Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Cake

The perfect cake for summer days – an ice cream cake with a crunchy pretzel crust, swirls of cheesecake and strawberry jam in the vanilla ice cream, topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

A combination of cheesecake, ice cream, strawberries and whipped cream means an EPIC summer dessert. The buttery, salty and sweet pretzel crust has the perfect crunch to offset the creamy ice cream. I recently made a batch of my favorite homemade strawberry jam, and it’s just a little bit tart and not too sweet.

The swirls of jam and cheesecake in the ice cream are so fun to find in each spoonful. The fresh strawberries and whipped cream are the absolutely ideal bow on top of this incredible dessert. This is absolutely perfect for any party. We tend to get together A LOT with family and friends during the summer. The menu is simple, fresh and with lots of seasonal produce. This Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Cake would be an excellent addition to any summer menu. I love that it is so easy to put together but ends up being a complete showstopper.  Ingredients:

Pretzel Crust:

4 oz (3 cups) pretzels

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

8 Tablespoons butter

Ice Cream Cake:

4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened

3/4 – 1 cup strawberry jam

Toppings:

fresh strawberries

1 cup heavy cream whipped with a few Tablespoons of powdered sugar

Instructions:

Making the Pretzel Crust

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan with melted butter. Line the edges of the springform pan with parchment paper. Place the pretzels and sugar into a large ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush the pretzels into crumbs. You can also use a food processor. Pulse the pretzels and sugar in a food processor, about 15 pulses, until coarsely chopped. There should still be small pieces of pretzel; don’t obliterate the pretzels into sandy crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and mix to combine. Press the pretzel mixture into the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Cool completely. You can technically skip this part and just chill the pretzel crust instead of baking. However, I think the flavor of the crust tastes so much better after the pretzels and butter bake together. It’s absolutely delicious. I highly recommend baking the crust.

Making the Cheesecake Filling

Mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth, using a standing mixer or a handheld mixer.

Assembling the Ice Cream Cake

Scoop out the ice cream into a large bowl and mix it with a spoon or with a mixer until it is smooth. It’s important to work quickly, so that the ice cream doesn’t melt completely. Otherwise, ice crystals could form when you freeze the finished cake. Transfer the ice cream to the cake pan, spreading it out over the crust. Ice cream melts really quickly, so if yours has gotten too soft at this point, put it in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes, before adding the cream cheese and jam. Dollop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture and the jam over the top of the ice cream. I used my own homemade strawberry jam, which isn’t as sweet and isn’t too stiff. If you use jam that is vey sweet, you may want to use a little bit less jam for the cake, so it won’t be too cloyingly sweet. Also, if the jam is too thick, warm it in the microwave just until it softens. Use a butter knife to swirl the cream cheese and the jam throughout the ice cream. You can also add some chopped fresh strawberries to the ice cream cake.

Freezing the Ice Cream Cake

Place the ice cream cake into the freezer until completely frozen, about 6 hours.

How to Decorate and Serve the Ice Cream Cake

When you are ready to serve, whip up the heavy cream with powdered sugar using a standing mixer with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Take the cake out of the springform pan and place onto a serving plate or cake stand. If you use parchment paper it will be much easier.

Pipe out the whipped cream around the edges of the cake. I used a Wilton 1M piping tip. I also spread a thin layer of strawberry jam over the surface of the cake as well. Decorate the top of the cake with fresh strawberries. Serve immediately, using a very sharp knife to cut the cake, making sure  you are cutting all the way through the crust. To make it even easier to cut, run the knife through really hot water before making the cuts and it will help to keep the slices very clean with a sharp edge. Store the leftover ice cream cake in the freezer.

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