Copycat Vegan Ice Cream Dairy Queen Cake
Dairy Queen cake vegan copycat is a nostalgic dream come true! Chocolate and vanilla ice cream, an irresistible fudge and crunchy center, topped with whipped cream icing and sprinkles!
The Dairy Queen cake is iconic. It was the ultimate birthday cake. The first cake to make their homemade counterparts seem significantly less cool and desirable. I remember when friends would announce their upcoming birthday parties at school, one of the first questions would be what kind of cake they are having. There was always a lingering air of disappointment when Dairy Queen wasn’t mentioned.
Apparently not much has changed. Every time my guys go to a party and ice cream cake is served, they are genuinely disappointed they couldn’t have any. Whereas, with traditional desserts and cakes, they couldn’t care less if they can’t take part. They whine about how Dairy Queen doesn’t offer lactose free, vegan friendly versions and how it’s depressing they’ll never get to even try it.
Well, chisel out my mom award, because I have gone and created a vegan, gluten free version of the most beloved ice cream cake in the world!
My picky eater’s 10th birthday is this week and with this whole quarantine thing (can’t believe I am STILL blogging about isolation, God help me!) destroying all his birthday party dreams, figured I would do whatever I could to at the very least satiate his dreams of finally sampling the greatest cake to ever come from a fast food joint.
*Spoiler* It was a HUGE success, and even vegan food hating dad was blown away!!! This recipe is construction with mostly store-bought items and although fairly simple to create, does take some patience. Let’s have a peek at the ingredients I personally used in this Dairy Queen cake recipe.
Copycat Vegan Ice Cream Dairy Queen Cake – Ingredients
- Vanilla Ice Cream – Really want to keep this vanilla ice cream layer as simple as possible. So Delicious Simply Vanilla cashew based ice cream is fantastic here. The flavour is classic and the creaminess from the cashews is passable for dairy. If nuts are an issue, I would opt for a soy-based product.
- Chocolate Ice Cream – Again, it is important to keep this ice cream flavour simple and classic. Sticking with the creamy cashew base, opted for So Delicious Creamy Chocolate as the cake’s base.
- Cookie Crunch – The layer that gives the Dairy Queen cake it’s cookies and cream vibe! If you can eat gluten, go ahead and use traditional Oreos. If you are like me and gluten hates you, Glutino makes an awesome chocolate and vanilla creme sandwich cookie that works perfectly for this recipe.
- Fudge Layer – I think we can all agree this THE best part of the cake. I put this together making a simple vegan ganache, but add a touch of corn syrup to help keep it from freezing stiff. I wouldn’t suggest any other liquid sweetener here. The corn syrup’s viscosity is ideal.
- Whipped Icing – Not wanting to mess about with homemade whipped cream, I use So Delicious Coconut Whipped Topping and combine it with icing sugar for the outer layer and combine it with cornstarch for the pipped icing. These powered ingredients
Helpful Tips – Copycat Vegan Dairy Queen Cake
- Get yourself a springform pan, if you don’t already have one. Being able to just pop off the sides is an actual life-saver in this recipe. You will also want to plastic wrap (not a product I often use, but sadly a must for this recipe!) the sides of the pan. This will prevent the ice cream from freezing to the metal pan. I don’t suggest plastic wrapping the bottom of the pan, or you might end up with a mouthful of it when it’s time to serve the cake.
- Where I live, I couldn’t find 1 litre ice cream options. I instead just purchased two 500 ml cartons in both flavours.
- Because you are dealing with frozen products, you have to work FAST. This is without a doubt the most (really only) challenging element of the recipe. If you begin to panic because a step is taking too long or you have to walk away from the ice cream cake for a few minutes, just pop it back into the freezer.
- If you are miss pioneer woman (bless you) and you want to go the homemade route for the ice cream and/or the whipped cream, I can’t guarantee this recipe will work out perfectly. Although I do like to make my own whipped dessert cream, having a very stable product is super essential here.
- Dairy Queen cake is made with soft serve, which is how they are able to achieve those smooth ice cream layers. Allowing your ice cream to thaw, until velvety smooth, will really help with building even and visually appealing layers.
Some other kid-centric recipes that will certainly give you insane mom points!
