Mint Chocolate Chip Brownie Ice Cream Cake
This mint chocolate chip brownie ice cream cake makes a beautiful and special summer treat. It looks fancy but it’s super-simple to make, with no ice cream maker required!
Good morning, my friends! This week I am on vacation with my family, so I’m going to do my best to keep this post short and sweet!
I have more ice cream for you!
I think this is probably going to be the last ice cream post you see from me this year. After this week, I’m finally going to give in to back-to-school. I stretched summer out as long as I could! And mint chocolate chip seems to me a fitting farewell to summer.
Especially when paired with chewy, fudge-y brownies!
We are making this into a cake, which I know, sounds a little intimidating but I promise you it’s anything but. The springform pan does all the work- the rest is easy!
Mainly because I took a serious shortcut here.
In my last post I kinda went on and on about old-fashioned churned ice cream, and how nothing beats the taste, etc. etc. etc., but the thing is, I can’t make claims like that until I’ve actually made and tasted the other options. So, what you see here was a bit of an experiment. No-churn mint chocolate chip ice cream!
- It does save a bit of time. 1- you don’t have to remember to chill the ice cream maker canister, and 2- you don’t have to cook anything (eggs and whatnot). It’s pretty quick and simple to just whip some cream, fold in some flavorings, and freeze. So, pro.
- Con: sweetened condensed milk is NOT something I typically keep on hand, so if I wanted to make no-churn ice cream again it would be something I’d have to plan ahead on and make a trip to the store.
- The flavor and texture are good but it doesn’t have quite the same richness as the real deal. I would compare it to grocery-store ice cream. Fluffy and sweet but not a whole lot else. Which is still quite good, don’t get me wrong. But the main purpose of pretty much all of my recipes is to bring desserts to that next level that you can really only achieve with homemade.
- What’s lacking in flavor and texture (see above) can be made up for in a roundabout way. In other words, if you are going to do this, pick a flavor that has a lot going on. I thought mint chocolate chip was a good choice because mint is such a strong, powerful, and bracing flavor. And the chocolate brings a great texture/crunch. If you are wanting just a simple vanilla ice cream, a no-churn recipe might not quite measure up to this old-fashioned churned recipe.
So that’s about it, in a nutshell! I’ll just add that the brownie base is just my favorite brownie recipe, halved, and baked in the bottom of that springform I mentioned earlier. Then, the whipped cream/condensed milk mixture just layers on top and you freeze it solid. I garnished it with whipped cream (piped from this kind of bag, fitted with this tip) and a little sprinkling of chocolate vermicelli.
Oh! One more quick thing: the brownie layer with the mint chocolate chip ice cream tastes amazing! But I will admit that a frozen brownie is not the easiest thing to cut. So, if you are looking for another option, I think this chocolate cake recipe (halved) would be a fantastic choice!
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Mint Chocolate Chip Brownie Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
For the brownie layer
- 1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (88.72 g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (43 g) unsweetened cocoa powder,, plus 2 1/2 tablespoons
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (62.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
For the no-churn mint chocolate chip ice cream layer
- 2 cups (476 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 14 ounces (396.89 g) sweetened condensed milk
- 2 1/2 teaspoons (2.5 teaspoons) peppermint extract
- 1/8 teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 1 drop kelly green gel-paste food coloring, (optional)
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) semi-sweet chocolate,, finely chopped
For the garnishes
- 3/4 cup (178.5 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup (40 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon chocolate vermicelli, (or chocolate sprinkles)
Instructions
To make the brownie layer:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Mist a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick spray.
- Place the sugar, butter, cocoa, and salt in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave in one-minute increments, stirring, until the butter is completely melted and the mixture feels very warm to the touch.
- Add the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition.
- Stir in the flour.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in the pan, then layer with no-churn mint chocolate chip ice cream and freeze.
To make the no-churn mint chocolate chip ice cream layer:
- Place the cream in a large mixing bowl and whip on medium-high speed until it holds stiff peaks.
- Fold in the condensed milk, peppermint extract, salt, and gel-paste food coloring until well-combined.
- Stir in the chopped chocolate and spread the mixture over the cooled brownie layer.
- Freeze until hard, remove the sides of the springform pan, and garnish with whipped cream and chocolate vermicelli.
To garnish:
- Place the cream in a medium mixing bowl and whip on medium-high speed until fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar and continue to whip until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
- Transfer to a 16-inch featherweight piping bag fitted with a 4B tip, and pipe a large shell border around the perimeter of the cake. Pipe smaller stars just inside the shell border, then sprinkle the whipped cream with chocolate vermicelli.
Notes
For more info on the ice cream, click here: No-Churn Ice Cream.
Oh my god, that looks soooooo delicious! I imagine it as an awesome summer dessert….hmmmmm! MasterRusk
Hi, I too would like to make this cake with store bought ice cream. About how many pints would I need?
can I add gelatin so it last longer on room temp? Thanks
I’m not sure to be honest, Olivia! I have not tested it that way. It’s meant to be an ice cream cake. But if you try it, I’d love to hear how it works out!
Will it melt if on room temp? How about chiller? Thanks
Hi Olivia! It’s ice cream so yes, it needs to be kept in the freezer or else it will melt. Hope you enjoy!
Hello!!
How much store bought ice cream would I need to use in place of the no-churn ice cream you use?
Hey Karly! I think if you bought yourself a gallon you’d probably have more than enough. Hope that’s helpful!
LOVE. This cake is sooo gorgeous and refreshing yet decadent!!!!
Thank you so much Kayle! We all really enjoyed this one 🙂
If I’m in a pinch, am I able to just use store bought ice cream? Not sure if that would work since it’s already frozen and if melting affects the consistency.
Oh sure! It’d work just fine but I wouldn’t recommend letting it melt at all. Just get it soft enough to where you can spread it over the brownie layer and then freeze it hard again. It might take like 10 or 20 minutes at room temp. Hope that helps!
I have yet to make no churn ice cream because I love the real deal so much. I seldom have sweetened condensed milk on hand as well. However, this ice cream cake looks insanely good and my hubs is a big time mint choc chip fan!! Have a good time on your vacation!! 🙂
Thanks Malinda! I’m the same way- I much prefer to bake with the ingredients I always keep on hand. It took me so long to give this method a try, for that reason. But it works pretty well and my hubby and kids went crazy for it! Definitely a decent option. Thanks again and I hope your week is off to a great start!
I definitely share your sentiments on no-churn ice cream.It isn’t my favorite, but it can be handy. I particularly like how cloud-like it looks when you put it into a pan. I don’t know if I consider no-churn ice cream to really be ice cream. This is the perfect use for it though! I love that is it just a simple vehicle for incredible flavors!
So true! It can work in a pinch for sure and you’re right- to me it’s more like semifreddo than ice cream. Still darn good but not quite as creamy or rich. Thanks Amanda!
Yay, I love mint chocolate anything and what a great way to beat the heat!
Me too Tori! So glad you like this one! Thanks!
Mint chocolate chip is my favorite ice cream! I’ll bet this is incredible with the brownie layer!
It’s definitely up there for me too Cynthia! Thanks so much!