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!

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On December 27^th, 2018, I was sitting in the living room at my in-laws and trying to figure out how in the world you start a blog.  I’d been thinking about it for at least 2 years, but kept holding myself back.  I didn’t have the perfect blog name.  Nor did I have the time.  And I didn’t have a nice camera.  I didn’t even know if I would enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

But I knew I loved food photography (although I didn’t know a whole lot about it), I was pretty confident I could put together some fantastic recipes, and I knew that if I set my mind to it, anything was possible.  Sure, I’d been enjoying my full-time job (and still do!), but couldn’t help but miss being more closely connected with food products, recipe development and the ever-changing food trends. 

So, after Googling “how to start a food blog” about 10,000 times, along came Dance Around the Kitchen.  And I can honestly say that I enjoy it as much (probably more!) today, than I did the first month I started. 

It’s become a whole lot more than a hobby.  It’s really become my passion, my creative outlet and a challenge for myself to continue to build upon what I’ve put together.

Coming up with the perfect birthday celebration recipe...

I still can’t believe it’s been one year.  And it’s been one HECK of a year!!  I would’ve never imagined I’d have so many people following the blog, making the recipes and sharing photos of their creations with me. 

It really is rewarding and makes me smile to think about families being gathered around a recipe I’ve created.  So, for the one year celebration, I decided to make a recipe with all of my favorite things!

I knew it had to include ice cream, cake, chocolate ganache and Oreo cookies.  So, I rolled them up (quite literally haha) into this fun dessert that screams celebrate! Just like the blog's first year, this one is for the books!!!

Can I use a cake mix instead of the homemade cake?

I tried it and quickly found out that the answer is no. Haha….I learned the hard way so you don’t have to.  (Really, just take my word for it).  Although the cake mix sheet cake turned out beautifully, it just wasn’t “rollable.”  Being a food scientist by trade, of course I wanted to know WHY it didn’t work.  (And if you don’t really care, skip to the recipe, hahaha!).

So why does the homemade cake (see in the recipe below) work and the cake mix doesn’t?  The three biggest factors are the fat content, the number of eggs and the amount of leavening agent.

Fat Content:  The fat from the cake mix (and the oil, etc that is added to the mix), makes a very moist cake.  It’s soft and moist which makes it really difficult to roll up without crumbling.  On the other hand, the recipe below has fat from the eggs, but that’s it.  Therefore, it’s not as light and airy, but rather more dense and pliable.

Number of Eggs:  The homemade cake has 4 eggs.  We all know that eggs have a lot of protein in them and using eggs in baked goods helps with the structure of a cake.  Therefore, the fact that the homemade recipe has more egg proteins in it, it’s a stronger structure.

Leavening Agent:  Although it likely depends on the brand of cake mix used, the cake mix has more leavening agent (a chemical ingredient that helps the cake rise, like baking powder and baking soda).  Therefore, the cake mix cake turned out to be much more light and airy, making it difficult (or I’d almost say impossible) to roll up.

What is the secret to a nice-looking ice cream cake roll?

If you’d never made a cake roll before, I can see how it might seem a little intimidating.  However, if you follow the instructions to a tee, you shouldn’t have any problems.  Here’s a few tips:

• Make sure the cake is done, but also don’t overcook it.  The more a cake bakes after it’s done, the drier the cake will become (think about the moisture evaporating out of it).  If it’s overdone and dry, it’ll be more difficult to roll up.
• Line the pan before pouring the batter into it.  You can either use parchment paper or a silicon baking mat for this.  This will help you get the cake out of the pan in one piece.
• When the cake comes out of the oven, don’t forget about it!  First off, set the cake on a wire cooling rack and set a timer for 5 minutes.  During the 5 minutes, you’ve got a couple things to do.  First, run a knife around the edge of the pan, so when you flip it over the edges don’t stick.  And second, get your clean towel and powdered sugar ready for the rolling (see recipe).  When the 5 minutes is up, roll the cake up!  (Waiting too long will make the cake less pliable and difficult to roll).

What other variations of this ice cream cake roll could I try?

With the chocolate cake, there are so many different ice cream flavors and toppings that could go great with it. 

• Use strawberry ice cream and top with the chocolate ganache, whipped cream and freshly sliced strawberries for a chocolate-covered strawberry variation.
• Use cookie dough ice cream and top with the chocolate ganache, whipped cream and small chocolate chip cookies.
• For the chocolate lovers, fill the roll with a chocolate ice cream and top with the chocolate ganache, whipped cream and chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips.
• Fill the roll with praline pecan ice cream and top with chocolate ganache, caramel, whipped cream and chopped pecans for a turtle-inspired variation.
• If you want something a little more fruity (with no chocolate), I also love this cake roll I put on the blog earlier this year.  It’s got an angel food cake base with sherbet in the middle – so light and refreshing!

Let's get the party started!

Recipe added to the Weekend Potluck.