Apple Crumble Ice Cream Cake

Apple crumble but in ice cream cake form?! Sign me up. This apple crumble ice cream cake has two vanilla cake layers, two layers of apples, a brown sugar cinnamon crumble, a thick layer of vanilla ice cream, and is frosted with a lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Once the cake is sliced into, the cake gets softer and the ice cream and apples get all melty. This, combined with the crunch from the crumble and the smooth whipped cream, you will not be able to stop at one slice. It basically becomes an apple crumble a la mode.

Apple crumble ice cream cake

This cake has a lot of components, but that doesn't mean it's hard to make! Let's walk through them:

1. Ice cream. We use an entire 1.5 quart container of vanilla ice cream in this cake. This gets pressed into an 8 inch cake pan to form an even layer.
2. Cake. The cake recipe is very simple with no mixer required! We bake it in an 8 inch pan, then cut it in half for two layers.
3. Apples. The apples are cooked down over the stove with warm spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. We need 700 grams of sliced apples here - I like to use honeycrisp and granny smith for both sweetness/tartness.
4. Crumble. The crumble is made with cinnamon, brown sugar, oats, and it adds such a nice texture variation to the cake.
5. Whipped cream. The cake is fully frosted with whipped cream and frozen to perfection.

Key ingredients

• Flour: cake flour is the flour of choice for this cake - it provides the perfect texture to the cake layers. Meanwhile, all purpose flour is used in the crumble and the apples.
• Leavener: baking soda is used to help the cake rise.
• Butter: we use unsalted butter in this recipe to control exactly how much salt goes in. We use unsalted butter in both the cake batter and the crumble.
• Sugar: granulated sugar is used to add sweetness in the cakes and the apples, while brown sugar is used in the crumble. We also use powdered sugar in the whipped cream.
• Fats: the other key fats in the cake are the eggs and milk. These ingredients add moisture to the cake.
• Ice cream: vanilla ice cream is used for this cake, but feel free to go crazy and use whatever kind of ice cream you want!
• Apples: we need 700 grams of sliced apples in this recipe, which is about 6 large apples. I like to use a combination of sweet and tart apples (like honeycrisp and granny smith!).
• Heavy cream: needed for the whipped cream.
• Oats: I used old fashioned rolled oats for the crumble, but I don't see why quick cooking oats wouldn't work!
• Spices: cinnamon and nutmeg are the main spices here!

Steps

1. Prepare the ice cream. Transfer all of the ice cream to an 8 inch cake pan lined with plastic wrap. Smooth the ice cream into an even layer and place it in the freezer.
2. Make the crumble. Whisk together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut the cold and cubed butter into the mixture until combined. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at 375F for 15 minutes, stirring half way through.
3. Bake the cake. Whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Add the eggs and whisk to combine. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until almost combined, then add half of the milk and whisk until almost combined. Repeat with the other halves of the dry ingredients and the milk. Pour the batter into an 8 inch cake pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 325F for about 30 minutes. Once completely cool, level off the cake if it has formed a dome, and slice the cake in half so you have two cake layers.
4. Apple filling. Toss the peeled and sliced apples with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, and lemon juice. Cook them down on the stove until soft.
5. Make the whipped cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar together on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.

Assembly

1. Make sure all of the ingredients are cold. Pipe a ring of whipped cream around the first cake layer, then spoon half of the apples onto the cake. Sprinkle on some of the crumble.
2. Place the second cake layer on top, pipe a ring of whipped cream, then add the second half of apples followed by a sprinkle of crumble.
3. Place the ice cream on top of the apples. Frost the cake with the whipped cream.

Troubleshooting

My cake sank.

Either the batter was over-mixed or the cake was underbaked. It is also possible that your oven has poor air circulation and the cake needed to be rotated, or the door was open/closed to fast and all the hot air was pushed out of the oven.

My whipped cream didn't set.

It is likely that the heavy cream was under-whipped, or the heavy cream wasn't cold enough. Cold heavy cream whips up easier, so make sure to take it out of the fridge right before using. To ensure success, you can also place the mixing bowl in the fridge 5 minutes before you make the whipped cream to ensure the cream stays cold.

I am having trouble assembling the cake.

All of the cake components should be very cold when you assemble the cake (the cake, the ice cream, the apples, the crumble, and the cream). Place the cake layers in the freezer for 20 minutes prior to assembly. This will make it easier to build. If the cake starts to get unsturdy at any point during assembly, place the whole thing in the freezer for 30 minutes, then continue.

For any other troubleshooting questions, feel free to leave me a comment below or message me on Instagram!

Cake baking tips

1. Use a kitchen scale. I cannot stress this enough - a kitchen scale is the only way to ensure accurate results. They are cheap and will make cleaning up SO much easier.
2. Properly prepare your pans. Line your cake pan with a parchment paper round and if necessary, lightly grease the sides so the cake easily releases from the pan.
3. Use an oven thermometer. Making sure your oven is calibrated correctly and is at the right temperature is incredibly important for cakes. This recipe was written for the cake to bake at 325F - any higher and the cake can over-bake or rise then sink, any lower and the cake will come out underbaked.
4. Refrigerate all cake components prior to assembling. Cake layers that are chilled are easier to assemble as they are much firmer. If they have any heat to them, the filling will melt and the cake layers will slip and slide all over the place.
5. Make a crumb coat. A crumb coat is a very thin first layer of icing that essentially "glues" the crumbs down and seals in the cakes moisture. After the crumb coat is applied, place the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes, then finish frosting the cake with the remaining whipped cream.
6. Slice the cake with a warm knife. The best way to slice the cake is to heat a sharp knife under running hot water, wiping it dry, then cutting into the cake. The hot knife will nicely slice through all of the layers. Wipe clean and repeat with each cut.

Prep and storage

1. Can I make the cake layers ahead of time? Yes! Once cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. You can freeze it for up to three months. Thaw the cake layer in the fridge.
2. Can I make the whipped cream ahead of time? Yes! You can also make the whipped cream ahead of time. Place the whipped cream on a piece of plastic wrap and tightly close it. Place it in a ziplock bag and into the freezer. Let it thaw in the fridge.
3. Can I make the apples ahead of time? Yes, but only a day or so before assembly. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
4. Freezing the whole cake. To freeze the entire cake, freeze the cake until firm then wrap it completely in plastic wrap so it is fully covered. Then wrap it in tin foil and freeze.
5. Freezing cut cake layers. To freeze the cut cake layers, wrap them in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container in the freezer.

Baking in grams

While I provide volume measurements for the recipes on my blog, I highly suggest baking these recipes using weight. It is the most standardized and accurate way to bake. I carefully recipe test all of my recipes using a kitchen scale, not by using cups, and therefore I cannot guarantee the success of my recipes when using volume measurements.

Other recipes you may like

• Apple Pie Bars
• Maple Apple Crisp
• Single Serve Apple Pie
• Vanilla Cake With Strawberries and Cream
• Blueberry Mascarpone Skillet Cake

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