For years I made my kids 3 homemade cakes for their birthdays; one for their real birthday, one for their birthday party and one for daycare. Looking back, it was kind of an insane thing to do. But I loved cake decorating at the time, so I did it. However, in the process, I had created a tradition that was completely unsustainable.
So when they were no longer in daycare and started asking for Dairy Queen ice cream cakes, I was a pretty relieved. Nowadays ice cream cakes are what every kid seems to want for their birthdays. And when my daughter told me she wanted me to create a homemade Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake for her birthday this year, I was just glad I only had to make one cake.
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However, I didn’t want to make the entire Neapolitan cake with ice cream because I think something called a cake should at least have cake in it. Right? And since my daughter wanted the cake part to be vanilla, I used my favorite vanilla cake (from the Mermaid Bakery) (although you could use any white/vanilla cake), then paired it with easy and delicious no churn chocolate and strawberry ice cream and a stabilized whipped cream frosting. And it was not only absolutely divine to eat, it was fun to make!
🥘 Ingredients
For this Neapolitan Cake, you'll need:
- unsalted butter
- white granulated sugar
- white vinegar
- milk
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- heavy whipping cream
- piping gel
- powdered sugar
- ice cream cones
- fresh strawberries
- condensed milk
- pink food coloring
- whipping cream (liquid)
- freeze-dried strawberries
- cocoa
- chocolate sprinkles
*See recipe card for quantities
📖 Variations & Substitutions
- Cake: If you're short on time, you could substitute the homemade cake with a cake mix
- Ice cream: You can also substitute store bought ice cream.
- Frosting for ice cream cake: You can use a Stabilized Whipped Cream Icing or this Whipped Cream Buttercream Frosting (with no butter) , I have found these are the best icings for ice cream cake.
*But it really is ideal if you can make everything homemade for this cake. The combination of scratch cake and homemade no churn ice cream really is cake and ice cream perfection!
🔪 Instructions
I'm not gonna lie... this cake will take you some time so I really recommend doing it in steps. But I guarantee you - it's totally worth the time investment! My kids went so crazy for this cake and what wasn't eaten at the party was quickly devoured the next day (they even asked to have it for breakfast!)
The best way to make this Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake (for me) was in stages. I made the ice cream one day, the cake the next, then assembled the day before the party, so it would freeze solid overnight.
Assembly:
- Add first cake layer to cardboard cake circle (if you are using one) or whatever you are putting the cake on.
- Add chocolate ice cream layer, then strawberry ice cream layer
- Add final cake layer.
- Return to freezer for a few minutes, as this melts fast!
- Frost with whipped cream frosting and a butter knife
- Add garnishes as shown in photos, or as you desire. * I used the tips of broken ice cream cones, additional piped whipped cream and strawberries, as well as chocolate sprinkles.
*See recipe card for full instructions
💭 Top tips
- Freeze-dried strawberries are NOT the same as dried strawberries (freeze-dried strawberries go through a process that greatly reduces the water content) Do NOT use dried strawberries!
- Be sure your strawberries are finely diced in the ice cream as they will freeze solid once the ice cream is hard and larger pieces will be harder to eat.
- I recommend using clear vanilla in this recipe, as it keeps everything white!
- I recommend using Wilton Cake release to grease your pans
🎥 Video
How to whip whipping cream to stiff peaks
👪 Serving
This cake serves 12 (large slices). This cake melts very fast once it's out of the freezer, so make sure it's frozen solid before decorating and work fast. And don't remove it from the freezer until just prior to serving.
🍽 Equipment
You will need a stand or hand mixer, a food processor and 4 - 8 or 9 inch round cake pans for the cake and freezing the layers of ice cream.
🌡️Storing
You need to store this cake in the freezer. I'd recommend that after you decorate it (don't add garnishes just yet) and before you freeze it, you let it sit in the freezer overnight (in a sealed cake container) until it's frozen very solid. It melts fast, so that more solid you can freeze it before serving the better!
And if you are looking for another homemade ice cream cake, then check out my Easy Red Velvet Ice Cream Cake (shown) and my DQ Copycat Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake!
