Layered Ice Cream Cake

I had a doctor’s appointment today and treated myself to an ice cream cone after the visit. If I had planned ahead I would have whipped up this cake instead! Though it is time intensive if you are as anal as I am, the Family Circle recipe itself is very easy. I have substituted various flavors of ice cream but I always go back to the mint-vanilla-strawberry combination. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!

Layered Ice Cream Cake

15 chocolate and cream sandwich cookies (such as Oreo)
1 tablespoon milk
8 to 9 ice cream sandwiches, depending on size
1 pint mint chocolate chip ice cream
1 pint vanilla frozen yogurt
1 pint strawberry ice cream or frozen yogurt
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

COAT bottom and side of a 9-inch round springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. LINE side with waxed paper, using spray to help adhere to pan. Trim paper to height of pan.

Finely CRUSH 12 of the cookies in a food processor. Add milk; pulse just until mixture holds together. Set aside.

UNWRAP 4 ice cream sandwiches*. Working quickly, cut each in quarters. Stack strips of sandwiches on end, cookie to cookie, packing them snugly together, around waxed-paper-lined pan. Repeat with remaining sandwiches to form a stand-up edge. (*I prefer to unwrap them all, slice, and re-freeze. It’s amazing how quickly those things will melt!)

SPOON cookie crumbs into center of pan; press firmly over bottom. (A bit of cooking spray on the finger tips works nicely)

FREEZE 1 hour.

REMOVE all 3 flavors of ice cream or frozen yogurt from freezer and let soften to room temperature.

TRANSFER mint ice cream to a small bowl and stir until good but firm spreading consistency. REPEAT with vanilla and strawberry.

REMOVE pan from freezer. Spread mint ice cream on bottom*, then top with vanilla and strawberry, spreading all layers level. (*Again, I prefer to freeze in between layers to get a more solid division of flavors.)

TOP with thawed whipped topping, swirling top decoratively. Crush remaining 3 sandwich cookies and sprinkle over cake. Return to freezer; freeze overnight.

To SERVE, remove side of pan, then waxed paper. Cut into wedges.