whipped cream designs on top, freeze for 30 minutes, then let sit a few minutes before slicing.
📖Variations
- Mocha Chip Version: Fold in a handful of mini chocolate chips with the dulce de leche, then for a little crunch and extra chocolate flavor in every bite.
- Chocolate Crust Version: Swap the plain cookies for chocolate cookies to give the base a richer, deeper flavor that pairs perfectly with the coffee filling.
- Salted Caramel Swirl: Drizzle extra dulce de leche over the filling and sprinkle with sea salt before freezing; I like how it adds a sweet-salty contrast.
- Hazelnut Coffee Version: Mix in a spoonful of hazelnut spread with the dulce de leche for a creamy, nutty twist that reminds me of a frozen hazelnut latte.
- Layered Crunch Version: Add a thin layer of crushed cookies or chocolate shavings in the middle of the filling; I like doing this when I want a little surprise texture in each slice.
💭Tips for Recipe Success
Blend the Filling Slowly: I always take time folding the dulce de leche into the whipped cream; it keeps the filling fluffy.
Use a Springform Pan: It makes removing the cake so much easier. I find it gives the cleanest edges.
Freeze Fully Before Serving: I always give it a solid 4 hours in the freezer so the layers slice neatly.
Hot Knife Trick: For clean slices, I run a sharp knife under hot water and wipe it dry before each cut. It glides right through.
Store Leftovers Properly: Keep any leftovers tightly wrapped in the freezer. They'll stay good for up to a week, and I like to let slices rest for a few minutes before eating.
🍰More Cake Recipes to Try!
If you're enjoying this ice cream cake, you'll definitely want to try these delicious cake recipes next:
- Strawberry Shortcut Cake
- Chocolate Banana Cake
- Chocolate Mug Cake
- Apple Loaf Cake
- Easy Yogurt Cake
- Coffee Magic Cake
- Lemon Pudding Cake
🍰More Dessert Recipes!
Here are more of my favorite dessert recipes! Try these:
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Recipe
Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 230 g Cookies
- 130 g Unsalted Melted Butter
For the Filling:
- 600 ml Heavy Cream
- 4 tablespoon Sugar
- 5 tablespoon Instant Coffee Powder
- 400 g Dulce de Leche - 1 can
For the Frosting:
- 200 ml Heavy Cream
- 2 tablespoon Icing Sugar
Instructions
- Crush the cookies into fine crumbs in a food processor.
- In a bowl, combine the cookie crumbs with the melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Press the mixture into the bottom and side of a cake pan to create the crust, pressing evenly.
- Place the crust in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, whip the cream with the sugar and instant coffee powder until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the dulce de leche into the whipped cream mixture until smooth and fully combined.
- Take the crust out of the fridge and pour the filling over it, spreading evenly.
- Place the cake in the freezer and let it set for at least 4 hours.
- In another bowl, whip the cream with the icing sugar until it forms stiff peaks.
- Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag.
- Remove the cake from the freezer and take it out of the cake pan.
- Pipe whipped cream decorations on top of the cake.
- Return the decorated cake to the freezer for 30 minutes to set the topping.
- Before serving, let the cake sit at room temperature for a few minutes, then slice and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
John says
Ice cream cake is my absolute WEAKNESS! It's like the best of both worlds in one perfect dessert.