Easy Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

This easy ice cream sandwich cake recipe will be the hit of your next party! Layers of ice cream sandwiches, chocolate fudge, caramel, and whipped topping are finished with rainbow sprinkles and cherries for a crowd-pleasing frozen treat.

Square of ice cream sandwich cake on plate, with cherry on top

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Why I Love This Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Easy to make: There's no waiting for cartons of ice cream to soften, you literally just layer ice cream sandwiches with your favorite sundae toppings. Making ice cream cake with ice cream sandwiches couldn't be easier!
Affordable: An ice cream cake made with ice cream sandwiches is so much cheaper than buying a cake from your local ice cream parlor.
Customizable: The sky's the limit here! Add pecans, M&Ms, chopped candy bars, whatever! You can also use flavored ice cream sandwiches instead of vanilla and chocolate.
Feeds a crowd: You'll make this ice cream sandwich cake in a 9x13 pan, so it's enough for a big party.

Spatula removing square of ice cream sandwich cake from pan

Tips & Ingredient Notes

This is just an overview, click here to jump down to the full recipe card for the recipe amounts and condensed recipe instructions.

Vanilla ice cream sandwiches – I like Blue Bunny; you'll need the long, rectangular ice cream sandwiches, not the square or round ones. Some of the cheaper off-brand varieties tend to be too flat looking for this, so get any name-brand ones that come in a box of 12. If they don’t have that, just get the off-brand.
Chocolate ice cream sandwiches - I used Blue Bunny for these, too, but if you can't find chocolate then all vanilla is just fine!
Whipped topping – Cool Whip works best here since it's a bit more stable than homemade whipped cream.
Hot fudge topping – I use Smuckers. Warm it up a bit so it's easy to spread!
Caramel topping – Smuckers is my pick here, too. You'll also need to warm this.
Rainbow sprinkles
Maraschino cherries (optional for topping!)

Overhead view of ingredients for ice cream sandwich cake

How to Make Easy Ice Cream Sandwich Cake:

This is just an overview showing step-by-step photos, click here to jump down to full recipe card with exact instructions.

Step 1: Layer the Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches

Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper, then add a layer of chocolate ice cream sandwiches on the bottom.

Tip: You can squish the ice cream sandwiches together if you need to. Once everything is layered and finished, no one will notice!

Layer of ice cream sandwiches in 9x13 pan

Step 2: Add a Layer of Hot Fudge

Use a rubber spatula to spread a layer of hot fudge over the ice cream sandwiches.

Tip: When making an ice cream sandwich cake with hot fudge, you'll need to warm the fudge in the microwave so it's easy to spread.

Pouring fudge sauce onto ice cream sandwich cake

Fudge sauce poured onto ice cream sandwich cake

Step 3: Spread on a Layer of Cool Whip

Add a layer of Cool Whip over the hot fudge. Use a clean rubber spatula and spread it carefully so it's layered on top of the fudge, rather than mixing with it.

Tip: The Cool Whip needs to be at room temperature before you start assembling the cake.

Overhead view of ice cream sandwich cake after adding whipped topping

Step 4: Add the Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches

Set another layer of ice cream sandwiches over the whipped topping. Again, it's okay if you need to cram them in to get them to fit!

Overhead view of ice cream sandwich cake before adding toppings

Step 5: Add a Layer of Caramel

Warm up your jar of caramel topping and pour this over the vanilla ice cream sandwiches. Spread the caramel in an even layer.

Pouring caramel sauce onto ice cream sandwich cake

Caramel sauce poured onto ice cream sandwich cake

Step 6: Finish

Add another layer of Cool Whip, then sprinkles. Cover the ice cream sandwich cake with foil and freeze for at least 2 hours. Serve with maraschino cherries.

Tip: For a 4 ingredient ice cream sandwich cake, simply omit the sprinkles and cherries!

Overhead view of ice cream sandwich cake in pan after frosting

Overhead view of finished ice cream sandwich cake in pan

Storage

Store this ice cream sandwich cake covered in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. While it can be stored longer than this, it's really best eaten within the 2 week time frame for maximum freshness.

Variations

Make it vegan by using your favorite vegan ice cream sandwiches, hot fudge, and whipped topping, then swap the caramel topping for strawberry sauce.
Add a layer of peanut butter by warming your favorite peanut butter in the microwave until it's pourable. Or use peanut butter sauce!
Make it like a Dairy Queen ice cream cake by adding a layer of crushed Oreos over the hot fudge topping. You can also make an Oreo ice cream sandwich cake by using cookies-and-cream ice cream sandwiches.
Create an ice cream sandwich birthday cake using my free printable number template. Instead of piping on the frosting, you can use the stencils to pour sprinkles over top to create the number!

Squares of ice cream sandwich cake on plates

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I use round ice cream sandwiches?

Round ice cream sandwiches, like Oreo ice cream sandwiches or Chipwich birthday cake ice cream sandwiches, aren't ideal here because you'll have big gaps between them. You could fill these in with whipped topping, but when you cut the cake, you won't have the same layered effect.

How do you cut an ice cream sandwich cake?

Let the cake sit on the countertop for about 10 minutes, which will soften it enough that it's easy to cut. Use a serrated knife to cut the cake into 12 large squares; if you're feeding a big crowd, you can cut smaller pieces.

Can ice cream cake go in the fridge?

No, don't store your ice cream cake in the fridge. It will melt! It needs to be kept in the freezer.