National Ice Cream Cake Day Date in the current year: June 27, 2024

An ice cream cake is exactly what it says on the tin: a cake that contains ice cream. Unlike the popular dessert baked Alaska, the ice cream in ice cream cakes doesn’t go into oven; it is added to the cake as it’s being assembled.

Ice cream cakes are believed to have derived from Victorian era desserts called bombes, which consisted of fruit and ice cream served frozen in a mold. They were named bombes because the most commonly used molds were spherical, so the dessert resembled a cannonball. Sometimes bombes were lined with biscuits or cake; this variation eventually evolved into the ice cream cake. The first ice cream cake recipes date back to the 1870s.

An ice cream cake typically consists of alternating layers of sponge cake and ice cream; the most popular variation is a three-layer cake, with a layer of ice cream between two layers of sponge cake. The sponge cake is baked as one would normally do, cut into the required shape if necessary, and then frozen. Ice cream is shaped using a mold, and the cake is then assembled. The trick is to assemble the cake while all the layers are still frozen.

Ice cream cakes are usually frosted with whipped cream for two main reasons. First, most frostings do not adhere well to ice cream and frozen sponge cake. Second, the light, airy texture of whipped cream is believed to complement the frozen cake perfectly.

Ice cream cake is a popular dessert in North America and Australia, but it is not particularly known in Europe. In the United States, ice cream cake is often served at birthdays, summer weddings, and Fourth of July parties. Independence Day-themed ice cream cakes are usually decorated in red, white and blue to resemble the American flag.

The Carvel ice cream franchise is particularly famous for its ice cream cakes, especially Cookie Puss, Hug-Me Bear and Fudgie the Whale. It has released multiple holiday-themed ice cream cakes, including, for example, Christmas-themed Snow Man and Santa Claus, Thanksgiving-themed Tom the Turkey, Halloween-themed Wicky the Witch and Dumpy the Pumpkin, Seamus the Leprechaun for St. Patrick’s Day, and others.

National Ice Cream Cake Day was submitted to National Day Calendar by the Jurado family and Cupcakes for a Cause, a Texas A&M student organization that brings together students who love baking to raise money for local charities. It has been celebrated annually since 2018.

Celebrate the holiday by ordering your favorite ice cream cake from a local bakery or making one yourself if you’re up to the task. Don’t be afraid to experiment with ice cream flavors and decorate the cake as outrageously as you want to! Invite your friends over to share the delicious cake with you and don’t forget to post pictures of the cake on social media using the hashtag #NationalIceCreamCakeDay to spread the word.