Best Ice Cream Brands Ranked
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
When it comes to ice cream, there really are not a lot of ways to go wrong. Is it sweet? Is it churned? Is it creamy? We don’t need much. However, when we are evaluating a truly exceptional ice cream brand, we need to increase our standards.
The ice cream brands that stand out to us offer high-quality ingredients. This means that they take extra care in sourcing pure ingredients and avoiding too many additives. The ice cream also needs to be extra creamy no ice crystals here! We also look for a variety of ice cream flavors to choose from to suit our every need. We look for brands that are innovative and unique, not simply mastering a good vanilla ice cream flavor. Although, that is certainly a plus. The ice cream brands that can be labeled as the best of the best need to offer something more than just a frozen dessert line. Turns out, this is not too much to ask for and many brands come close to perfection.
The following list is a ranking of our favorite ice cream brands. While all of these ice creams are delicious, the competition is steep, and some brands just have that bit of extra quality that pushes them over the top. If you are looking for the best of the best, read on to find out our recommendations.
Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake
During the long, hot days of summer, few things are better than hearing the jingle of the ice cream truck pulling up alongside the community pool. Smart kids knew the best treat was the strawberry shortcake novelty bar, with its combination of strawberry and vanilla ice cream coated in shortcake crumbs. Now, its possible that something better has been invented: Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake. Its the perfect ending to Fourth of July parties or served at a casual pool party. Like all icebox cakes, its an ideal make-ahead treat since you can assemble it days in advance of eating.
Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake has everything great about those bars in a homemade ice cream cake version, and it couldnt be easier. Youll use golden sandwich cookies to form the base and the crumb topping. Theres no need to scrape out the cream insidestheyll help the base stay together. No food processor? No problem. Use a plastic bag and rolling pin to crush the cookies.
Pro tip: To get clean slices of the cake, run a chefs knife under hot water before cutting each piece. This also allows you to cut just one or two servings off the entire batch if youre eating it throughout the week.
If you want to mix up the flavors of this recipe, you can use the same proportions to try a chocolate-pistachio version, a peanut butter-banana version, and more. Just swap out the cookies and ice cream flavors in equal proportions.
strawberry ice cream, slightly softened
Perfect 10 Ice Cream Cake
If youre looking for an ice cream cake that has a little bit of everything, look no further than the Perfect 10 Ice Cream Cake by Kindori. Not only is it perfectly sliced, but each slice has its own unique decadent flavour such asMango, Strawberry, Sumiyaki Coffee, Vanilla, Dark Chocolate, Matcha, Sweet Corn, Black Sesame, Coconut & Mint with Chocolate Chips. Each bite of every flavour is a journey on its own, perfect for the adventurous types!
Recommended Reading: Birthday Presents To Send In The Mail
Folding In The Other Ingredients
- Use a large spatula and fold the ingredients in gently. Pull the spatula vertically through the middle of the bowl to the bottom, then fold the mixture over on itself.
- Make sure the butter is cooled completely to room temperature but has not solidified so that it doesnt melt the cream, but still distributes evenly.
- Stir the sprinkles in very briefly so that the color does not start to dissolve off of them and smear through the ice cream.
Easy 5 Layer Ice Cream Cake
Cool off with a slice of no-bake ice cream cake! This easy summertime treat combines two of your favorite ice cream flavors, hot fudge, homemade whipped cream, and sprinkles all on top of an Oreo cookie crust. Because this cake needs to freeze for at least 12 hours prior to serving, its a great make ahead dessert option for birthday parties, BBQs, Fathers Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, and more.
Were tackling a never before seen recipe on Sallys Baking Addiction today ice cream cake! This easy and refreshing treat is made for summertime celebrations. With 5 layers to love, it keeps us smiling, satisfied, and cool all season long.
Read Also: Best Birthday Party Places In Houston
You May Like: Online Gifts For Friends Birthday
What Kind Of Cake Should I Use
There are two ways you can add vanilla cake with frosting to your ice cream
You can actually bake a simple vanilla cake and frost it with a yummy buttercream or store bought frosting.
The best and fastest way to do this is use a box mix, make it according to directions and pour it into a large baking sheet with sides. Make sure to grease it well with cooking spray. Bake it at 350 for about 10-12 minutes. Let it cool completely before frosting it.
You wont need the entire cake for this ice cream recipe. Just about 2 cups worth of crumbled up goodness.
The second way is buy two vanilla cupcakes from your local bakery or grocery store and crumble them up. They both work out really well.
Baskin Robbins Oreo Cookie Cake
The next entry we have from Baskin Robbins is their Oreo Cookie Cake. This cake is advertised as having chocolate or vanilla cake, with any available flavor of Baskin Robbins ice cream in the center, such as Very Berry Strawberry, the Flavor of the Month, or Oreos Cookies and Cream. The cake is then coated in white frosting, dark chocolate is drizzled down the sides, and the border is lined with a fudge frosting. Finally, the cake is topped with whipped frosting, Oreos, and a fudge drizzle. This makes for a pretty appealing cookies and cream cake, don’t you think?
