Your Ice Cream Cake Always Needs A Solid Base. Here's Why

A homemade or store-bought ice cream cake is a cool, creamy, and refreshing alternative to other baked goods commonly served for birthdays and other celebrations. The ice cream is obviously the main component of the dish, but there's another layer of the dessert that is equally as important. A solid base for the layers of ice cream and other assorted toppings is one of the essential things you must consider when making an ice cream cake at home.

To find out why a solid base is an essential component of an ice cream cake, Tasting Table turned to Tyler Malek, co-founder and head ice cream maker at Salt & Straw. The company is known for their unconventional ice cream flavors, but they also sell a decadent ice cream cake known simply as "The Cake." "It doesn't literally have to be a baked cake layer like we do," he explains, "but it could be something along the lines of a cake crumb or graham cracker crumb as the base." 

Maintaining the cake's stability is the primary function of the solid base. "It's nice because when you're cutting into it, you want to be able to cut all the way through and have it hold its structure," Tyler Malek says. "If you have ice cream or a sauce or a jam at the bottom, you're going to cut into it, and have this melty mess underneath. Having a more solid base also soaks up all the melty goodness as you're eating through it."

For reference, you can use a thin layer of cake, like the nostalgic confetti cake that Salt & Straw uses in its ice cream cake or use crushed graham crackers per Malek. Other flavorful and sturdy options for the base include crumbled Oreo cookies, a layer of brownies or blondies, or even crushed pretzels or potato chips for a sweet-and-salty take on the cake. If you use an option other than traditional cake, make sure to pack the bottom layer tight in the pan to prevent any ice cream or other ingredients like jam from seeping through.

Ready to make an ice cream cake? Try out Tasting Table's chocolate-covered pretzel ice cream cake recipe that uses a chocolate cake as the base. Another option is our s'mores ice cream cake recipe with a homemade chocolate graham cracker crumble for the bottom layer.