Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches with Strawberry Cake

I'm not going to lie, I love ice cream. I always have some in the freeze all year long and I'll eat it during the winter months too. When I lived alone, I loved sitting on the sofa watching Netflix and eating ice cream straight from the tub.

Don't lie, I know some of you have done this as well.

But, now I have learned to make my own ice cream.

And do you know what that means?

It means, I can make my own ice cream sandwiches!

PS: If you have store bought ice cream at home, you can also do this.

But, you are going to miss out on blackberry ice cream, sandwiched between two thin layers of homemade strawberry cake.

How could you purposely miss this?

Anyways....let's get started!

Makes: A 5 inch by 8 inch baking dish worth of ice cream sandwiches (How many depends on how big you want them: I was able to make 12 because I wanted small ones)

Takes: 3 hours (this includes freezing time) (24+ hours when you make your own ice cream)

Difficult: 2 out of 5

Prep:

Place a piece of parchment paper into a 5 inch by 8 inch baking dish so that it hangs over the two long sides and then heavily butter and flour the dish and parchment paper.

Set aside until needed and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (170 degrees C).

Ingredients:

Strawberry Puree

125 grams fresh strawberries

Strawberry Cake

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter - softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 egg whites (we will not be using the egg yolks in this recipes)

2 heaping tablespoons greek yogurt

1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 cup strawberry puree

Optional: 2-4 drops food coloring

Store bought or homemade ice cream (you can find my homemade blackberry ice cream here.

Instructions:

Step 1 - Make the Strawberry Puree

Slice your 125 grams strawberries into pieces and place them into a blender or into a food processor.

Blend them until completely smooth.

Once smooth, transfer the strawberries to a small pot and place them on low heat for about 20-30 minutes or until it has reduced slightly, thickened, and reached a brighter red color.

Once thickened, transfer the strawberry puree to a bowl, cover with cling wrap and set aside until cooled.

Step 2 - Start the Cake by Mixing Your Dried Ingredients

In a medium bowl, combine your 1 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and then mix it all together and set aside until needed.

Step 3 - Whip the Butter and Sugar

In a large bowl, whip the 6 tablespoons of butter until smooth, fluffy, and light - about 2-3 minutes.

Add the 1/2 cup of sugar and mix until fluffy - about another 2-3 minutes.

Step 4- Add the Egg Whites

Add the 3 egg whites (again, we will not be adding the egg yolks to this recipe, so find another home for them (PS: Sorry...) to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until the batter becomes airy.

Step 5 - Add the Vanilla and Yogurt

To the liquid batter, add the 2 heaping tablespoons of greek yogurt and 1 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.

And mix until combined.

Step 6 - Fold in Dry Ingredients

In two batches, fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula.

Batch 1:

It does not have to be completely combined yet.

Batch 2:

Once all the dry ingredients have been folded in, it will seem a little dry, that is alright.

Step 7 - Add the Milk

At this time, we are going to fold in the 2 tablespoons of milk to loosen the batter up slightly.

Step 8 - Mix in the Strawberry Puree

Once the strawberry puree has come to room temperature, add 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree (should be about the full amount of puree that you made) to the cake batter.

Then fold the strawberry puree completely into the batter.

Step 9 - Fill the Baking Dish and Bake!

Once the puree has been well incorporated, spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish.

And then toss it in the oven for about 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Step 10 - Start Cutting up the Cake

Let your cake cool completely before cutting.

First, slice off each side, so that your cake is a perfect rectangle.

Then, cut the cake horizontally so that you can separate the bottom and top of the cake.

Step 11- Cling Wrap Your Baking Dish

Place two pieces of cling wrap into your 5 by 8 baking sheet, so that when you place the full ice cream sandwich in there, you can cover it up completely.

Also, at this time, pull the ice cream out of the freezer to help it soften slightly.

Step 12 - Start Building the Ice Cream Sandwich

Place the bottom of the cake into the baking dish and press it down.

Then scoop the ice cream over the bottom cake layer and press it down to that no holes are available between the scoops. (It helps if the ice cream is slightly soft, but it can not be melting)

I know, this looks extremely messy.

It is.

Now, place the top of your cake over the ice cream and press down slightly.

We will fold the cling wrap over the cake and press it together until it seems as compact as it will get.

Place this in the fridge for at least 2 hours or until frozen through.

Step 13 - Cut into Desirable Sized Squares

Once your giant ice cream sandwich has frozen completely through, unwrap it and using a sharp knife, cut the ice cream sandwiches to your desirable size.

Once cut, wrap them individually in cling wrap and store them in the freezer.

Step 14 - Enjoy Whenever You Feel Like It!

Enjoy!