Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake

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This Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake is light, tangy and tastes just like an orange creamsicle! It’s been a long time in the making and I’m so excited to share it with you!

Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake topped with swirls of whipped cream and candied oranges

Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake

I have always been a big fan of the classic orange creamsicle pop. That combination of orange and ice cream is just heavenly. It is and always will be a favorite. Probably in part because it reminds me of being a kid.

I’ve been wanting to make an ice cream cake version of the pop for the longest time. I actually have an ongoing list of things I want to make but haven’t quite figured out how I want to do them yet. This cake was on that list for a while.

I finally decided to go for it!

I used my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe, cut in half, to make the layer of vanilla cake. It’s a great, easy, moist cake.

For the orange flavor of the cake, I used a box of orange gelatin powder. To add some orange flavor to the cake layer, I used a method similar to one you’d use on a poke cake. Once the cake cooled, I removed the dome, poked holes in the top of the cake and poured some of the orange gelatin over the cake.

It adds just enough flavor the vanilla cake and also makes it look pretty neat. 🙂

Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake slice on a plate
Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake with a slice removed

The cake is topped with a layer of vanilla ice cream and orange ice cream. The orange ice cream is again flavored with orange gelatin.

Tips for Making This Creamy Cake

I used my favorite ice cream base. The base is made with cream cheese and cool whip (you could also use homemade whipped cream). I’m often asked if it tastes like cream cheese and it really doesn’t. People are usually surprised that it isn’t store bought ice cream when they have it. It’s got a great, creamy consistency and is just like eating traditional ice cream – if not better. Plus, it doesn’t melt as easily. Bonus!

To ice the cake, I colored additional Cool Whip with icing color to match the orange ice cream. To finish it off, a little piping around the edges and some orange candy slices. Cuteness!

This cake was a big hit and I love it! Just like eating a creamsicle, smooth, creamy and so fun. It’s a great summer recipe that’s sure to be loved by all.

Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake slice on a plate
Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake slice on a plate with a bite on a fork

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A slice of Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake on a plate
Recipe

Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 18 minutes
  • Total Time: 43 minutes
  • Yield: 12-14 Slices
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake is light, tangy and tastes just like an orange creamsicle! It’s been a long time in the making and I’m so excited to share it with you!


Ingredients

CAKE LAYER

  • 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 6 tbsp salted butter, room temperature (I use Challenge Butter)
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 3 tbsp hot water
  • 3 tbsp orange JELLO powder*

ICE CREAM LAYERS

  • 12 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 12 oz Cool Whip
  • 3 oz package orange JELLO powder, less 3 tbsp*
  • 2 tbsp hot water
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

  • 8 oz Cool Whip
  • orange candy slices
  • orange gel icing color
*You need one 3 oz package of orange JELLO powder. 3 tbsp will be used for the cake, the rest will go into the ice cream layer.

Instructions

CAKE

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of an 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add butter, egg whites, vanilla, sour cream and milk and mix on medium speed just until smooth. Do not over mix.
4. Spread batter evenly into cake pan.
5. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.
6. Allow to cool for 3-4 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.
7. Once cake has cooled, remove dome from cake with a large serrated knife. Poke holes in the top of the cake with something like the end of a wooden spoon, or a straw.
8. Combine hot water and orange JELLO in a small bowl, then spoon mixture over the cake and spread it so that it goes into the holes.

ICE CREAM

1. To make the ice cream layers, beat the cream cheese and sugar in a mixer bowl until smooth.
2. Add milk and mix until smooth.
3. Fold in Cool Whip.
4. Divide mixture evenly between two bowls.
5. Combine hot water and remainder of orange JELLO powder in a small bowl. Fold into one of the bowls with half of the ice cream mixture.
6. Add vanilla extract to the other half of the ice cream mixture.

ASSEMBLY

1. Line the sides of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. The parchment paper should stick up above the top edge of the pan, since the cake will probably be a little taller than your pan. If you want, put a cardboard cake circle in the bottom of the pan. If not using a springform pan, you pan put some plastic wrap in the bottom of the pan and up the sides and use it to lift the cake out of the pan when it’s done.
NOTE: You should be using the same 8-inch pan you used for the cake. Not all 8-inch pans are exactly the same size. Your cake needs to fit in this pan.
2. Put the cake layer into the bottom of your pan.
3. The top cake with the vanilla ice cream and spread into an even layer.
4. Add the orange ice cream and spread into an even layer.
5. Allow ice cream cake to freeze completely, 6-8 hours.
6. When frozen, remove from springform pan and remove parchment paper from sides.
7. To finish off the cake, ice the outside with additional Cool Whip. You can use gel icing color to make it orange, if you prefer. Pipe additional Cool Whip around the top edges and top with orange candy slices.
8. Freeze until ready to serve.

Notes

8-inch springform pans are best for this recipe so that you can easily remove the cake once it’s been assembled. If you do not have a springform pan, line your pan with clear wrap before adding your parchment paper and cake board. You can use the clear warp to lift your cake out of the pan once it’s assembled and frozen. You want to make your cake layers in the same pan you’ll use for layering the ice cream and cake together so that they cake layers fit in the final pan you use for layering.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Slice
  • Calories: 401
  • Sugar: 42.4 g
  • Sodium: 161.3 mg
  • Fat: 20.8 g
  • Carbohydrates: 49.5 g
  • Protein: 5.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 55.5 mg

Filed Under:

Enjoy!

