This Copycat DQ Ice Cream Cake layers chocolate and vanilla ice cream with that classic fudge and crunchy cookie center. And yes, it tastes just like the real thing. Best part? It’s surprisingly easy to make at home.
I’ve eaten a lot of cake over the years—cheesecakes, layer cakes, sheet cakes—and while I never picked the same one twice, there was one I always looked forward to: Dairy Queen’s. That thick, fudgey center with the chocolate crunchies? Absolute magic. I used to scoop that layer out and eat it straight. So when I started making my own ice cream cakes, recreating that iconic middle became the challenge. After a lot of testing (and more than a few spoonfuls), I finally cracked it—and this copycat recipe is the result.
Is It Hard to Make an Ice Cream Cake?
Nope! You don’t need an ice cream maker or fancy equipment. Just a springform pan, some store-bought ice cream, and a little time. The layers are simple to assemble, and you can make it ahead, which means zero stress on the day you serve it. It’s the kind of recipe that looks impressive but comes together with basic steps. That’s the best kind, right?
The rich fudge and crunchy cookie center is just like the classic DQ version (maybe even better), and honestly, it’s worth making the whole cake just for that.
What You’ll Need
You won’t believe how simple these ingredients are. I bet you were expecting super fancy and overly complicated ones, right? Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need. Don’t forget to scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list.
- Oreo cookies – You’ll crush these (filling and all) to make that classic chocolate cookie crunch layer.
- Butter – Just a little melted butter helps bind the cookie crumbs together.
- Vanilla and chocolate ice cream – Grab your favorite store-bought brands. Let them soften slightly before layering.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips, heavy cream, light corn syrup, and vanilla – These come together to make the rich, fudgy center layer that tastes just like the original.
- Cold heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract – For the fluffy homemade whipped cream topping.
- Sprinkles – Optional, but highly encouraged for that classic birthday cake look!
How to Make An Ice Cream Cake
Start with an 8×3-inch cake pan for a nice tall cake, or use a 9-inch pan or springform if you prefer. Line the inside with plastic wrap so it’s easy to lift out later.
Make the Oreo Layer
- Prep your tools: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- Make Oreo mixture: Combine the Oreo crumbs and melted butter. Stir well then spread onto the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes: Cool. Break any big clumps into smaller ones. Set aside.
Now we are going to assemble the layers:
- Chocolate ice cream: About 20 minutes before you need it, set the chocolate ice cream out to soften. Stir it until smooth and creamy. Add to the prepared cake pan and spread into an even layer. Freeze for 30 minutes.
- Fudge layer: Make the fudge as directed in the recipe card below. Remove the cake pan with the chocolate ice cream from the freezer, then pour the chocolate fudge over the ice cream and spread into an even layer. Freeze for about 10 minutes.
- Oreo cookie layer: Add the cookie crumbles to the top of the fudge layer, then freeze for about 2 hours, until mostly firm.
- Vanilla ice cream layer: About 20 minutes before you need it, set the vanilla ice cream out to soften. Once softened, stir it up until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla ice cream to the top of the cake, then freeze until firm, 2-3 hours.
- Remove from cake pan: Use the clear wrap to lift the frozen cake out of the pan. Place it on a cardboard cake circle or a serving plate. Set it back in the freezer.
- Whipped cream layer: When it’s done, frost it with my homemade whipped cream. It uses some powdered sugar to keep it from wilting. It stays stable for days and days making it ideal for an ice cream cake.
- Add decorations and freeze until ready to serve: Decorate the ice cream cake as you like for your occasion and you’re ready to go!
This is seriously the BEST Copycat Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake! You will love it. And just like when I was a kid, you will want to eat the chocolate fudge and chocolate crunchy layer right out of the center.
How to Store
This is a great make-ahead dessert! You can build the whole cake in the pan, cover it, and freeze it for up to a week before serving. Just wait to frost and decorate until the day before (or day of) so it looks fresh. Once decorated, keep it in the freezer. If you have a cake box or cake carrier, that’s ideal—but if not, it’ll still be fine uncovered (in the freezer) for a couple of days.
