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Strawberry Ice Cream Pop Cake

This weeks recipe takes me back to my childhood. I remember my sister always picking the strawberry shortcake popsicle from the ice cream man, and me, always picking the pink panther foot with the blue bubble gum in the big toe. Memories aside this Strawberry Ice Cream Pop Cake is a tribute to my childhood.

Strawberry Ice Cream Pop Cake wide open shot of cake on pedestal.

I’ve used my favorite Strawberry Cake recipe here for the base of this cake. I then filled it with my favorite strawberry filling, and frosted it with strawberry ice cream frosting. But this cake wouldn’t be complete without the strawberry crumble!

Strawberry Ice Cream Pop Cake three quarter angle close up for the top of the cake.

Strawberry Filling

This filling is the base recipe for most of my fruit fillings. It’s super easy to make and lends itself well to substitutions. Simply substitute your favorite frozen fruit for the strawberries in this recipe and proceed with the recipe as written.

Strawberry Cake

  • Frozen strawberries: This recipe only uses the juice from the strawberries. Adding the strawberry solids to this cake batter would be too much for this delicate cake. Save the strawberry solids for another use or toss.
  • Whole milk: The fat in whole milk helps to tenderize the cakes crumb. It also interacts with the flour to create just enough gluten to form the cakes structure.
  • Egg whites: helps create structure.
  • Strawberry emulsion: helps with flavor and color.
  • Cake flour: has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour which helps create a delicate crumb.
  • Granulated sugar: Sugar not only sweetens the cake but it also helps tenderize, leavens and browns.
  • Baking powder: is a leavener that contains baking soda and cornstarch. Baking soda reacts twice. The first is when it comes into contact with liquid and then when it is heated. Baking soda can’t be used as a substitute for baking powder.
  • Salt: helps bring out the sweetness in the cake.
  • Unsalted butter: tenderizes, moistens, leavens, browns, and flavors.

Strawberry And Vanilla Crumble

Freeze dried strawberries is what flavors the strawberry crumble. You can find freeze dried strawberries either at your grocery store or Amazon. Vanilla extract is all you’ll need for the vanilla portion of this crumble. Once both are made and cooled you’ll combine them to make one awesome and flavorful crumble, reminiscent of a strawberry ice cream pop!

Strawberry Ice Cream Frosting

Is it ice cream or is it frosting? That’s the question I get every time I make this frosting. My favorite thing about this frosting is that it looks a lot like ice cream and, it’s also made with ice cream! Which means you can easily substitute your favorite ice cream flavor.

Assemble

It’s a good idea to always use a frosting or buttercream dam when filling your cakes. This helps keep cake bulge away and keeps the filling inside your cake, instead of it oozing out from the sides.

Strawberry Ice Cream Pop overhead shot of frosting dam and filling.

Why You Should Crumb Coat Your Cake

  • It keeps the crumbs out of your final layer of frosting.
  • A crumb coat helps to seal your cake.
  • Crumb coating gives your cake a solid base to decorate on without your borders falling off or layers of frosting or buttercream bubbling.
Strawberry Ice Cream Pop Cake crumb coated.

Frosting The Cake

  1. Apply a large dollop of frosting on top of the cake and spread out in an even layer. You should have excess frosting hanging off the edges of the cake.
  2. Line an 8-inch round acrylic disc with parchment paper and place on top of the cake, making sure the acrylic disc lines up with the bottom cake board.
  3. Apply frosting to the sides of the cake in an even layer.
  4. Use a cake scraper to gently touch the bottom cake board and acrylic disc, and rotate the cake turntable to smooth out the frosting. Apply more frosting to any gaps and rotate again to smooth. 

How To Apply Crumble

  1. Place a large rimmed baking sheet on your counter. Get your Crumble out and ready to place on the cake.
  2. Carefully pick up the cake by the bottom cake board with one hand and with the other hand, scoop the Crumble on the cake sides.
  3. Once the side of the cake is covered, place back on the cake turntable and chill the cake for 15 minutes. Save leftover Crumble for the top of the cake.
Strawberry Ice Cream Pop Cake prepped for crumble.

