End your summer days with this easy No-Bake Strawberry Ice Cream Cake – 5 ingredients make up this homemade no-churn ice cream that is served on top of a pretzel crust.
Canada Day and July 4th are both quickly approaching, and I know you’re all wanting an easy, quick dessert that you don’t have to turn the oven on to enjoy. This is that dessert! After creating some rhubarb no-churn ice cream last year, I was intrigued by how easy it was to make, and I wanted to incorporate it into a dessert, not just something you can scoop into a bowl or a cone.
That’s when I got the idea to create a no-churn strawberry ice cream cake, but not just using ordinary strawberry ice cream, I made it a little fancier by adding cream cheese and balsamic vinegar. Balsamic vinegar pairs wonderfully with strawberries, and I think it added something a little special to this dessert too. If you think that sounds a little too ‘out there’ for you, you’re welcome to leave it out. It will still taste great.
If you want to enjoy the no-churn strawberry ice cream on it’s own, just pour the filling into a loaf pan, cover it with plastic wrap, and freeze for at least four hours before serving.
No-Bake Strawberry Ice Cream Cake
End your summer days with this easy No-Bake Strawberry Ice Cream Cake – 5 ingredients make up this homemade no-churn ice cream that is served on top of a pretzel crust.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups crushed gluten free pretzels
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) melted unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) granulated sugar
No-Churn Strawberry Ice Cream Filling:
- 2 cups (500 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup (250 ml) mashed/pureed strawberries
- 1 tin (10 oz or 300 ml) sweetened condensed milk
- 1-8 oz brick (250 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) balsamic vinegar
Instructions
Crust:
- Mix the three ingredients together until the crumbs are evenly coated with the melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.
No-Churn Strawberry Ice Cream Filling:
- Beat the whipping cream with an electric beater until still peaks form. Set aside.
- Whisk together the strawberries, sweetened condensed milk, softened cream cheese, and balsamic vinegar until smooth, and no cream cheese lumps remain.
- Stir about 1 cup of the whipped cream into the strawberry mixture.
- Pour the strawberry mixture into the remaining whipped cream, and using a rubber spatula, and gently fold until no streaks of whipping cream remain.
- Scrape the mixture over the prepared pretzel crust, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for at least four hours before serving.
- Remove from the freezer 5-10 minutes before you want to serve it, giving it time to soften slightly, making it easier to cut.
- Serve with additional sliced strawberries, if desired.
Donna says
I just looked at your recipe for sweetened condensed milk and it looks so easy. Can I make the sweetened condensed milk with another sweetener besides sugar? Thanks for any info!
Jeanine says
I’m not sure how that would react, Donna. Here’s a recipe for sugar free sweetened condensed milk, but I’ve never tried it, I’m not sure if it would change the way this cake freezes too, since the sugar helps it from freezing solid.|
http://www.food.com/recipe/sweetened-condensed-milk-sugar-free-substitute-323456
Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says
Wow, what a phenomenal dessert, Jeanine! Bravo, my dear! 🙂
Shirley
Jeanine says
Thank you, Shirley! 🙂
Bonnie says
Do you think it really needs the balsamic vinegar? Can I do without it?
Jeanine says
Hi Bonnie! As I said above, it’s completely optional. 😉
Bianca says
This dessert looks great! Can I ask why you used a pretzel base rather than crushed up digestive biscuits?
Jeanine says
Thanks, Bianca! I played off the popular strawberry pretzel salad for the combo, and the sweet & salty go together great. Plus, it’s much easier to find gluten free pretzels than it is digestive biscuits (for me at least).
Jackie says
I can’t wait to make this. I’d been thinking about something like this, but the recipes I saw weren’t quite what I wanted. Recently I made a coffee ice cream cake. Somehow I made a mistake and had to put the whipped cream in the cake, not on top. It was one of those GREAT mistakes. When I saw your recipe I thought YES, that’s the way I want to make it! I just wanted to make a note about the tin or can of SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK. In the Denver Metro area, I only see cans that are labeled 14 oz (397g). I looked it up online and I think they are the same size cans. It’s just the difference between fluid ounces and ounces. Or the difference between Metric and the US system of measurement.
Patti says
This pie was perfect for the 4th of July. Super easy and yummy! I used GF gingersnaps for the crust.
Jeanine Friesen says
That sounds delicious! Glad to hear it was a hit, thanks for sharing. 🙂