Red White and Blue Ice Cream Cake

Red White and Blue Ice Cream Cake

Tradition in America dictates that a birthday is celebrated with some sort of cake. I wanted to hold true to this tradition for a very special birthday, the anniversary of the birth of our nation. My daughters go to choice for their birthday cake is an ice cream cake, so that was my inspiration to develop the Red White and Blue Ice Cream Cake.

Red White and Blue Ice Cream Cake

The Inspiration

The 4th of July is really one of my favorite holiday’s and not so much because of the cook outs and potential for a three day weekend, but more because I am an American History geek, so much so that most of our family summer vacations involve some sort of historical influence or theme. So, for this Independence Day celebration I wanted to make something that was inspired by the flag as well as historic and family traditions. I feel I’ve accomplished the task with this Red White and Blue Ice Cream Cake I am sure you’ll enjoy.

Making the Red White and Blue Ice Cream Cake

So, what are we going to need for this cake? We are going to need a spring form pan, a very cold place to hide our project and a few supermarket treats I am sure you will recognize.

Red White and Blue Ingredients

Our first step is going to be to make the ganache. Ganache is a soft chocolate filling that is a snap to make. First, put the heavy cream in a small saucepan and set on stove at high heat. As cream is coming up to temp, place chocolate chips, vanilla and salt in mixing bowl all the while keeping an eye on the cream so it doesn’t over boil. Right before the cream begins to boil, remove from heat and pour over chocolate and let sit for 10 minutes…..and that’s it for now, do NOT stir. If you stir too soon you could cause the ganache to come out grainy and no one likes a grainy ganache.

Ganache Resting

While we are waiting for the ganache to come out of time out, start working on the cake. Cut a round out of parchment paper the same size as the bottom of the spring form pan. Spray inside of pan with non stick pan spray, add paper round and then spray paper. This is going to help get the cake out of the pan as well as help the cookie crumbs to stick to the sides.

Prepped Spring Form Pan

Now, place the cookies and melted butter in the food processor and pulse until cookies are all crumbs and the crumb begin to clump.

Cookie Crumbs

Now, bit by bit take small handfuls of the sticky cookie crumbs and press into the sides of the pan. Work around the sides and then finish with the bottom. This helps so you know you have the side done without using too much on the bottom. The 25 cookies and 1/2 stick of butter will give you enough for one pan. Set crust in freezer for about 5 minutes to set.

Two items of note:

  • While working on crust, take out strawberry ice cream to allow to soften.
  • Has the timer for the ganache gone off? If so, stop with crust and stir ganache. Stirring at the 10 minute mark is crucial. If you allow the cream to get too cold the ganache will not be smooth of shiny.

Crumbed Pan

After the 5 minutes are over, press half the container of strawberry ice cream in bottom of pan in an even layer.

Strawberry Layer

Now pour half of the ganache over the strawberry ice cream and tilt pan so ganache covers ice cream and is even.

Strawberry Ganache

Place cake in freezer on a flat surface and allow to firm up for about 20 minutes. After about 15 of those 20 minutes, pull vanilla ice cream out of freezer to allow to soften.

After the first 20 minutes are up, pull cake from freezer and press half of the vanilla bean ice cream on top of the ganache.

Vanilla Layer

Now top the vanilla layer with the remaining ganache in an even layer covering all the ice cream. You might need to slightly warm up the ganache, but do not allow to get hot. You can do this in a warm oven or set bowl over another bowl with warm water.

Vanilla Ganached

Place 2/3’s complete cake in freezer for an additional 20 minutes or more to continue to firm up.

Now the finale to the Red White and Blue Ice Cream Cake

This one I had to think about a bit. My first instinct was to do white whipped topping and use blueberries….but the flag doesn’t have blue stars, so that just wasn’t going to work. So then I settled for blue color in the whipped topping, but that doesn’t do much for flavor. So I thought, hey, let’s put the berries IN the topping. So I took the fresh blueberries and blended them into the heavy cream. To that in a mixing bowl I added a bit of blue food color gel and whipped to soft peaks. To the soft peaks I added the confectioners sugar and whipped until stiff peaks formed.

