TUB ICE CREAM CAKE WITH FRESH FRUIT
Defining it a recipe might be a bit pretentious, let’s say it’s a practical and quick idea to transform a simple store-bought tub ice cream into a super delicious and beautiful cake with a few ingredients and easy steps.
Whether it’s unexpected guests or a sudden craving for sweets, you’ll always have a fresh and delicious dessert ready in the freezer that’s perfect for summer, and you can prepare it in advance because it keeps for up to 2 weeks.
The tub or jar ice cream cake is a different way to serve not only the classic ice cream bought at the supermarket but maybe some leftover from the ice cream parlor.
It’s very simple to prepare; just crush the cookies in a food processor, add melted butter, and create a cake base like for a cheesecake. While it sets in the fridge, you can focus on the “ice cream” part.
I chose to use Cream-flavored Ice Cream, once slightly softened, so I could work it with a spatula, I added fruit (Peaches in my case) and composed the dessert by simply pouring the mixture into the base.
Let’s say the difficult part of the recipe is waiting 3 to 4 hours for the dessert in the freezer to return to the right ice cream consistency!
The Tub Ice Cream Cake is a dessert you can personalize based on your tastes or what you already have at home. You can have fun composing the cake with different flavors together like Pistachio and Chocolate, Hazelnut and Pistachio, Cream and Strawberry Ice Cream, or maybe even fruit-flavored ice creams with added pieces of fresh fruit. In short, there’s no limit to how you can vary this recipe to your liking.
So what are you waiting for? Prepare it with me, and don’t forget to leave me a comment if you try it and like it.
For more ideas on SUMMER DESSERTS, here are more recipes for Ice Cream or No-Bake Desserts.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking methods: No-bake
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 294.17 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 28.69 (g) of which sugars 19.24 (g)
- Proteins 4.10 (g)
- Fat 18.15 (g) of which saturated 11.44 (g)of which unsaturated 5.68 (g)
- Fibers 1.46 (g)
- Sodium 252.30 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 7 oz cookies (shortbread or Digestive)
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1.5 lbs ice cream (cream, vanilla, or fruit)
- 3 peaches (or about 7 oz strawberries, berries, apricots)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 peach
Tools
- Food Processor
- Springform Pan
- Bowl
Steps
Take the cookies of your choice (I use DIGESTIVE) and crush them in a food processor (or alternatively, place them in a well-sealed freezer bag and pound them with a rolling pin). Transfer them to a bowl and add the melted butter. Mix with a spoon. Line a 9-inch springform pan with plastic wrap (or acetate) and pour the cookie mixture inside, leveling it with the back of a spoon. Put in the fridge for 10 minutes to set.
Peel the peaches, cut them into pieces, and mix with a tablespoon of sugar. Take the cream ice cream, and churn it well in a bowl with a spoon to soften it. Add the peaches and mix to incorporate them. Take the cookie base from the fridge and pour the ice cream inside, leveling the surface with a spatula. Put the ice cream cake in the freezer to set for at least 2 hours. Before serving, decorate with peach slices.
NOTES
COOKIES: Any type of shortbread cookies are fine, as long as they are dry cookies without filling. I prefer DIGESTIVE for their slightly salty aftertaste.
ICE CREAM: You can make this cake with any flavor of ice cream you like. With fruit, the flavors that usually go best are Cream and Vanilla or fruit ice cream.
FRUIT: The Tub Ice Cream Cake can be made with any type of summer fruit like strawberries, berries, apricots, or melon.
VARIATIONS: With the same procedure, you can unleash your creativity and make many different types of tub cake, with or without fruit. Some suggestions WITHOUT FRUIT: Chocolate cookies and chocolate ice cream or hazelnut, cream, stracciatella, or bacio ice cream; suggestions WITH FRUIT: Classic shortbread, Vanilla and Strawberry Ice Cream, or Digestive cookies, Melon-flavored Ice Cream with pieces of Melon.
ADVICE:
Churn the ice cream well with a spoon but don’t let it melt too much, otherwise it will lose all its creaminess.
You can create a crumbled-style tub ice cream cake by dividing the cookie dough in half, using part as a base (pressed with the back of a spoon) and part as a crumbled topping.
STORAGE
You can store the Tub Ice Cream Cake in the freezer for up to 15 days. When you want to eat it, remember to take it out at least 20 minutes before serving, otherwise, the fruit will be hard and frozen.