Cake Decorating Tools

  • 8-inch round cake board
  • Cake turntable
  • Piping bags
  • Coupler or plain round piping tip
  • 8-inch round acrylic disc
  • Cake scraper
  • Offset cake spatula
Strawberry Ice Cream Pop Cake overhead shot.

Strawberry Ice Cream Pop Cake Baking Schedule

  • Day 1: Make crumble and strawberry filling.
  • Day 2: Bake strawberry cake layers.
  • Day 3: Prepare frosting, assemble, decorate and serve.
Strawberry Ice Cream Pop Cake shot of cake slice on a plate.

Make Ahead

  • Strawberry filling can be made up to 5 days in advance, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • Cake layers can be made up to 3 days in advance, wrapped in plastic wrap in an airtight container stored in the refrigerator.
  • Crumble can be made up to 3 days in advance, stored in a zip top bag at room temperature.
  • Strawberry ice cream frosting is best made the day of assembly.
Strawberry Ice Cream Pop Cake close up shot of cake slice with fork in it.

Cake Storage

Assembled cake can be stored at room temperature for up to one day, or stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Strawberry Ice Cream Pop Cake close up of cake layers.

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Inspired by Strawberry Crunch Ice Cream Cake on Life, Love and Sugar by Lindsay Conchar

Strawberry Ice Cream Pop Cake three quarter angle close up for the top of the cake.

Strawberry Ice Cream Pop Cake

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes

Strawberry cake layers, filled with strawberry filling, frosted with strawberry ice cream frosting and strawberry and vanilla crumbles.

Ingredients

SPECIAL TOOLS

  • 2 rimmed baking sheets
  • Parchment paper
  • Food processor
  • Sieve
  • 3 8-inch round cake pans
  • Nonstick baking spray
  • Stand mixer
  • 8-inch round cake board
  • Cake turntable
  • Piping bags
  • Coupler or plain round piping tip
  • 8-inch round acrylic disc
  • Cake scraper
  • Offset cake spatula
  • Ice cream scoop
  • Ice cream cone
  • Wooden skewer
  • Toothpick
  • Fresh strawberry

STRAWBERRY AND VANILLA CRUMBLE

  • 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) granulated sugar, divided
  • 3/4 cup freeze dried strawberries
  • 7 tablespoons butter, at room temperature, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

STRAWBERRY FILLING

  • 12 ounces frozen strawberries, thawed
  • ¼ cup (1.75 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water
  • Fresh lemon juice, to taste
  • 3 tablespoons Chambord, optional

STRAWBERRY CAKE

  • 10 ounces frozen whole strawberries (2 cups)
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • 6 large egg whites
  • 2 teaspoons strawberry emulsion
  • 2 ¼ cups (9 ounces) cake flour
  • 1 ¾ cups (12 ¼ ounces) granulated sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and at room temperature

STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM FROSTING

  • 2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • Pinch of salt
  • 6 1/2 cups (26 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons strawberry emulsion
  • 1 cup melted strawberry ice cream

Instructions

STRAWBERRY AND VANILLA CRUMBLE

  1. Adjust and oven rack to the center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Using two bowls, add 1/2 cup of flour to one bowl, and remaining 1/2 cup flour to the second bowl. Add 1/4 cup sugar to each bowl.
  2. In a food processor, add the freeze dried strawberries and process until the strawberries are in powder form. Add the strawberry powder to one of the bowls and stir to combine. Add 4 tablespoons of butter to the strawberry powder bowl. In the other bowl, add 3 tablespoons butter and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
  3. Place strawberry crumble in one baking sheet and the vanilla crumble in the other baking sheet. Bake the crumbles for about 5 minutes, keeping a close eye on it. The strawberry crumble can brown quickly.
  4. Let the crumble cool completely and then break up any large bits with your fingers. Combine crumbles together and set aside.

STRAWBERRY FILLING

  1. Place thawed strawberries in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Set a sieve over a small saucepan pour strawberry puree over the sieve to remove the solids. The puree will be thick. Use a spoon to stir and press the puree through the sieve.
  2. Heat over medium-low heat and add sugar and cornstarch mixture and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly to keep lumps from forming. Once the puree thickens, remove from the heat. Cool for 5 minutes and then add fresh lemon juice and Chambord if using. Chill for about 2-3 hours in the refrigerator until ready to use.