Like anything you can find at Baskin Robbins, this cake tasted great. There was enough cookie throughout the ice cream for us to tell it was actually cookies and cream, and not vanilla with Oreos in it. There also wasn’t an overbearing amount of chocolate, and what was there balanced out nicely with the ice cream. The cake itself was a little too sweet, and the chocolate didn’t taste as chocolatey as the fudge or drizzle, so we had to take some points off there. Otherwise, Baskin Robbins has a pretty solid Oreo ice cream cake, and we recommend trying it the next time you’re at the ice cream shop.
You May Like: Birthday Cards For Work Colleagues
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use leftover cake instead of cupcakes?
Sure! Leftover birthday cake, funfetti cake, or regular vanilla cake could easily replace the cupcakes in the recipe.
How should I store the ice cream?
It’s best to store the ice cream in an airtight container. To prevent any freezer burn, you can optionally add a piece of plastic wrap on top of the ice cream before adding the container lid.
Can I make this recipe without an ice cream maker?
Unfortunately, no. No churn ice cream recipes are made with specialty ingredients. This recipe requires you to freeze in an ice cream maker.
Friendlys Premium Ice Cream Cake
Its impossible to miss the bright red packaging of a Friendlys ice cream cake in the supermarket. This ice cream brand has a rich history to it, being created by two brothers at the peak of the Great Depression, and according to the brands website, was the first ice cream sold by a half-gallon ice cream package, so that customers could bring it home. However, though Friendlys has an inspiring history, its Premium Ice Cream Cakes arent as inspiring to taste. These cakes are easy to find in stores, and are branded as having a layer of chocolate ice cream, a layer of vanilla ice cream, and a crunchy layer of something that seems like a crumbled cookie or cake in between.
Friendlys cake has a small frosting exterior, which is a plus if you prefer Ice cream over frosting. However, the crumbled cookie-cake layer, while branded as being decently sized, was almost absent from the cake itself, resulting in just two large layers of chocolate and vanilla ice cream covered by a thin layer of frosting. Target reviews also back up this claim, with some customers having the same problem that we found. If this is what we had wanted, then we would have just made ourselves a chocolate and vanilla ice cream sundae at home.
Also Check: Spiritual Birthday Wishes For Sister
What Kind Of Cake Can I Use
Vanilla cake is traditional, and in this recipe, you can use a homemade cake, or a small cake or cupcakes that you buy at the grocery store. For a different flavor, chocolate cake can be used too.
Two cupcakes will give you the perfect amount of cake for birthday cake ice cream.
A boxed cake mix is an easy way to get fresh cake pieces for homemade birthday cake icing. Cut up as much as you need for the recipe, and enjoy the rest for dessert while you’re waiting for the ice cream to set.
Dairy Queens Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard Cake
This final Dairy Queen ice cream cake that we tried was another cookie-flavored cake, and none other than Dairy Queens Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard Cake. This cake is created from Dairy Queens Iconic vanilla soft serve, a layer of crunch and fudge in the center, and on top of that, a thick helping of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard. The cake is coated in a white frosting, and finished with giant, round chocolate chip cookie dough pieces and a chocolate drizzle. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard Cake can either be bought as an 8-inch or 10-inch round, and is great to help satisfy your cookie, ice cream, and cake cravings, all at once.
Of the three Dairy Queen ice cream cakes on this list, this one was our favorite. Even though none of the Dairy Queen cakes have any cake, they make up for that with their incredible soft serve ice cream and Blizzard flavors. The cookie dough in the Blizzard and on top of the cake was delicious and tasted just like frozen cookie dough wed sneak from the bowl while making homemade cookies, or what wed buy from the store. Besides the frosting, all the sweet flavors in this cake, the cookie dough Blizzard, vanilla ice cream, and the chocolate drizzle and fudge all complemented each other wonderfully, and if youre getting an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, this is the one we recommend.
Don’t Miss: Birthday Surprise For My Husband
Dairy Queens Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard Cake
When it comes to ice cream, the Dairy Queen takes the crown for one of the best soft serve settings around. The first Dairy Queen opened in Illinois in the year 1940, and unlike other ice cream stores on this list, sells hot dogs, hamburgers, and fries along with its frosty sundaes and scoops. Browse the extensive menu long enough, and youll find that Dairy Queen offers several cold ice cream cakes for any event. There are numerous ice cream cake flavors to choose from our favorite ice cream royalty, including the Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard Cake.
