Ice cream birthday cakes are an popular way of combining the traditional birthday fare of cake and ice cream into a single sweet treat. Most major ice cream stores sell ice cream birthday cakes in addition to special occasion, holiday, and everyday ice cream cakes. Ice cream cakes can also easily be prepared at home. Different types of ice cream birthday cakes include a cake and ice cream cake, an ice cream cake with cookie crumbles, an ice box cake, and a rolled ice cream cake. Some ice cream cakes include a few layers of differently flavored ice cream and no cake at all.
The traditional ice cream cake that is often purchased in ice cream stores has layers of ice cream sandwiched between a piece of cake. The ice cream layers are typically of different flavors. For example, an ice cream birthday cake may be made of a layer of chocolate ice cream on the bottom, then cake, then a layer of vanilla ice cream. There may be more layers of cake and ice cream. These cakes are often custom-made in the flavors desired by the consumer.
Some ice cream stores don't fill their ice cream birthday cakes with cake, but rather with cookie crumbles. Hard chocolate cookies are crumbled up into small pieces and layered between two ice cream layers. There may also be ingredients mixed in with the ice cream, such as candy or cookie pieces. A third type of ice cream cake has no cake at all, just layers of ice cream for the hard-core ice cream lover.
Ice cream birthday cakes can easily be made at home also. By layering homemade or store-bought cake between layers of ice cream, then placing it in the freezer home chefs can make an icebox cake. Icing for the cake can be created by mixing ice cream with a cake mixer until it becomes soft. It can then be spread onto the top of the cake. After placing it in the refrigerator until it becomes firm again, words can be written on the cake with icing in a decorator bag, or with commercially prepared icing in tubes.
Rolled ice cream cakes can take the place of the traditional round, layered cake. The rolled cake is prepared by starting with a thin sheet cake. A layer of softened ice cream is spread on the cake. The cake is then rolled jelly-roll style. Softened ice cream can make the frosting. After the cake has been frozen, icing in piping bags, or commercially prepared icing in tubes, can be used to write Happy Birthday on top.