Description
This homemade ice cream cake features layers of rich chocolate ganache and buttery salted caramel, perfect for any celebration!
Ingredients
Scale
- 18 Chocolate Graham Crackers, pulverized into fine crumbs (about 3 cups total)
- 0.25 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 12 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted (1.5 sticks)
- 1.25 cups Heavy Cream (for ganache)
- 12 oz Semisweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Light Corn Syrup
- 0.5 cup Heavy Cream (for caramel)
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 0.75 teaspoon Salt (for caramel)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 half-gallons Vanilla Ice Cream, softened
- 2 teaspoons Flaky Sea Salt
Instructions
- Prep the Crust and Cookie Crunch: Mix the chocolate cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Pour in the melted butter and stir until moistened. Press half of the mixture firmly into a greased 9-inch springform pan, extending an inch up the sides. Spread the remaining half of the crumbs onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place both the springform pan and sheet pan into the freezer for 30 minutes to set.
- Simmer the Sauces: For the Ganache, heat heavy cream until bubbling, remove from heat, stir in chocolate chips until glossy and smooth, then cool. For the Caramel, melt sugar and corn syrup over medium heat until it reaches a dark amber color. Remove from heat, stir in cream and butter, cook for one more minute, then stir in the salt and vanilla. Cool both to room temperature.
- Establish the First Layers: Remove your springform pan from the freezer. Pour exactly half of the cooled ganache over the crust, smooth it out, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of flaky sea salt. Freeze for 30 minutes. Once firm, scoop 1 half-gallon of slightly softened vanilla ice cream over the ganache, pressing firmly to eliminate any air gaps. Freeze for another 30 minutes.
- Build the Center Crunch Core: Crumble the frozen sheet pan crumbs into small pieces. Take the cake out of the freezer, throw two-thirds of those chocolate crumbs directly over the ice cream layer, and pour three-quarters of your cooled salted caramel right on top. Place it straight back into the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Final Toppings and Deep Freeze: Spread the final half-gallon of vanilla ice cream over the caramel layer, pressing down very firmly to fit it flush in the pan. Pour the remaining ganache over the top, sprinkle the last of your chocolate crumbs, drizzle the rest of the caramel, and top with flaky sea salt. Freeze for a minimum of 1 hour (or up to a week) before serving.
Notes
Let the cake rest for 10 minutes before slicing for easier serving. Use a hot knife for clean slices.
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Freezing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 933
- Sugar: 60g
- Sodium: 559mg
- Fat: 57g
- Saturated Fat: 34g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 96g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 165mg
Keywords: ice cream cake, dessert, chocolate ganache, salted caramel