This peanut butter delight is coated in a frozen white frosting, and inside, a base layer of Dairy Queens soft serve ice cream. The cake also has a smaller layer of crunchy bits and fudge before being topped with a layer of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups Blizzard ice cream and the actual candy, finished with a drizzle of chocolate. This cake was great, and the peanut butter flavor was very prevalent, but was incredibly sweet, and paired nicely with the layer of fudge. The frosting was frozen, so a bit difficult to slice through, but other than that, a perfectly good peanut butter cake!
Ice Cream Cake By Inside Scoop
Launched in 2013, Inside Scoophad their first store in Bangsar with 16 flavours, including the best sellers Durian and Valrhona Chocolate! Their ice cream cakes are handmade from scratch and come in a range of flavours. Perfect to surprise your friends, family or even co-workers on their birthdays!
Recommended Reading: Birthday Gifts For Gay Men
Inside Scoop Rose Ice Cream Cake
If you want a more classy-looking birthday cake, Inside Scoops Rose Ice Cream Cake is a good option! Decorated with a classic rose design and glazed with white chocolate, this combination of Valrhona Chocolate and Vanilla Bean sponge cake is the perfect blend of fun and classy. You can never go wrong with their best-selling Valrhona Chocolate and Vanilla Bean flavoured ice cream.
Rose Garden Ice Cream Cake
Nothing says unique more than a cake decorated with tonnes of roses! If your loved ones are into roses, theRose Garden Ice Cream Cake by Kindori is perfect for their birthday celebration. Dive into the flavours of luscious strawberry flavour, decorated with roses to perfection! This will surely brighten up their birthday.
Recommended Reading: Glow In The Dark Birthday Party Invitations
Why You Will Love This Ice Cream Recipes
This is a perfect combination, bites of delicious cake along with the creamy, deliciousness of ice cream and of course rainbow sprinkles! Dont sprinkles just make everything better and more fun. Sprinkles just make me smile and I love the little bit of crunch they give the ice cream. I always save a few to sprinkle on top right before serving. This ice cream is a birthday cake in ice cream form!
Carvel’s Fudgie The Whale Ice Cream Cake
This next cake was one of the more fun-looking cakes on the list. Carvel’s Fudgie the Whale cake was a cute, chocolatey dessert that stood out on freezer shelves with its adorable whale shape and frosting smile. Carvel is known as “America’s “first ice cream franchise,” created by none other than Tom Carvel. The website describes this ice cream as having a lighter, creamy taste. With that in mind, this cake tasted just as great as it looked. The standard Carvel cake comes with two layers of vanilla and chocolate ice cream that are separated by a layer of “Crunchies”, though these are customizable. With milk fudge and a whipped frosting, this cake gave us a whale of a time, and should make for a cool chocolate treat at a birthday party. Something we noticed, however, was that the fudge would often be cracked, and the “crunchy” middle was disproportionate throughout. Besides that, this cake is great for any sea-themed parties you want to plan!
Also Check: Baby 1st Birthday Invitation Card
Ben & Jerry’s Customizable Ice Cream Cake
What’s not to love about a few scoops of Benn & Jerry’s Ice cream? After successfully kicking off a successful ice cream career in Vermont in 1978, this legendary duo’s ice cream brand has become one of the most iconic ice cream chains in the world, with pints of their fabulous flavors in stores, you can’t go anywhere without seeing Ben & Jerry’s in some form. From Greek frozen yogurt and ice cream bars, if it has ice cream in it, Ben & Jerry’s probably has it. This includes ice cream cakes, which the brand let’s you order and pick up online.
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream cakes are customizable in every way possible. You can choose a fun exterior design, such as a cloudy frosting sky to a sprinkle explosion. You can also choose two different Ice cream flavors for each layer of the cake, from chocolate, marshmallow, American Dream, and even the Netflix-inspired flavors! You can also fill the cake with crumbled brownies, sprinkles, or chocolate crunchies. This cake was great, and gave us so many options to choose from. Even though it lacked any actual cake, this was a great addition to the list, and is perfect if you need a specific ice cream cake flavor.
Doctor Stranges New Trailer Dropped & It Has Something To Do With Spider
Cream cakes are too mainstream for birthday parties. We love it better when you put cake and ice cream together. Yes, an ice cream cake.
After all, its the best of both worlds, right? Also, we get to play with the dry ice. The smokey effect from the dry ice just makes cakes seem so much cooler, no?
Try out these places the next time youre looking to celebrate somebodys birthday!
Recommended Reading: 50th Birthday Swag Bag Ideas
Don’t Miss: Birthday Delivery Ideas For Best Friend
The 50 Most Delicious Spectacular Ice
- Summary: · Myth: Ice cream cakes are reserved for your toddler?s birthday. Here, 50 stunners that totally kick Carvel to the curb. Party at yoru place?
- Matching search results: With the start of a new decade, it is inevitable to take a ride down memory lane and reminisce of the past. The last decade I dare say was the hardest and best years yet! It was in these years I moved to the US permanently, met my best girlfriends,
