Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake has layers of strawberry ice cream, whipped topping, strawberry sauce, and a cookie crumble. Treat yourself to a slice of heaven with this irresistible homemade Ice Cream Cake recipe that is easy to make and so completely delicious!

whole strawberry ice cream cake on a table

Table of Contents

Ice cream cakes do not have to be store bought. I think I proved that with my Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich Cake recipe. Well, let me introduce you to my new summertime favourite!

This easy ice cream cake is fruity and creamy, with an irresistible cookie crunch. Not only is it full of taste, but its ridiculously simple to make, just like our Strawberry Lemonade Cheesecake Cookies.

💗 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

TASTY – It has the most delicious layers of crunchy cookies, creamy ice cream, and yummy strawberry sauce and whipped cream.
EASY TO MAKE – It takes about 40 minutes to make, and the rest of the time is chilling and freezing. So simple, just like our No Bake Blackberry Cream Pie Recipe!
VERSATILE – Unlike store-bought ice cream cakes, you can customize the layers to suit preferences, availability or occasion. Make our No Churn Homemade Blueberry Ice Cream to make blueberry shortcake ice cream cake!
ALL-OCCASION – From a summer sweet treat to birthday cake, or for holidays such as Valentine’s Day and Easter – it’s a cake that can be enjoyed year round like our Lemon Icebox Pie recipe.

Total Time: 4 hours

Serves: 12

🛒 Ingredients and Notes

Cookies – I use Golden Oreos, yet you can also use Christie Shortcake Biscuits or shortbread cookies, or any other type of sandwich cookie you’d like.
Ice Cream – I use a 2L container of Chapman’s Premium Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream to stay on theme with it being strawberry shortcake, yet realistically you can use whatever brand or variety you’d like.
Whipped Topping – I use both a 1L tub of Cool Whip Original Frozen Whipped Topping for the layers, and canned whipped topping for decoration. You can make your own using heavy cream, if you so choose.
Strawberries – I prefer to use frozen strawberries in my recipe, it’s had the most success. Yet you can use fresh berries if you’d like. Some even use freeze dried strawberries as well.

As always, the full ingredients and recipe for this strawberry shortcake ice cream cake from scratch, is on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

⭐ Recipe Tips & Variations

Make Space! The first thing I like to do is make sure there’s space in my freezer to store the cake.
Homemade ice cream cakes need time to freeze properly, so it’s best to plan ahead and make it ahead of time.
Crush the cookies in a food professor or place in a ziplock bag and crush using a rolling pin.
Have extra homemade strawberry sauce? Put any remaining strawberry sauce into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Use it on top of ice cream or pancakes. We have a lightened version of strawberry sauce on our No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars recipe.
Add some chocolate flavor to this ice cream cake by drizzling our Homemade Nutella recipe on top!

👩🏼‍🍳 How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake

NOTE: To make easy strawberry shortcake ice cream cake, you need to know and do two things to prep the recipe before you get started in making the actual cake.

Make the strawberry sauce either the day before, or a couple hours before you want to assemble the cake. This allows time for it to thicken and cool.
Take out the cool whip and ice cream 30 minutes before making the cake, to allow it to soften for easy spreading.

granulated sugar on top of cut fresh strawberries in a pan with a wooden spoon.

STEP 1 – In saucepan, add the frozen strawberries, sugar, vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a simmer and cook until berries have softened, stirring occasionally.

fresh strawberries and sugar being cooked in a frying pan.

STEP 2 – Whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup water and the cornstarch, then add it to the strawberry puree. Stir occasionally and allow to thicken. When thickened, remove from the stove and pour into a small bowl. Set aside to cool, to at least room temperature.

cookie base being spread into a springform pan with a rubber spatula.

STEP 3 – Using a springform pan, remove the round bottom from the sides. Place a piece of parchment paper on the circled bottom and clamp the bottom back onto the sides. If parchment paper is poking out the sides of the pan, you can cut the reserved off. In a bowl, combine the crushed cookies and melted butter. Place half the cookie mixture onto the parchment paper and press down to cover entire bottom using a rubber spatula.

strawberry sauce and cookie crumble on top of ice cream spread into a spring-foam pan to make homemade ice cream cake.

STEP 4 – Top the cookie crumble with half the softened ice cream, pushing down into an even layer. Add a layer of Cool Whip, followed by a layer of drizzled strawberry sauce. Repeat layers once more and end the layers with a decorative drizzle of strawberry sauce or cookie crumble if you have some left. When finished, cover with plastic wrap and place cake in the freezer for at least 3 hours to harden. Remove from the freezer 15-20 minutes before removing from springform pan.

Whipped cream decoration being added to a strawberry shortcake ice cream cake.

STEP 5 – After it’s hardened and removed from the springform pan, add fresh strawberries and decorative whipped topping on top of the cake (and on the sides of the cake) if desired. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

🍽 What to Serve With Ice Cream Cake

If it needs to be said, have your cake and eat it too. Of course this cake is great on it’s own – yet you can also serve it beverages, or a side of fresh cut fruit.

This strawberry ice cream cake with an Oreo crust just screams summer, it’s one of our favourite desserts! It’s not only a very pretty cake, but one that is simple to make, just like our Key Lime Cake Recipe.

💭 Storage

This strawberry shortcake ice cream recipe needs to be stored in the freezer, so it down’t melt. You can freeze it whole in a cake carrier, or sliced then stored in airtight containers for easier portion removal. Ice cream cake will keep for up to 3 months, yet make sure it’s well sealed to prevent freezer burn.

Make ahead – For best results and leaving ample time to freeze and set, it’s best to make ice cream cakes ahead of time.

a slice of strawberry shortcake ice cream cake on a plate with the whole cake in the background.

🔍 Recipe FAQ

What are the crunchies in ice cream cake made of?

The crunchy bits in ice cream cake are a mixture of cookie crumbs and melted butter. They are typically one layer in the layered ice cream cake, and sometimes the bottom layer.

How far in advance should I make an ice cream cake?

I prefer to make my ice cream cakes the day before, and keep it frozen until it’s time to decorate and serve.

What kind of pan to use to make ice cream cake?

Use a spingform pan, because it’s the easiest to remove the cake from. You can use a standard round baking pan, yet in that case I would place parchment paper on the bottom and sides, to make it easier to remove the ice cream cake from the pan.

🔅 More Summer Desserts

If you’ve tried this Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my blog please let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Finally, consider leaving a 🌟 star rating while you’re here. Thanks!