My daughter, the inspiration behind Celiac Mama, turned five this weekend. It felt like a meaningful milestone for many reasons: my oldest child finished preschool and is heading to kindergarten, and most importantly she has grown into a happy, kind, and healthy little girl. Almost three years ago we discovered why she was feeling so unwell, and learning to manage celiac disease has made a huge difference. While it can be challenging at times, understanding how to keep her healthy has allowed her to enjoy life fully, and watching her flourish has been a joy.
When I asked her what kind of birthday cake she wanted, I expected the usual chocolate with vanilla frosting. Instead she gave a very specific request: “Mommy, I’d like an ice cream and brownie cake with pink flowers on top.” She’d never had that before, so I was determined to make her wish come true by creating a gluten-free, dairy-free ice cream cake.
Rather than making every component from scratch and lengthening the process, I relied on a few trusted brands to simplify the work. The ingredient list in the recipe below is intentionally generic so you can substitute your preferred brands. The products that worked well for us included:
- Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss ice cream
- King Arthur’s gluten free brownie mix
- Wholesome organic vanilla frosting
- India Tree natural red and blue food coloring (plant-based concentrates)
- So Delicious CocoWhip
- Glutino chocolate sandwich cookies
- Santa Cruz dairy free organic chocolate syrup
Tools you’ll need:
I keep most recipes on Celiac Mama simple and practical for busy families, but birthdays are worth a little extra effort. For this cake you’ll need:
- Parchment paper
- 1 baking sheet
- 2 9-inch round pans (or one, if you don’t mind extra time for cleaning between uses)
- 1 9-inch springform pan
- 1 large mixing bowl and 2 small bowls
- Wilton 2D and 1D icing decorating tips
- 2 Ziploc bags or disposable decorating bags
With your tools and ingredients ready, follow the step-by-step instructions below to assemble this delicious gluten-free, dairy-free ice cream cake.
Gluten Free Dairy Free Ice Cream Cake
Dessert
American
45
minutes
25
minutes
11
hours
1
hour
10
minutes
12
379
kcal
Jereann Zann – Celiac Mama
Ingredients
- 3 pints gluten-free, dairy-free ice cream
- 2 boxes gluten-free brownie mix plus required ingredients (eggs, oil, water as directed)
- 1/2 cup gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate fudge syrup
- 1 package gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookies
- Red and blue natural food coloring
- 6 oz vanilla dairy-free frosting
- 9 oz. coconut cream dairy-free whipped cream
Instructions
- Prepare the brownies according to package directions. If given a choice, choose fudge-style for moister brownies after freezing. Substitute dairy-free butter or coconut oil if the recipe calls for butter.
- Divide batter evenly into two 9-inch round pans.
- Bake until a toothpick comes out almost clean, then remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and place the first cooled brownie in the bottom. Freeze for at least one hour to make the next steps easier.
- While the brownie chills, open the chocolate sandwich cookies and discard the cream filling. Pulse the cookies in a blender or food processor until coarsely crushed — you want texture, not a powder. Set aside.
- Remove the ice cream from the freezer 15 minutes before assembling so it softens slightly but does not melt.
- Spread 1 1/2 pints of softened ice cream over the chilled bottom brownie using a flat knife or spatula.
- Drizzle half of the chocolate syrup over the ice cream, then sprinkle with a layer of cookie crumbs.
- Spread the second layer of ice cream on top, then place the second brownie over the ice cream. Return the assembly to the freezer for at least 12 hours (overnight is best).
- While the cake freezes, prepare the decorative flowers. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the vanilla frosting: place one-quarter into a small bowl and tint it blue with a few drops of natural blue coloring; tint the remaining three-quarters with red coloring until you get a pink shade.
- Fit two decorating bags (or Ziploc bags) with the Wilton tips and fill one with pink frosting and the other with blue.
- To pipe a flower, hold the pink bag with your knuckles pointing toward 9 o’clock (3 o’clock if left-handed). Press down and rotate your wrist clockwise so the knuckles end up at 12 o’clock, then lift to form a flower shape.
- Repeat to make as many flowers as you need, then add a small dot of blue frosting to the center of each flower. Freeze the flowers for at least 10 hours or overnight so they firm up.
- When ready to finish, remove the cake from the freezer and release it from the springform pan. Frost the top and sides with coconut whipped cream, smoothing evenly, then return the cake to the freezer for 2–3 hours.
- Remove the frozen flowers from the baking sheet and gently lift each off the parchment. Arrange them on top of the cake; the firm coconut whipped cream will help them adhere.
- Freeze the finished cake for at least one hour before serving, or keep frozen until needed.
Recipe Notes
Coconut-based ice cream tends to soften faster than dairy ice cream. Instead of leaving the cake out for 30 minutes before serving (as with commercial ice cream cakes), let it sit for about five minutes, add candles and sing happy birthday. By the time you finish singing and light the candles, another five minutes will have passed and it should be easier to slice.
