Ice Cream Cake

Ok, you can't get easier than this. Why buy a fancy ice cream cake when you can make one for a fraction of the price?!? You could make everything from scratch too, but I use store bought stuff for this one. I like devil's food cake, chocolate fudge frosting, and cookies and cream or mint chocolate chip ice cream. Just try and make your ice cream flavor complement the cake flavor.

Ice Cream Cake:
1 carton ice cream...any flavor
1 cake mix...any flavor
2 cans frosting...any flavor
3 8" round cake pans OR 1 9x13" cake pan**
Line 2 round cake pans with plastic wrap. Unwrap ice cream carton and cut ice cream an half. Place each half on plastic wrap in cake pans. Let melt until soft enough to press down. Using the bottom of the third cake pan, press ice cream flat. Place cake pans in freezer to harden. After an hour, remove plastic wrap and ice cream from pans. Wrap ice cream discs in more plastic wrap and return to freezer. Bake cake according to package directions in the 3 cake pans. Cool completely and remove from pans. Carefully cut the tops off the cakes to make them evenly flat using dental floss or a serrated knife. Dust off crumbs. Place one cake onto a cake plate or round cardboard. Place pieces of waxed paper just under the edge of the cake all the way around. Open the cans of frosting and stir well to soften up. Working quickly, place on disc of ice cream onto the first layer of cake. Put another layer of cake on top, followed by the second disc of ice cream, and the last layer of cake. Frost the top and sides of the cake and discard the waxed paper. Return to the freezer to keep the ice cream from melting. After an hour, wrap the cake with foil to keep it fresh. To serve, remove cake from the freezer and cut with a sharp knife. Set pieces aside for 5 minutes to thaw and serve. Will keep up to a week in the freezer.
Serves 15
**If using a 9x13" pan...Use a square cake pan to make one layer of ice cream using 1/2 the carton. Bake the cake in the 9x13" pan and cut in half to make two layers. Place the one layer of ice cream in between the two layers of cake.