Blueberry Whipped Cream Blueberry Whipped Cream

Once the blueberry whipped topping is complete and the cake is firm, take the cake out of freezer and spread a layer of the blueberry topping over the cake. If you so desire, set some of the topping aside and finish cake by piping the remainder of the topping on the cake.

Red White and Blue Ice Cream Cake Spread Blueberry Topped Cake

To remove the cake from the spring form pan, soak a dish towel or rag in some warm water and “thaw” the outside of the cake….just enough to loosen the pan ring. Finish cake with white chocolate chips for the stars, cut, serve and Enjoy!

Happy 4th of the July, America!

Red White and Blue Stars Red White and Blue Ice Cream Cake

Red White and Blue Ice Cream Cake
Prep Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
 
For a unique touch to your 4th of July party, celebrate the birth of America with this colorful Red White and Blue Ice Cream Cake.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 Slices
Author: Nate
Ingredients
Ganache
  • 8 ounces Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 tsp Pure Vanilla
Ice Cream Cake
  • 24 each Oreo's
  • 1/2 stick butter Salted
  • 1/2 container Strawberry Ice Cream softened
  • 1/2 container Vanilla Bean Ice Cream softened
  • 1 recipe Ganache Above
  • 1 recipe Blueberry Whipped Cream Below
Blueberry Whipped Cream
  • 1/2 Cup Fresh Blueberries
  • 1.5 Cup Heavy Cream
  • 1 Cup Confectioners Sugar
  • TT Blue Food Color Gel
Instructions
Ganache
  1. Set chocolate chips, salt and vanilla in mixing bowl.
  2. Bring heavy cream to just a boil and pour over chocolate.
  3. Let sit 10 minutes. DO NOT STIR.
  4. After 10 minutes is up, stir slowly with wire whisk to bring ingredients together to a glossy sheen. Set a timer for ten minutes and set aside. Continue with recipe for cake below, but stir ganache when timer goes off.
Cake
  1. While the ganache is waiting to be stirred, prep the spring form pan with parchment paper round for bottom. Now spray pan with pan spray. This will help secure the paper round and the cookie crumbs to the side of the pan.
  2. Pulse the sandwich cookies and melted butter in food processor until cookies are fully crushed and butter has started to bring crumbs together.
  3. Pull strawberry ice cream from freezer to begin to soften. Now bit by bit press small handfuls of the cookie crumbs to the bottom of the pan as well as the sides. Try to make the thickness of the crust as even as possible. Pop crust in freezer for 5 minutes to slightly set up.
  4. Once crust is set, press the strawberry ice cream in bottom of pan in an even layer and top with half of the stirred ganache. Tilt pan so ganache covers ice cream in an even layer and set flat in freezer until firm. About 20 minutes.
  5. After about 15 of the above 20 minutes, pull vanilla ice cream from freezer to soften. Once strawberry layer is firm, press softened vanilla ice cream into an even layer onto bottom layer. Now scrape remaining ganache onto vanilla ice cream and tilt pan so ganache covers ice cream in an even layer. For this step you might have to warm ganache up just a bit. Set cake flat in freezer for about another 20 minutes.
Blueberry Whipped Cream and Finish
  1. While prepped cake is firming up, in mixing bowl place blueberries and whipped cream and pulse with stick blender. After berries are pureed, switch out stick blender for wire whisk and add a bit of blue food color and stir until you get your desired tone. Once color is achieved, whip cream to soft peaks, add in confectioners sugar and finish whipping to firm peaks.
  2. Once cake is firm for second time, pipe or spread blue whipped cream on cake and sprinkle white chocolate chips on top to represent the stars on the flag. Place cake in freezer until ready to serve.