Triple-Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

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Well worth the effort, this homemade ice cream cake—which features a chocolate trifecta—beats store-bought options every time.

Martha Stewart

Updated on May 23, 2023

Yield:

1 9-inch cake

When you need a stunning dessert, try Martha's next-level chocolate ice-cream cake. It features a trifecta of chocolate: a dark chocolate cake is sandwiched with luscious white chocolate ganache and filled with chocolate ice cream. What makes it such a standout is its unique construction. The cake layers are vertical, not horizontal, so they look like stripes. And when the cake is cut, a chocolate ice cream center is revealed. "It's better than any store-bought ice cream cake," says Martha.

Like any homemade ice cream cake, this recipe takes time to put together, but most of it is hands off; it involves chilling some elements and freezing the cake overnight before serving. The finishing touch is sweetened, whipped cream, which is spread over the top of the chocolate ice cream. You could pipe the cream if you want to be fancy, but Martha says it's not necessary—the result will be beautiful and delicious either way.

Ingredients

Cakes

Unsalted butter, room temperature, for pans
¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for pans
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
3 tablespoons safflower oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ cup warm water

White Chocolate Ganache

12 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream

Cake Filling and Topping

2 quarts chocolate ice cream, softened
Lightly sweetened whipped cream and milk chocolate shavings, for serving

Directions

triple-chocolate ice cream cake — Mike Krautter

Preheat the oven and prepare the cake pans:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep); line with parchment. Butter parchment, then dust with cocoa, tapping out excess. Repeat process with a 15 1/2-by-10 1/2-inch jelly-roll pan.
Make the chocolate cake:

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt on low speed until just combined. Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; beat to combine. Add water; increase speed to medium and beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.
Bake the cakes:

Transfer 1 cup batter to prepared cake pan and remaining batter to prepared jelly-roll pan, spreading both batters evenly with an offset spatula. Bake until set and a tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer pans to wire racks and let cool 15 minutes. Invert cakes from pans; reinvert onto racks and let cool completely.
Make the white chocolate ganache:

Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium; pour over chocolate. Let stand 3 minutes. Gently stir with a spatula until fully incorporated. Cover and refrigerate until set but still spreadable, about 1 hour.
Trim the cake and spread with ganache:

Trim edges of rectangular cake. Top with ganache; spread evenly to edges.

If the White Chocolate Ganache is too firm to spread, let it stand at room temperature to warm or beat with a mixer until softened.
Cut the cake into quarters, stack, and refrigerate:

Using a ruler, cut cake evenly into quarters; stack on top of one another, gently pressing down to adhere layers. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Cut the cake into strips:

Using a ruler, cut cake lengthwise into 1-inch-wide strips, then cut each strip in half (they should be about 3 1/2 to 4 inches tall).
Place the cake strips in the springform pan:

Transfer 9-inch cake to a 10-inch springform pan. Place cake strips around perimeter of cake, flush with edge of pan.
Spread the ice cream in the center of the cake and freeze:

Spread ice cream over cake in pan; cover and freeze overnight.
Remove the cake from the pan and top with whipped cream:

Just before serving, remove cake from freezer; unlatch pan, remove cake, and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.