STRAWBERRY CAKE

  1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
  2. Microwave strawberries in a microwavable bowl, covered, until strawberries have softened and are juicy, about 5 minutes. Place strawberries in a sieve set over a small saucepan and press with a rubber spatula to extract as much juice from the strawberries as possible. Discard strawberry solids. Over medium-high heat, bring the strawberry juice to a boil, stirring occasionally until the juice turns into a syrup and measures about ¼ cup, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk. Transfer milk mixture to a 4 cup liquid measuring cup and whisk in the egg whites and strawberry emulsion until combined.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment attached, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt on low speed until combined. Add butter one piece at a time and mix until pea-sized pieces remain, about 1 minute. Add half of the milk mixture and increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the remaining milk mixture and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
  4. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and smooth the tops out with a rubber spatula. Give the pans a few light taps on the counter to settle the batter and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pans a little over halfway through baking.
  5. Let cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes on wire racks, and then invert on to racks to cool completely, about 2 hours.

STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM FROSTING

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, shortening and salt on medium speed until light and creamy, about 8 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, strawberry emulsion and melted ice cream.
  2. Reduce the speed to the lowest setting and beat for 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until very light and fluffy, about 6 minutes.

ASSEMBLE

  1. Center one cake layer on a cake board and place on a cake turntable. Fit a piping bag with a plain round tip our coupler and place about 1 cup frosting in the piping bag. Pipe a frosting dam around the edge of the cake. Spread half of the strawberry filling in the center of the cake until it meets the frosting dam. Place the second cake layer on top making sure it’s even with the bottom cake layer and gently press down to adhere. Pipe a frosting dam around the edge. Spread remaining strawberry filling in the center of the cake until it reaches the frosting dam. Place the last cake layer on top (bottom side up) and gently press to adhere.

CRUMB COAT

  1. Apply a thin layer of frosting over the top and sides of the cake to seal in any gaps and loose crumbs. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

DECORATE

  1. Apply a large dollop of frosting on top of the cake and spread out in an even layer. You should have excess frosting hanging off the edges of the cake. Line an 8-inch round acrylic disc with parchment paper and place on top of the cake, making sure the acrylic disc lines up with the bottom cake board. Apply frosting to the sides of the cake in an even layer. Use a cake scraper to gently touch the bottom cake board and acrylic disc, and rotate the cake turntable to smooth out the frosting. Apply more frosting to any gaps and rotate again to smooth.
  2. Place a large rimmed baking sheet on your counter. Get your Crumble out and ready to place on the cake. Carefully pick up the cake by the bottom cake board with one hand and with the other hand, scoop the Crumble on the cake sides. Once the side of the cake is covered, place back on the cake turntable and chill the cake for 15 minutes. Save leftover Crumble for the top of the cake.
  3. Using an offset cake spatula, place the spatula under the acrylic disc and rotate the turntable to loosen the disc off the cake. Peel off the parchment paper and apply more frosting to any gaps and smooth out the top.
  4. Place remaining Crumble on the top of the cake covering it completely. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop frosting on the top of the cake, piling it up so that it looks like a mound of ice cream. Sprinkle any remaining Crumble on top of the frosting scoops and stick a skewer in the frosting for the ice cream cone to hold on to. Using a toothpick to insert into a fresh strawberry and stick in to the frosting. Carefully place cake on a cake pedestal and serve.

Notes

Strawberry filling can be made up to 5 days in advance, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Cake layers can be made up to 3 days in advance, wrapped in plastic wrap in an airtight container stored in the refrigerator.
Crumble can be made up to 3 days in advance, stored in a zip top bag at room temperature.
Strawberry ice cream frosting is best made the day of assembly.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 986Total Fat: 75gSaturated Fat: 42gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 197mgSodium: 577mgCarbohydrates: 71gFiber: 3gSugar: 30gProtein: 9g

*Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary.*

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