Shop the post
Watch How To Make It
Copycat Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake
- Prep Time: 5 hours 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 12–14 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Freezer
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Copycat Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake has layers of chocolate and vanilla ice cream around the iconic layer of chocolate crunchies and chocolate fudge. It is so easy to make and tastes just like the real thing!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookie Crunchies
- 3/4 cup (100g) Oreo crumbs (about 9 Oreos)
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter, melted
Ice Cream Layers
- 1.5 quart container vanilla ice cream
- 1.5 quart container chocolate ice cream
Chocolate Fudge
- 6 oz | 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips*
- 3 tbsp light corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups (480ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1 cup (115g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- Combine the Oreo crumbs and melted butter and stir until well combined. Spread the crumbs evenly onto the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, then allow to cool. Use your fingers to break any big clumps into smaller ones. Set aside.
- Line an 8×3 inch cake pan* with clear wrap that covers the bottom and goes above the sides of the cake pan. I used two pieces.
- About 20 minutes before you need it, set the chocolate ice cream out to soften. Once softened, stir it up until smooth and creamy. Add the softened chocolate ice cream to the prepared cake pan and spread into an even layer. Freeze for 30 minutes.
- To make the fudge layer, add the chocolate chips, corn syrup and vanilla extract to a medium sized bowl.
- Heat the heavy whipping cream just until it begins to boil, then pour it over the chocolate chips. Allow to sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
- Remove the cake pan with the chocolate ice cream from the freezer, then pour the chocolate fudge over the ice cream and spread into an even layer. Freeze for about 10 minutes.
- Add the cookie crumbles to the top of the fudge layer, then freeze for about 2 hours, until mostly firm.
- About 20 minutes before you need it, set the vanilla ice cream out to soften. Once softened, stir it up until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla ice cream to the top of the cake, then freeze until firm, 2-3 hours.
- Use the clear wrap to lift the frozen cake out of the pan, then place it on a cardboard cake circle or a serving plate. Set it back in the freezer.
- To make the whipped cream, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Frost the cake with the whipped cream and decorate as desired. I used Ateco tip 844 for piping the borders.
- Freeze the cake until ready to serve. Cake is best when stored well covered and eaten within 4-5 days.
Notes
- I like using the 8×3 inch cake pan and having a taller cake, but if you don’t have one of those pans on hand and don’t want to purchase it, you could also use a 9 inch pan (including a springform pan). The cake just won’t be as tall.
- Semi-sweet chocolate must be used, not milk chocolate or another, for the fudge layer to set properly
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 661
- Sugar: 50 g
- Sodium: 118.6 mg
- Fat: 46.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Protein: 8.4 g
- Cholesterol: 173.7 mg
Is it the whole oreo with the cream filling or just the chocolate cookie parts,
The whole thing.
Great recipe, adaptable to food sensitivities. Thank you! I made this for my daughter who has celiac and has really missed her Dairy Queen ice cream cakes. Thank you so much for sharing! It turned out great despite my completely amateur decorating skills.
So glad it was a hit!
This was Easy and turned out Fabulous!!
I used a Springform pan instead,
Also with two 1/2 gallons of ice cream I was able to make 1 standard size pan and 1 smaller springform pan (2 separate Birthdays) our future son in law loved it!
Thank you for Sharing!!
Had a bit of an issue with the oreos scorching, so I just used plain crumbled oreos. No issues with them going soft, but I did make it just the night before, so that might be different if I were making it further in advance.
I was also making a larger cake (10″ springform) so I doubled the ganache to make sure I had enough. That ganache is amazing! I didn’t need the whole amount, so I took the excess (about 1/2 of the usual recipe) and whipped it in with the whipped cream to make chocolate ganache. It may not be a true copycat at that point, but it was delicious! All in all, an easy, tasty, and impressive dessert. Lots of raves, and requests for more.
Sounds delicious! Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi,
So can I decorate with whipped cream BEFORE I freeze the cake? Id like to make it a day ahead and not have to be busy with it when guests come.
