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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.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Assembly 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings 16 servings

Equipment

Ingredients
 

Ice Cream

  • 1 1.5 quart container vanilla ice cream slightly softened

Crumble

  • cup (57 grams) old fashioned rolled oats
  • ¾ cup (94 grams) all purpose flour
  • ½ cup (100 grams) brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter cold and cubed

Cake

  • 1 ½ cups (180 grams) cake flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter melted
  • ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • ½ cup (120 grams) whole milk room temperature

Apple Filling

  • 6 (700 grams) large apples peeled and sliced
  • ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ cup (31 grams) all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Whipped Cream

  • 2 cups (480 grams) heavy whipping cream cold
  • ½ cup (60 grams) powdered sugar

Instructions

Ice Cream

  • Line an 8 inch cake pan with plastic wrap.
  • Transfer the softened ice cream to the cake pan and use an offset spatula/back of a spoon to smooth it into an even layer.
  • Place another piece of plastic wrap on top of the ice cream and press it down into a flat layer.
  • Freeze for at least 2-3 hours - you want the ice cream layer to be completely firm.

Crumble

  • Preheat oven to 375F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, add the cold and cubed butter and cut the butter into the mixture until the butter is fully incorporated and no larger chunks remain.
  • Spread the mixture evenly onto your baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring the mixture around in the pan half way through the bake. Remove from the oven and let the mixture completely cool. Once the crumble is done, reduce the oven temperature to 325F to bake the cake.

Cake

  • While the crumble is baking, prepare the cake. Line another 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper.
  • Melt the butter in a large microwave safe bowl then set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  • Once the butter has cooled for 5 minutes, add the granulated sugar and vanilla to the butter and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and whisk to combine.
  • Add half of the dry ingredients and whisk until almost fully mixed in. Add half of the milk and whisk until almost combined. Repeat this with the other halves of the dry ingredients and the milk, then mix until you have a smooth batter.
  • Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 325F - the top of the cake will be golden and the edges will begin to peel away from the sides of the pan. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  • Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and place it in the fridge to cool completely.

Apples

  • While the cake is baking, prepare the apple filling. Peel and slice your apples into ⅛ - ¼ inch slices.
  • Add them to a bowl with the granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, and lemon juice. Toss together until the apples are all evenly coated.
  • Place them on a large skillet on the stove over medium heat, stirring until slightly soft (around 5 minutes).
  • Cover the pan and let the apples cook down, stirring every few minutes or so, until thickened, aromatic, and bubbling. About 5-10 minutes.
  • Once the apples are soft, remove from the stove and place the apples in a separate bowl. Place the bowl in the fridge to cool completely.

Whipped Cream

  • When you are about ready to assemble the cake, 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, beat the heavy cream and powdered sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks have formed. Place in the freezer so it stays cold.

Assembly

  • All of the components (crumble, cake, apples, etc.) need to be cold when assembling the cake. If the ice cream begins to melt at any point during assembly, put the whole cake in the freezer for 20 minutes for it to firm up again.
  • Remove the cake from the fridge and use a serrated knife or cake leveler to carefully level off the cake if it formed a dome top. Then, using a serrated knife or cake leveler, carefully cut the cake in half so you now have two cake layers. Place the cake in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.
  • To assemble, place one cake layer on a sturdy surface (a plate, a cake stand, etc.), although make sure it can fit in the freezer.
  • Pipe a ring of whipped cream on top of the first cake layer. Spoon half of the cold apples into the center, then sprinkle some of the crumble on top of the apples.
  • Place the second cake layer on top, pipe a ring of whipped cream, and spoon the second half of the cold apples into the center. Sprinkle a little more of the crumble on top of the apples. Place the cake in the freezer for 20 minutes. 
  • After the 20 minutes, remove the cake and ice cream from the freezer and discard the plastic wrap from the ice cream. Place the whole ice cream layer on top of the apples.
  • Frost a thin layer (crumb coat) of whipped cream on the tops and sides of the cake. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes. This will make it easier to fully frost the cake.
  • After the 30 minutes, finish frosting the cake with the rest of the whipped cream.
  • Sprinkle the remaining crumble on top of the cake. Let the cake set in the freezer for one hour. Store the cake in the freezer until ready to slice and serve. Enjoy!
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