Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake: I'm hoping this recipe is one of those that transports you back to your childhood. Who doesn't love the classic Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake ice cream treats?!! I've seen similar versions on Pinterest and would store it in the back of my mind knowing one day I eventually have to get to that. Well I got to it. This pretty much a cake version of the original which is awesome because there's more to go around.
Layers of Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake
Just like other recipes I've been sharing lately, this one is super easy. Your pretty much layering ingredients and waiting for each to freeze before you add the next, but it isn't hard, and it's definitely worth the wait!
How we're layering:
1st layer - Golden Oreo cookie crust
2nd layer - thick layer of cool whip (that's why you buy the big tub!)
3rd layer - strawberry sorbet (DIY or store bought) or just strawberry ice cream if you want
4th layer - remaining amount of cool whip, make sure the spread it out nice & even
Final touch - sprinkle a generous helping of crushed freeze dried strawberry and golden oreo cookie crumbs
A few things to consider with this recipe:
First, the strawberry (center) layer: I chose to use a quick DIY strawberry sorbet for this layer. I just used frozen strawberries and a little water, tossed them in the blender and blended until I got a thick, smooth consistency. You can do this OR you can use store bought sorbet or ice cream.
Second, you definitely want to thaw this bad boy (or girl?) slightly before serving. I recommend letting it thaw for about 10 to 15 minutes before cutting into and serving.
Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
- 3 and ½ cups Golden Oreo cookie crumbs divided
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted, divided
- 1 1 oz package freeze dried strawberries
- 2 cups frozen strawberries
- ½ to 1 cup water
- 1 16 oz tub Cool Whip (thawed)
Instructions
- Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with plastic wrap. Leave enough overhang of plastic wrap on the sides to make for easy transfer when the cake is ready to serve. Set aside.
- Crush Oreos into fine crumbs, reserve 1 cup of cookie crumbs for later. Next, crush up the freeze dried strawberries until they are fine crumbs. Add strawberry crumbs into a bowl with the reserved 1 cup of Oreo crumbs and mix together. In a separate bowl, pour the other 2 and ½ cups of crumbs into a bowl and mix in 4 tablespoons of melted butter. Mix until the crumbs are evenly coated with melted butter. Pour crumbs into the baking dish and use your hands to pat them down evenly to form a crust.
- Scoop half of the cool whip onto the crust and smooth out evenly. Place the baking dish in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up.
- Meanwhile, make the strawberry sorbet (or use store bought)* : combine frozen strawberries and water (start with ½ cup of water, add a little more if needed) into a blender. Blend on high speed until a smooth, thick consistency forms. Remove baking dish from freezer and pour the strawberry mixture over the cool whip layer. Make sure the strawberry layer is smoothed out, return baking dish to the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Layer the rest of the cool whip over the strawberry layer and smooth it out. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and add it to the reserved cookie crumbs/freeze dried strawberry mixture. Mix together until the crumbs are coated. Evenly sprinkle crumbs all over the top of the cake. Cover with plastic wrap and return to the freezer to freeze for at least 6 hours or up to over night.
- When ready to serve to the cake out of the freezer and lift it up by the sides of plastic wrap and let it thaw on the counter for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
- * if using store bought ice cream or sorbet just layer that over the cool whip layer in step 4, use 2 to 3 cups of ice cream or sorbet.