This mint chocolate chip ice cream cake is perfect for celebrations! Since we are using easy ingredients you don’t have to worry about making your own ice cream. A creamy layer of ice cream is stacked on a chocolate crust, layered with hot fudge, and finished off with a whipped topping!
This ice cream cake is a favorite recipe around here when it comes to celebrating! Normally it’s hard to find a store one with the same flavors, so making it from scratch it is! If you love mint ice cream, you will probably go crazy for mint fudge! These also make great treats and are fun ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day because of the vibrant green color!
All mint recipes don’t end up with a green color when using extracts. You can also make mint truffles and chocolate mint muffins that are great for any occasion! If you find out you love making ice cream cakes, be sure to try my two layer Oreo ice cream cake and this rich peanut butter chocolate cake.
Why You’ll Love Homemade Ice Cream Cake
- Simple store-bought ingredients and budget-friendly to make.
- Great for special occasions.
- No ice cream maker is needed!
- The best ice cream cake for those who love the mint/chocolate combo.
🍫 Ingredients:
- Oreo cookies – these will form the cookie crumble base of the cake.
- butter – we melt the butter to put together the oreo cookie crumbles – when the butter solidifies, it “glues” together the cookie crumbs.
- mint chip ice cream – use your favorite brand! you’ll need a full ½ gallon tub
- hot fudge sauce – make your own! Or use store-bought! Whichever flavor you prefer.
- Cool Whip – this is a readily available, super handy whipped topping, it works well here because the ice cream cake obviously needs to stay frozen, and Cool Whip freezes and thaws without the texture changing.
- mini chocolate chips for garnish on top of the cake – you can also use chocolate jimmies/sprinkles, chocolate shavings, chopped Andes mints, or whatever you’d like!
Variations and Substitutions:
- Some like to use Mint Oreos for the crust layer.
- Go with homemade hot fudge instead of store-bought. Chocolate syrup is too thin and cannot be substituted.
- Instead of store-bought ice cream, you can make your own!
- We are using a 9×13 baking pan but you could also use a springform pan or two 8-inch cake pans.
- When serving, we sliced the mint chocolate cake into squares, but you could also use an ice cream scoop. A flat ice cream scoop might work best to get down into the cookie base and cut it.
📋Instructions:
Before You Start: Allow the ice cream to soften at room temperature for about 20 minutes before starting.
Step 1: Add the Oreos to a food processor and pulse until they are fine crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and pulse again until the ingredients are combined.
Step 2: Press the cookie crumble into the bottom of the cake pan and freeze for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Use an offset spatula to gently spread one container of hot fudge over the cookie crust. It may help to dollop the hot fudge all over the crust so that you don’t have to spread it as much.
Step 4: Mound the softened ice cream over the fudge layer and spread it into a smooth, even layer. Freeze for 2 hours to allow the ice cream layer to harden.
Step 5: Spread the second jar of hot fudge sauce over the frozen mint chip ice cream.
Step 6: Top the whole cake with a thick pillowy layer of Cool Whip.
Step 7: Drizzle more hot fudge over the finished mint chip ice cream cake and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips or desired toppings.
- Topping Ideas: Crushed Oreos, chocolate syrup, Andes mints, mini chocolate chips, or Magic Shell.
- The hot fudge sauce is fairly thick but will thin a little if heated. The second layer of fudge on the ice cream layer needs to be cold or else it will melt the ice cream.
- Be sure the ice cream layer is fully frozen before adding the hot fudge.
- Cool Whip holds up better in the freezer than using homemade whipped cream.
- To make slicing easier, dip a sharp knife in hot water and go around the edges of the cake before cutting it into squares.
Fun Fact
The flavor mint chocolate chip wasn’t invented until 1973! It was actually created by a college student in England.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.
Mint ice cream is typically a pale green color, although the exact shade may vary depending on the specific type of mint used and the amount of flavoring used in the recipe. Some brands may use food coloring to enhance the green color of the ice cream. The natural color of the mint flavoring is usually enough to give the ice cream a pale green color.
Mint ice cream can also resemble vanilla if the oils and extracts that are used are clear.
More Ice Cream Treats to Try
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
- 14.3 ounces classic Oreo cookies
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- 1.5 quarts mint chocolate chip ice cream
- 2 – 11.75 oz. jars hot fudge sauce
- 16 oz. Cool Whip
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips for garnish optional
Instructions
- Set ice cream on the counter for about 20 minutes before preparing ice cream cake (giving it time to soften.)
- In the bowl of a food processor, chop the Oreo cookies until they are fine crumbs. Add melted butter and pulse several times until the cookie crumb mixture is evenly combined.
- Press cookie crumbs into a 9×13 baking dish and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to harden.
- Spread one jar of the hot fudge sauce across the chilled cookie crust. Chill in the freezer for another 10 minutes.
- Spread the ice cream into the pan. Press it gently with a spatula to smooth it out as much as possible. The ice cream will become very soft, but try to prevent it from melting all the way.
- Once the ice cream has been spread smooth, return the pan to the freezer and freeze for at least 2 hours more.
- Spread the remaining jar of hot fudge sauce over the frozen ice cream cake. (You can reserve a few tablespoons to drizzle over the top if you wish.) Top with thawed Cool Whip.
- Garnish with a chocolate drive and mini chocolate chips.
- Serve immediately or keep frozen until ready to serve.
Notes
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and keep frozen for up to 1 month. Notes: The hot fudge sauce is fairly thick – it will become thinner if you heat it, but the second layer of hot fudge (over the ice cream layer) should be put on cold or it will melt the ice cream. Be sure that the ice cream layer is frozen solid before spreading the hot fudge over. Alternately, one or both jars can just be added over the crust and before the ice cream layer. You can make a homemade hot fudge sauce for this cake. Chocolate syrup is too thin for this recipe. Cool Whip will hold up better in the freezer than using fresh whipped cream. You can top the cake with chocolate sprinkles, chopped-up Oreos, or even Andes mints.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Judith anderson says
Sounds like a grezt recipe using it tomorrow for my son’s birthday . Can i substitute margarine for the butter
girlinspired says
Hi Judith! Yes, I think you can substitute margarine 1:1 for the butter in the crust. Should work just fine! Let me know how it turns out, happy birthday to your son!