Now that October is here, it’s time for the warm and lovely Southern California Santa Ana season! Which also means – that’s right – despite it being fall on the calendar, we still cannot get our bake on (it’s crazy, mad I tell you!).

Time once again for me to dig back into my arsenal of easy, no-bake recipes when it comes to desserts. I’m admittedly over popsicles; even though they are tasty, they just don’t seem right to me for fall. And last week I told you about my love of all things microwavable and tasty, but even the pie portion of that recipe requires the oven, and we just can’t turn that on at all this week. So today’s tasty treat requires nothing but your own two hands, a mixer, and a freezer to assemble, start to finish.

The genius of this recipe is the fact that it’s an ice cream cake you can make up on the spot and have ready as dessert for your next meal. The freeze time is just an hour, not overnight, so if you get that last-minute invite and need to throw something together to take with you, especially if there are kids involved, this is a winner – and it won’t cost you the $15-25 that a chain-store ice cream cake would either.

The original recipe below just calls for chocolate chips to finish it off. However I’ve done this with a mix of whatever kind of chips I have lying around from partial bags gone plus nuts, or I’ve even taken a rice crispy chocolate bar or other chocolate-based candy bar, chopped that up, and used that. Oreos are good, too. Seriously, whatever you think would go well with ice cream sandwiches and whipped cream in a slightly frozen state will taste just fine. I’ve even placed a thin layer of the chopped topping inside the cake, too – just be sure it’s not too much, save most for the top!

Enjoy – and enjoy the $20 I just put back in your wallet, too!

Easy Ice Cream Cake

Serves 6 to 8| Hands-On Time: 10m | Total Time: 1hr 10m

Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• 6 ice cream sandwiches (3.5 ounces each)
• 1/2 cup chocolate, peanut butter, white chocolate, and/or butterscotch chips; and/or nuts; and/or cookies; and/or your favorite chocolate-based candy bar, chopped (basically, pick a flavor theme and go with it)

Directions:

1. Line an 8½-by-4½-inch loaf pan with a piece of wax paper or parchment, allowing the paper to hang over both long sides.
2. In a large bowl, beat the cream and sugar until stiff peaks form.
3. In the bottom of the pan, arrange 3 of the sandwiches in a single layer, cutting them to fit as necessary. Spread with half the whipped cream. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches and whipped cream.
4. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the chopped chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 week.
5. Holding both sides of the paper overhang, lift the cake out of the pan and transfer to a platter. Discard the paper and serve.

 

SOURCE: Real Simple Online