Thanks a million
You have to freeze the cake first so that the ice cream is firm. Once the ice cream is firm, you’re able to decorate it.
I made this using sugar free, lactose free Chapman’s ice-cream. I made the ganache using agave syrup instead corn syrup and krisda chocolate chips with stevia. I used sugar free vanilla syrup in the whipping cream for flavor. I used regular oreos, but I think I’ll try coconut clusters–they have no added sugar.
It was delicious and I will definitely make it again. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Found your website and beautiful inspirational ice cream cake picture after deciding I had to make one for my husband’s birthday (he’s a big fan of ice cream cakes). Since
his birthday fell on Passover this year we couldn’t eat the cookie crunch in a store bought. Found kosher for Passover sandwich cookies to use and it came out sooo great he couldn’t believe I made it! (left out fudge due to corn syrup) Thought 1 cup of powdered sugar (found kosher for Passover sugar without cornstarch) was way too much so used 1/2 cup. That was still too sweet for my taste so added more whip cream to it!!
Was sooo delicious. Next time I’ll try making the fudge center!
Would I need to reduce the recipe for a 6″ springform pan?
Yes, probably by half.
My family loves DQ cakes but over the years some of us have had to eliminate both dairy and gluten from our diets. My son asked for a DQ non-dairy mint chocolate chip ice cream cake for his birthday and so I knew I had to make it from scratch. I found this recipe and was geeked! I used Breyer’s non-dairy mint chocolate chip ice cream for both layers, Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips in the chocolate fudge, gluten free Oreos and Earth Balance butter for the cookie crumble part and Silk non-dairy heavy whipping cream. OMG!!! It was to die for!
Awesome! So glad you were able to make it work!
I have made this now twice in the last 6 months for my husband and now my daughter’s birthday. It’s very versatile in that you can choose chcolate peanut butter ice cream for the base etc and it still works. Thanks so much for sharing!
This recipe was so good! And very close to DQ’s cake! I made the vanilla and chocolate ice creams from scratch with our Cuisinart ice cream maker. The ganache was a darker chocolate taste than DQ’s, have you ever experimented with a combination of semi-sweet chocolate and milk chocolate for it? Maybe the milk chocolate would be too sweet. And for the whipped cream, I could NOT get it to come together, even after chilling the bowl in the freezer and pouring the cream right out of the fridge. Maybe my kitchen was too warm? Any suggestions? It still tasted great without the whipped cream, so it really didn’t matter, I just wanted to decorate it. I usually remove the whipped cream from my slice of a DQ cake anyway. Thank you so much for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it! I haven’t tried milk chocolate, but you could certainly try it. You would likely need to reduce some of the liquid because milk chocolate gives a thinner consistency. It’s hard for me to say about the whipped cream. I don’t ever have issues with it. It should just whip if you have the correct kind of cream, which would be heavy whipping cream. I’m not really sure why it would not whip. I would think the kitchen would have to be quite hot for that to be the issue.
Everything was coming together till the whipped frosting. It was melting all over before I could finish. Slipped off the plate putting back in freezer. Cake didn’t look so good but tasted yummy.
I’m currently having this issue with the frosting. I’m so frustrated 😭
I’ve made this cake several times without fail! I used Biscoff cookies for the center (10 cookies) and it was delicious! The second time I made it I put the ice cream in a large bowl to break it up as it made it a lot easier to spread. This recipe is definitely one to save!
Clear wrap like saran wrap? Not wax paper or parchment paper?
Yes, it is used to lift the cake out of the cake pan later.
I’m guessing it’s fine to use any flavor w chips or cookie dough?
Do you mean you can use any flavor ice cream? Yes, that would be fine.
Would it work to use store bought hot fudge sauce?
It would be quite different. You could use it, but the chocolate used in this recipe holds it’s place in the cake well while also staying soft enough to cut and have a fudgy texture when you eat it. Hot fudge sauce will vary a lot by brand and may very well seep out of the cake.