Side view of a whole Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake topped with swirls of whipped cream and candied oranges

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75 Comments
  1. Frisk

    Cool Whip is mentioned twice in the ingredients, as 12 oz and 8 oz, do you need a total of 20 ounces of Cool Whip?

  2. Sue

    Lindsay, This cake looks amazing, just 1 question: How long can I safely leave this cake in the freezer? It’s going to be a very busy week & I have guests coming Friday evening & it would be great if I could do it ahead a few day! Thanks

  3. Heather

    Is the cake later suppose to be on the thin sidw? I have made the orange ice cream cake twice and the cake part is thin. Did I miss something up?? 

    1. Lindsay

      It’s been quite a while since I made this cake. I can’t remember exactly. I don’t think it was super thick or super thin.

  4. Sarah

    My son is having the color orange for his Birthday theme this year and I want to try making this orange creamsicle ice cream cake for the party.  I have no experience with cake decorating so I was wondering how you got the cool whip layer so perfect.  Should I follow your tutorial on how to frost a cake with buttercream or did you use a different method for the cool whip.  I have made 4 other of your recipes and they were huge hits with everyone!  Thanks for the great recipes!!!

    1. Lindsay

      I don’t frost exactly the same as the tutorial with whipped cream. I usually apply the whipped cream with an offset spatula and then smooth it with the same smoothing comb I show in the tutorial. The paper towel part wouldn’t work because it would stick to the whipped cream.

      Glad to hear you’ve enjoyed everything so far!

  5. Donna Hofmann

    Perfect! Always looking for good homemade ice cream cake recipes. I have boy & girl twins so they never want the same cake. Making 2 means way more cake than necessary. Thankfully my girl prefers ice cream cake. I don’t like store bought & have always done fun cakes for birthdays. Ice cream cake can be difficult to decorate so the fun is more in the flavor. She is going to LOVE this! Thank you.

  6. jane workman

    Dear Lindsay,

    Thank you for sharing your awesome talent and gift to us all. Your creations in baking are something else. Your presentations are a work of art and masterpiece. I have not seen this anywhere in the recipe world. I just signed up and am excited to try out some of these great recipies

  7. Marie

    I’m not sure why it says the cake doesn’t taste like cream cheese because it does. This should be called a frozen cheesecake not ice cream cake.. It SMELLS like cream cheese, so if you are not a fan of cream cheese like I am, consider making something else, unless you are OK with not eating any of it. Otherwise it turned out great, and it’s beautiful to look at

  8. Lyn

    What is stabilized homemade whipped cream. Do you mean regular whipping cream whipped with gelatin in it to stabilize it

    1. Lindsay

      You can certainly use gelatin to stabilize it. It typically just use powdered sugar. For 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, I’d add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and that keeps it nice and stable. Does that help?

  9. Diane Schneider

    Lindsay,

    I’m a bit confused, can you explain the Ice Cream Layer? I see cream cheese and cool whip & keeps mentioning ice cream but do not see in ingredients list.

    1. Lindsay

      It’s a no churn ice cream so the base is actually made with cream cheese and cool whip (or you can use stabilized homemade whipped cream). It’s not traditional ice cream but nobody can ever tell the difference when I make it. 🙂

  10. Calli

    Simply amazing. I made this orange creamsicle cake for my daughters 13th Birthday. I figured it’s a big year for a birthday and she was going to get a great cake. It was a hit all around. The flavors are simply amazing and it takes you back to those hot summer days outside having a creamsicle and having it run down your hands from the heat. The best part was always licking your fingers off. The orange slices were a bit tricky to find, however I went to Wal-Mart and found it in their candy aisle, bagged like they do gummy bears. My mother in law who turns her nose up to everything I make, did her usual again and fell in love with it. My father in law loved the cake so much he asked for the recipe. With no computer/internet to point them in the right direction I wrote it down for them. Definitely a keeper and well worth the time to make. This would make a great family reunion cake in a 13×9 pan if you doubled/tripled the recipe. Enjoyed by all!!

  11. maisoun moussli

    Hi
    Many many thanks for this recipe ,shouldn’t we put it in the ice cream machine ???
    Thanks in advance maissoun

    1. Lindsay

      It’s basically a stabilized whipped cream. You can replace it with homemade stabilized whipped cream. For 8 oz of cool whip, I typically suggest 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream and 1/2 cup powdered sugar.

  12. Rej

    Hello!
    Thanks for posting this, this is amazing. I’d reeeeaaallly like to make it for a friend who loves both the color and flavor orange, but she is a vegetarian, who can’t eat eggs or gelatin (a part of her religion). Do you know how to modify it for her?
    Best!

    1. Lindsay

      I’m sorry but I’m not sure how to advise those changes. They are pretty big changes that’d have to be tested.

Lindsay
About Lindsay

I’m the baker, recipe developer and photographer behind Life, Love and Sugar. I love sharing trusted recipes with helpful tips to give you great results.

Scripture I’m Loving

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29