Last updated on March 11, 2024
We are Italians and with the gelato we make at home, we also make excellent ice cream cakes. We share the easy and no-bake recipe, with yogurt ice cream and strawberry coulis covering
On All Italian we have shared many ice cream recipes, with the most popular flavors that you find at the ice cream shop and that you can also make at home.
We often write: "like the one from the ice cream parlour!", because gelato made with fresh ingredients and the ice cream machine is just excellent, delizioso as we'd say in Italy.
Making an cake with home made ice cream may seem difficult and complicated, but it is not.
In this recipe we show step by step how we make a simple ice cream cake. We make gelato with the ice cream machine, but you can of course also use ready-made ice cream: the instructions do not change.
The Italian words of this page:
| 🔊 Gelato | Ice cream |
| 🔊 Torta | Cake |
| 🔊 Torta gelato | Ice cream cake |
The ice cream cake in our recipe consists of three layers: the cookie base, the ice cream and a layer of strawberry coulis.
The instructions are therefore divided into three parts:
the base of the ice cream cake, made with cookies and butter.
The ice cream layer: we make yogurt ice cream, but you can choose any of the recipes we publish on our site.
The cake topping: we make a strawberry coulis, which is easy and you can pour it cold on the ice cream cake. But you can just use chocolate chips or forest fruits.
A silicone cake tin is ideal to make a ice cream cake, because it is suitable for low temperatures (up to -40°C / -40°F) and because the cake comes off easily, even without of baking paper or foil.
We use a round shape with a diameter of 20 cm / ~ 7.8 inches; a size that fits easily in the freezer.
The silicone tin we use is produced by an Italian company; it is completely flexible, like the cover of a remote control, and has a rigid ring that helps the cake keep its rounded shape.
We mix the ice cream ingredients in a large bowl with an immersion mixer; then we pour the mixture into the ice cream maker.
You don't need a particular model of ice cream maker: the instructions, as well as the ice cream ingredients, are suitable for most ice cream makers on the market.
With these ingredients you get 2 pounds / 950 g of ice cream: an amount that you can make with most compressor ice cream makers, even the small ones with a capacity of 1.2 liter.
The ice cream is enough to fill the cake tin, which also contains the base of cookies. You will probably have a few scoops left over that you can enjoy while the ice cream cake solidifies in the freezer.
First put the cookies in a blender and chop them into a cookie powder.
For the base of the ice cream cake we use cookies such as Digestive or Bastogne. Plain, with whole wheat or with chocolate taste, these cookies are all suitable for our recipe as long as they are dry.
There are different ways to melt butter, for example in the microwave or in a bain-marie.
Add the melted butter to the cookies and mix well with a spoon. If the mixture you get is too hard, you can soften it with a little milk.
Place the mixture in the bottom of the cake tin and press with the back of a spoon to compact it. The layer of cookies should cover the entire bottom of the cake mold.
Put the tin in the freezer so that the cake base hardens while you prepare the ice cream.
Turn on the ice cream maker. It takes about 10 minutes for our compressor ice cream maker to be properly cooled and ready to make ice cream. In fact, we only pour the ice cream when the ice cream machine is cold,
Just like with the ice cream maker, the ingredients must also be cold from the refrigerator.
Our recipe does not contain eggs, so there is no need to heat the mixture.
Pour the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well with a hand blender.
Once the sugar has dissolved, you will get a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
Some ice cream makers display the internal temperature. We wait until the ice cream machine is at least -13 °F / -25 °C to pour the ice cream.
We pour the ice cream through the opening on the lid, while the ice cream maker is running. This way the cold won't escape.
To make 2 pounds / 950 g of ice cream, our ice cream maker takes 40-50 minutes.
Usually the ice cream is ready when the mixing paddle stops.
Freshly made ice cream, from the ice cream machine, is ideal for spreading in the cake tin. It is not too hard, but it should not be liquid either.
First remove the tin from the freezer: at this point the biscuit base should be set.
Transfer the ice cream from basket of the ice cream maker to the cake mold. Fill the tin up to half a centimeter from the top edge, so that the coulis also fits in the mold.
To smooth the surface of the ice cream, you can use a palette.
Then put the cake back in the freezer to solidify.
Wash the strawberries and cut them into small pieces.
If you use frozen strawberries, thaw them first with the defrost function of the microwave.
Put the sliced strawberries together with the sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan.
Mix everything with the hand blender until a homogeneous mixture. Then heat over a very low heat until the mixture begins to boil.
Turn off the heat and let the coulis first cool at room temperature and then put it in the refrigerator.
When you pour the coulis onto the cake, the coulis should be very cold.
After 2 hours in the freezer, the ice cream is firm enough and you can pour it over the cold coulis.
Then put the cake back in the freezer to let it set for at least 4 hours.
Your ice cream cake with yoghurt ice cream and strawberry coulis is ready to serve!
Your home made ice cream cake is ready. Buon appetito! 🍨🍰
In the basic ice cream recipe we have shared the method to get ice cream from the freezer to thaw and soften again: place it in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes instead of letting it thaw at room temperature.
For the ice cream cake we use the same method; but there is a difference depending on the type of ice cream you used.
Homemade ice cream, such as that from the ice cream parlor, becomes hard in the freezer.
To thaw it, remove the ice cream from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes, after which it is ready to be cut.
On the other hand, if you use ready-made ice cream from the grocery store, thsy is done on purpose so as not to solidify in the freezer: you don't have to wait long before eating the ice cream cake.
If you make ice cream with fresh ingredients, or if you buy ice cream in an ice cream parlour, we recommend that you keep the ice cream cake in the freezer for a maximum of 3 days: this way the ice cream, once thawed, is as good as when it's fresh.
In the restaurant in Italy, when you finish eating, the waiter will ask: 🔊 andava tutto bene? (was everything fine?)
We regularly update these pages on Italian gelato with recipes we make at home with the ice cream maker.