Ice cream cakes are great anytime of the year, but they really are the perfect summer birthday cake! So, if are searching for a summer (or anytime of the year) birthday ice cream cake or ice cream cake ideas, then this Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake is for you!
⭐ Reviews
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📋Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate & Strawberry Ice cream layers
- 2 14 oz cans condensed milk
- 1 drop pink food coloring
- 4 cups whipping cream (liquid)
- 1 ½ cup freeze-dried strawberries
- 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, chopped finely
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- ½ cup cocoa
Vanilla Cake layer
- Wilton Cake Release for greasing pans
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar + enough milk to make 1 cup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 ½ teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoon piping gel
- 6 tablespoon powdered sugar/icing sugar
garnish/decorations
- ice cream cones
- chocolate sprinkles
- fresh strawberries
- additional stabilized whipped cream frosting
Instructions
No Churn Ice Cream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the whipping cream to stiff peaks.
- Add the freeze-dried strawberries to the bowl of a food processor. Process until the strawberries are a fine powder. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, add one 14 oz can of condensed milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the powdered freeze dried strawberries from the food processor, a dash of salt and the fresh finely chopped strawberries. Mix together until incorporated.
- In another medium mixing bowl, add the other 14 oz can of condensed milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla and ½ cup of cocoa. Whisk thoroughly.
- Fold half the whipped cream into the strawberry mixture and the other half into the chocolate mixture and mix until incorporated.
- Transfer each ice cream flavor into a separate 8 or 9 inch round cake pan (you can use either size, just make sure you use the same size for baking the cake. Freeze 8 hours or overnight.
Vanilla Cake layer (can substitute with store bought cake mix if desired)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, put oven rack into center of oven. Grease 2 round 8 or 9 inch cake pans (be sure to use the same size pan as you used for ice cream) *I recommend using Wilton Cake Release so your cakes won't stick to the pan
- Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.
- Mix the clear vanilla into the milk. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a separate bowl.
- Add flour to butter/sugar/eggs in two parts, alternating with the milk mixture, beating well after each addition.
- Divide batter into 2 prepared pans (there will be extra, so you can use it for cupcakes). Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of cake comes out clean.
* Do NOT fill your pans more than ⅔ full to prevent them from spilling over. - Let cool in pans 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.
Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting
- Combine whipping cream and powdered sugar in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer
until soft peaks form. - Add piping gel and vanilla, then continue to whip until
stiff peaks form (see video on how to beat whipped cream to stiff peaks in NOTES)
Assembly
- Add first cake layer to cardboard cake circle (if you are using one) or whatever you are putting the cake on.
- Add chocolate ice cream layer, then strawberry ice cream layer
- Add final cake layer.
- Return to freezer for a few minutes, as this melts fast!
- Frost with whipped cream frosting and a butter knife
- Add garnishes as shown in photos, or as you desire. * I used the tips of broken ice cream cones, additional piped whipped cream and strawberries, as well as chocolate sprinkles.
- Serve or immediately return to freezer until ready to serve.
Leanne @ Crumb Top Baking
Oh my gosh, 3 cakes is unsustainable! I loved ice cream cakes for my birthday when I was a kid! Okay, I love them now, but dairy doesn't love me back! My husband, on the other hand, would be all over this cake for his birthday and it's coming up in September!
Jessica
LOVE an ice cream cake, reminds me of being a kid! And can't go wrong with neapolitan flavours too, yum!
Kristen
This cake looks so freakin good. We love Neapolitan ice cream in our house, so trying this is a must. Also - I can’t believe you made 3 cakes, you are a super mom. I didn’t even get one made for Luna’s 1st birthday, whoops ?
Denise@urbnspice
Wow, Terri - this Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake looks great! I love the idea of no-churn ice creams, too. It makes it so much easier . May I ask where you buy your freeze-dried strawberries? They are so hard to find! I am pinning to try your lovely ice cream cake. It is going to be very popular, I will bet! 🙂 Thanks for sharing.