Copycat Vegan Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
Ice Cream Cake
- 1 litre chocolate ice cream - I used a store-bought cashew based brand
- 1 litre vanilla ice cream - I used a store-bought cashew based brand
- 8 chocolate and vanilla cream cookies - Like Oreo's or Glutino brand
- 1 tbsp candy sprinkles
Chocolate Fudge Layer
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup coconut cream - thick portion of full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tbsp corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch sea salt
Whipped Icing Layer
- 2 1/2 cups whipped cream - I used store-bought coconut whipped cream
- 1/4 cup icing sugar
Whipped Pipping Icing
- 1 cup whipped cream - I used store-bought coconut whipped cream
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Instructions
- Line the sides of a 9 inch springform cake pan with plastic wrap (do not cover the bottom) by removing side panel from pan. I used several pieces to wrap around the sides. Secure plastic wrapped sides back onto the pan. Set aside.
- Remove the chocolate ice cream from the freezer, and place contents into a large mixing bowl. Leave out for 15-30 minutes to soften, stirring every few minutes to promote even softening. Texture should resemble a velvety soft serve, in order to use in the recipe. Pour the softened chocolate ice cream to the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Freeze for 45-60 minutes.
- While chocolate ice cream layer is in the freezer, prep chocolate fudge and cookie layer.
- In a double boiler, add all ingredients for fudge layer. Heat water to medium and slowly melt ingredients, while stirring very frequently. Once melted and well combined, remove from heat and set aside.
- In a small food processor, add chocolate and vanilla cream cookies. Pulse a few times until cookies are well broken up. Set aside.
- Remove the pan from the freezer, and pour the slightly cooled fudge over the chocolate ice cream and spread into an even layer. Working quickly, top the fudge layer with cookie crumbles (the cold layer will cause the fudge to freeze up very fast) and lightly press them into the fudge layer with hand palm or spatula. Return to freezer for another 30-45 minutes.
- Remove the vanilla ice cream from the freezer, and place contents into a large mixing bowl. Leave out for 15-30 minutes to soften, stirring every few minutes to promote even softening. Texture should resemble a velvety soft serve, in order to use in the recipe.
- Remove the cake pan from the freezer. Carefully pour the softened vanilla ice cream into the prepared pan and spread over the cookie/fudge layer, into an even layer. Freeze for 1-2 hours.
- About 10 minutes prior to removing the cake from the freezer, prep the whipped icing layer and whipped pipping icing. For whipped icing layer (this will be applied all over the cake), combine the whipped cream and icing sugar. Stir well and refrigerate until you're ready to use. For whipped pipping icing (this is used for decor around the top and bottom of the cake), combine the whipped cream and cornstarch. Stir well and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Remove the cake from the freezer and carefully detach springform pan sides. Using whipped icing layer, frost cake. If you intend on adding sprinkles or other candy decor to the cake, do so in this step. Return to freezer for 15-20 minutes and allow whipped icing layer to set.
- Transfer whipped pipped icing to a pastry bag with your desired decorating tip. Remove cake from freezer and working quickly, pipe icing around top and bottom of the cake. Transfer to freezer for a minimum of 2 hours before serving.
- Store uneaten cake in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a week.
Notes
- Get yourself a springform pan, if you don't already have one. Being able to just pop off the sides is an actual life-saver in this recipe. You will also want to plastic wrap (not a product I often use, but sadly a must for this recipe!) the sides of the pan. This will prevent the ice cream from freezing to the metal pan. I don't suggest plastic wrapping the bottom of the pan, or you might end up with a mouthful of it when it's time to serve the cake.
- Where I live, I couldn't find 1 litre ice cream options. I instead just purchased two 500 ml cartons in both flavours.
- Because you are dealing with frozen products, you have to work FAST. This is without a doubt the most (really only) challenging element of the recipe. If you begin to panic because a step is taking too long or you have to walk away from the ice cream cake for a few minutes, just pop it back into the freezer.
- If you are miss pioneer woman (bless you) and you want to go the homemade route for the ice cream and/or the whipped cream, I can't guarantee this recipe will work out perfectly. Although I do like to make my own whipped dessert cream, having a very stable product is super essential here.
- Dairy Queen cake is made with soft serve, which is how they are able to achieve those smooth ice cream layers. Allowing your ice cream to thaw until velvety smooth, will really help with building even and visually appealing layers.
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