Now that’s a mouthful! Hey there… me again! It’s been a much needed social media and blog break. As much as I love what I do, sometimes you need time to yourself to brainstorm more ideas and relax. It’s been a busy 45 days away from my computer and I know I promised tons of yummy summer recipes, but don’t you worry! I’m back working hard in the kitchen and plenty of goodness is coming soon. Let’s think of it as the entire summers recipes in 3 weeks 😉. This caramel brownie ice cream cake is just one of many!

Normally I don’t talk much about personal stuff on here, but maybe it’s time for a life update. In those 45 days a lot has happened. I lost a family member and my sweet dog, traveled for 21 of those 45 days, only baked twice 🤯, ate a lot of good food, probably spent too much money, and well, we got a new puppy (7 1/2 week old ivory lab, Shelby aka Shelbert 😍). Losing my grandma and dog was probably the toughest thing yet, part of why we all need breaks. I know she’s probably looking at the title of this post thinking, “Hell yes! Caramel, brownies, and ice cream!”

Enough sappiness, I know you’re here for the goods, heck, me too!

This salted caramel brownie ice cream cake is 4 layers of chocolate goodness, pretzel crunch, and gooey caramel. Many of you know I’m ice cream’s #1 fan, so for my birthday I wanted to make something big and indulgent. Creamy, crunchy, and indulgent!

Enough said, let’s get baking!

store bought ice cream cake vs this

You’ve probably had one of those DQ ice cream cakes that are loaded with chunks and saucy goodness. Me too! As much as I love them, I wanted to recreate it myself.

The store bought cakes only have ice cream, crunchies, and whipped cream. This has actual cake!

The density of the chocolate cake is so rich and indulgent it’s basically a brownie. First is a brownie layer, then coffee ice cream, more chocolate brownie layer, and a top layer of vanilla ice cream. In between each layer is caramel and crushed pretzels for a perfect sweet crunchy balance.

Believe it or not, it’s actually way easier than it looks! Bake 2 layers, freeze the others, then assemble. Nothing fancy here.

ingredients you need

• Flour
• Sugar
• Cocoa Powder
• Baking Powder & Soda
• Buttermilk
• Canola Oil
• Sour Cream / Yogurt
• Eggs
• Vanilla Extract
• Hot Water
• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Coffee Ice Cream
• Pretzels
• Salted Caramel sauce (homemade or store bought)

Now, most of these are for the chocolate brownie cake, but if you just want to take the short route and use a box, that’ll work too.

tips for making your homemade ice cream cake

You could of course take the long route or short route for this ice cream cake, but I decided to go in between. Homemade cake with store bought ice cream. If you wanted to go all out you could make everything by scratch but honestly, this is wayyy easier!

• Decide what ice cream flavors you want in your cake. I used coffee and vanilla bean.
• For this recipe I made a chocolate cake base, but if you’re more of a vanilla person, that’ll work too, just not included in this recipe 😉.
• Once all the layers are frozen, begin stacking and layering your crunch and caramel. You’ll have to work somewhat quick so the ice cream doesn’t melt out the sides.
• Go crazy with your filling and caramel!

how to cut and store your caramel brownie ice cream cake

You just took the ice cream cake out of the freezer ready to serve and you’re staring at the giant block thinking, “How in the world am I going to cut this?!”

Don’t worry, been there!

Let the cake sit out for around 5 minutes, but not too long for the ice cream to melt. Soak 2 very large and heavy knives in hot water. After 5 minutes, start cutting your cake like a normal cake. You’ll still need to add some elbow grease but this will help quite a bit.

It’s best to put the point in first and then pull down.

Once you’re all done cutting and devouring, cover it in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for up to 4-5 days.

making the chocolate cake brownie base

Shhh, I’m letting you in on a little secret… it’s actually chocolate cake not even a brownie, but it’s so dense, rich, and fudgy, I basically consider it a brownie.

The cake layers are super easy and make you feel like it’s a complete homemade masterpiece. Cake mix could never!

Grease 2, 9″ circle pans with nonstick spray or butter. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat oil, yogurt, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Next, add your dry ingredients to your wet and slowly mix until just combined. Lastly, add in the hot water and mix until smooth and even. Be careful not to over mix the batter.

Evenly divide the batter among the two pans and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let the cakes fully cool, then wrap in plastic, then freeze.

Love ice cream as much as me? Check out these recipes too!

• Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
• No Churn Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream
• Chocolate Chunk & Toffee Ice Cream Sammies
• Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream

Did you make this recipe? Let me know in the comments below or on Instagram @tuesday.treats. I love seeing all of your creations!