Ice Cream Cake Roll

This ice cream cake roll is the perfect treat for any celebration. With chocolate cake, ice cream, Oreos and fudge in each bite, every fork-full is a slice of heaven!

Ice cream cake rolls are one of my favorite desserts! My grandma Uhlenkamp has been making these for as long as I can remember, so for me they’re SO nostalgic and SO tasty!!! Give them a try and you’ll see why they’ve been a favorite in the family for so long!

Ingredients Needed

• Eggs – I always use large eggs while baking. 
• Sugar – White or granulated sugar is what you are looking for. 
• Water
• Vanilla – Both imitation and extract work! 
• Dry Ingredients – All-purpose flour, 100% cocoa or unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, and table salt. 
• Cookies & Cream Ice Cream – Any brand of hard-serve ice cream will work!
• Whipping Cream – This is not the same as whipped topping. It can be found in the dairy section of most grocery stores in a paper carton. Make sure you are getting “Heavy Whipping Cream,” not “Half and Half.” A plant-based alternative may work, though I have not tried. 
• Chocolate Chips – You’ll want regular-sized chocolate chips. I prefer semi-sweet, but milk or dark chocolate would work too. 
• Whipped Topping – This is like Cool Whip or a generic version of it. 
• Garnishes – Chocolate sandwich cookies (i.e. Oreos) and sprinkles. These are optional but highly recommended. 

How to Make an Ice Cream Cake Roll

You’ll start by preheating your oven to 350°F and lining a 12×15” sheet pan. To line, put parchment paper or a silicone mat on the bottom and then grease the walls of the pan.  

Then, you’ll beat the eggs in a mixing bowl and stir in the sugar, water, and vanilla with the beaten eggs.

Next, sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 17-18 minutes. 

Let the cake cool for 5 minutes while you lay out a towel and dust it with powdered sugar. Do not exceed 5 minutes. 

Once 5 minutes are up, remove the cake by running a knife around the edges and turning it over onto the towel. Tightly roll the cake and the towel together, starting from one of the short sides. 

Leave it rolled up and let it cool completely on the counter. Once cool, unroll the cake and remove the cloth.

Dollop the ice cream over the cake and let it sit for 5 minutes to soften. After the ice cream has sat, you’ll want to spread it smoothly and evenly across the cake. 

Reroll the cake and ice cream tightly, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Then, freeze it for at least 6 hours. 

Before serving the cake, let it sit out on a platter for 20-30 minutes. While it is thawing, make the chocolate ganache. 

To make the ganache, heat ½ a cup of whipping cream in the microwave until hot but not boiling. Then, add the chocolate chips, and let it sit for 5 minutes (do not stir). After 5 minutes, stir until smooth. 

You’ll pour the chocolate ganache over the top of the partially thawed and unwrapped cake roll, dollop with whipped cream, and add the garnishes. Finally, slice, dig in, and enjoy! 

Can I Use a Cake Mix instead of the homemade cake? 

No. Unfortunately, the ratio of ingredients in a boxed cake mix makes it conducive to a great standard cake, but not a cake roll. Specifically, the fat, protein, and leavening agents ratios are off. 

Cake mixes have more fat in them, which makes them very moist, but they will also crumble when rolled instead of being more dense and pliable like the homemade version. There are also fewer eggs in the cake mix compared to the homemade cake. The homemade one has 4 eggs, which provides lots of protein and therefore a stronger structure. That structure allows it to be rolled without cracking or crumbling.

Finally, the boxed cake mixes have more leavening agents (like baking powder or baking soda). This makes them light and airy… but nearly impossible to roll up tightly because they are so tall and have lots of holes in the structure. 

Tips for Making an Ice Cream Roll

• Watch the baking closely – You want it to be cooked, but an overcooked cake will be drier and more prone to cracking. 
• Line the pan – Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on the bottom of the pan and nonstick spray on the edges for clean removal of the cake. Don’t forget to run a knife along the edges of the pan before removing the cake, too. 
• Set a timer – Seriously, you’ll use it for multiple steps. Some key ones are that you’ll want to give the cake 5 minutes to cool before removing it. Any more or less time will make it hard to roll nicely. You’ll also want to give the chocolate ganache the full 5 minutes to sit before stirring so it will be smooth and glossy.
• Double check the roll – Roll the towel in with the cake from the short side and roll it tightly. Once the ice cream has been spread on, roll it up tightly again in the same direction before freezing. 

Delicious Ice Cream Roll Variations

• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake Roll- This would be delicious with strawberry ice cream, rolled up in a chocolate cake, topped with chocolate ganache, whipped cream, and sliced strawberries. 
• Cookie Dough Cake Roll- Think of cookie dough ice cream rolled up in the chocolate cake, with chocolate ganache, whipped cream, and small chocolate chip cookies on top. 
• Chocolate Lover Cake Roll- This one is pretty self-explanatory… chocolate ice cream, chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, whipped cream, and chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips. Mmm…
• Turtle Cake Roll- Just roll up some praline pecan ice cream in the chocolate cake, top it with chocolate ganache, caramel, whipped cream, and chopped pecans. Very decadent.
• Or this Rainbow Sherbet Cake Roll– It’s light, bright, and refreshing with rainbow sherbet rolled up in a boxed angel food cake. 

Storage

If you don’t want to worry about taking the time to slice the roll in front people, my grandma always cut cake rolls ahead of time and then would re-freeze the slices in an airtight container for easy serving later. This is an especially good way to only take out part of the roll at a time if you are serving fewer than 12 people. 

Other Frozen Desserts You’ll Love

• Fried Ice Cream Pie
• Turtle Ice Cream Dessert
• Buster Bar Dessert
• Cookie Dough Ice Cream Dessert
• Banoffee Ice Cream Pie
• Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Oreo Milkshake