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Raspberry Ice Cream Cake

Raspberry Crème Fraîche Ice Cream Cake | Sarah Kieffer
Raspberry Crème Fraîche Ice Cream Cake | Sarah Kieffer

“Summer afternoon – summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” – Henry James

I have to agree with Mr. James here; summer is magic. With my littles at home and days filled with swimming, reading, long walks, trips to the library, canoeing, hammocking, lego building, and not homeworking, I am entering August on tiptoes, knowing there are only four weeks of leisure left. ‘Twenty-nine days!’ my seven year old son lamented today as he counted on the calendar. “Only twenty-nine days left of summer! I’m doomed!”

I tried to reassure him it was plenty of time, but August does have a reputation for flying by too fast. Or, as my friend Kate put it, “August is the Sunday of summer. June is Friday night, July is Saturday, and each day of August quietly whispers, Monday is just around the corner.”

So we made ice cream cake. Because the weather is warm, and we still have days left to celebrate our freedom. Raspberry crème fraîche no-churn ice cream with chocolate cookie crumb and toasted meringue topping, to be exact.

It was decadent, and delicious; it cooled us to our toes and made us momentarily ignore that yes, we are doomed.

“All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.”- LM Montomery

Raspberry Crème Fraîche Ice Cream Cake | The Vanilla Bean Blog
Raspberry Crème Fraîche Ice Cream Cake | Sarah Kieffer

More Ice Cream Cake Recipes:

raspberry ice cream cake on a white plate with gold spoon

Raspberry Ice Cream Cake with Oreo Cookie Crust

Servings: 10 servings
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Freezing Time: 8 hours
This no-churn raspberry ice cream cake with Oreo cookie crust is a delicious, decadent treat for hot summer day. Cool, creamy, and fruity.
Sarah Kieffer
5 from 3 votes
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Ingredients

Cookie Crust

  • 20 Oreo sandwich cookies (not double stuffed)
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Raspberry Ice Cream

  • 4 cups (600 grams) fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup crème fraîche (optional but delicious)

Meringue

  • 5 large egg whites
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

For the cookie crust

  • Line a 9x4x4-inch Pullman pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap (this will help easily remove the ice cream cake from the pan). You can use a standard loaf pan as well, the cake just won’t be as tall.
  • Place Oreos in a food processor, and process until they are broken down into crumbs.
  • In a medium bowl stir together the cookie crumbs and melted butter until evenly coated.
  • Press the cookie crumbs evenly on bottom of the prepared pan, pressing them down gently. Place the pan in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.

For the Ice Cream

  • Bring the raspberries, sugar, and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, mashing the berries slightly, until they have released their juices, about 5 minutes. Strain the berry mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the solids to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the solids. Set aside to cool.
  • In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, the strained, cooled, raspberry juice, and vanilla. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl of a standing mixer, beat the heavy cream and crème fraîche (if using) on high until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture until combined. Gently fold the rest of the whipped cream in. Pour the mixture over the cookie crumbs and freeze until firm, at least 8 hours (but preferably overnight).

For the meringue

  • Put about an inch of water in a medium saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir the egg whites, sugar, and salt to combine. Place the bowl over the saucepan, being careful not to let the water touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir with a rubber spatula until the sugar is completely melted and reaches a temperature of 160°F, 4 to 5 minutes. While you are stirring, be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with the spatula—this will ensure no sugar grains are lurking on the sides and also help prevent the egg whites from cooking.
  • Remove the bowl from the heat and place it in the stand mixer fitted with a whisk. Whisk on medium-high until stiff, glossy peaks form, 8 to 10 minutes. The bowl should have cooled down to room temperature at this point. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. Use immediately.

To assemble

  • Use a spatula to spread the meringue evenly over the top of the ice cream cake and, if desired, use a spoon to create curls. Hold a kitchen blowtorch 1 or 2 inches away from the cake and touch the flame down in between the curls. The curls will toast and brown (if the curls set on fire, you can blow them out). Slice the cake and serve immediately. (Because this is ice cream, an oven broiler won’t work here to toast the meringue – you will just have a melted puddle. If you don’t have a blow torch, you can serve the cake without toasting it – it will still taste delicious.)
  • Reply
    Millette
    Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at 9:48 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you Sarah & heavens above: Raspberry Creme Fraiche Ice Cream Cake. Adults can be silly and I want to jump into the kitchen to recreate….

  • Reply
    Bree
    Monday, August 14, 2023 at 11:31 am

    How long does no-churn ice cream last? Will it be okay for a week? I wanted to make the recipe (minus the meringue topping) in advance for a get-together in 4 days.

  • Reply
    Jamie E
    Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 1:09 am

    5 stars
    My 10 year old daughter made this for my birthday today. It was amazing! We used a bread tin because that is what we had but WOW! We will be making this again.

    • Reply
      Sarah Kieffer
      Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 9:24 am

      So great to hear about kids in the kitchen!

  • Reply
    Susan
    Wednesday, July 5, 2023 at 12:30 pm

    August, it’s barely July! This looks delicious.

  • Reply
    Sabrina
    Saturday, June 25, 2022 at 10:35 pm

    5 stars
    what a fun ice cream cake, and yes there’s still plenty of summer left to enjoy it, so enjoy, and I must also say a very beautiful meringue topping too, thank you

  • Reply
    Maria
    Wednesday, August 16, 2017 at 3:20 pm

    I love August!! Probably because so many important life things have happened for us un August. But I hear ya, especially for those of you with ties to the academic year, it makes sense. But THIS CAKE!!! My husband requests ice-cream cake for literally every function. I would be remiss to not add this one to the list of things he would LOVE!

  • Reply
    Sarah @ Snixy Kitchen
    Tuesday, August 8, 2017 at 11:06 pm

    I just had a panic attack thinking about August as the Sunday of summer – I’m not ready yet! I need more cake! Like this one – I need this one. Especially with that gorgeous meringue topping!

  • Reply
    christiann koepke
    Saturday, August 5, 2017 at 6:31 pm

    Ok YUM!!! Wow this looks like summer perfection Sarah. I can’t wait to make this!!!

  • Reply
    Tessa | Salted Plains
    Saturday, August 5, 2017 at 11:30 am

    I love that – August really is the Sunday of summer. I work in a school and feel this completely! This cake is most certainly a perfect way to savor summer.

  • Reply
    Ashley
    Friday, August 4, 2017 at 10:21 pm

    May I use frozen raspberries?

  • Reply
    Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes
    Friday, August 4, 2017 at 2:15 pm

    I had an August is the Sunday of summer freak out moment the other day myself. There is so much I want to do before summer is over. Love this fun cake and especially the meringue topping.

  • Reply
    Caroline
    Friday, August 4, 2017 at 10:36 am

    I’m just loving this ice cream cake so much! The meringue is gorgeous. This is on my must-make list!

5 from 3 votes

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