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Nonnie’s 6 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake is the go-to summer dessert…super easy, super simple, yet so delicious. The filling is made with two base ingredients, high-quality chocolate ice cream, and creamy peanut butter. The crust is a mix of sweet chocolate wafer cookies and salted butter. When combined with the creamy chocolate peanut butter ice cream filling it makes for a mouthwatering cake that’s chocolatey, peanutty, super creamy, and a touch salty. Once the cake is frozen, top with homemade “magic shell” and salty peanuts. This is everyone’s favorite summertime ice cream cake!
Clearly, I am all about cake on Fridays…
Last week it was all about this pretty blueberry lemon layer cake, which I am still overly excited about…did any of you make it? I am dying to make it again very, very soon. But this week it’s all about this ice cream cake. More specifically, my Nonnie’s chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake. Oh how I LOVE this cake! It will forever be a favorite. This cake is hands down in my top 10 most loved desserts. It’s both my dad’s and my older brother Brendan’s favorite dessert.
So yes, it’s safe to say that this easy ice cream cake is very much loved around here. With Father’s Day this Sunday, I knew that today was the perfect time to share this cake with you.
Why? Two reasons.
Reason 1…because dads love this cake.
Reason 2…because it is SO EASY to make, which is great for YOU!
Here’s the story. My Nonnie was good at a lot of things, but she was a pro entertainer. She knew how to throw an amazing party like no other. I learned so much from her when it comes to design, florals, entertaining, and making things “pretty”. She passed away a year and a half ago, so sharing this cake today feels extra special. This would be the cake she would have made for Father’s Day.
While I miss my grandma so much, I’m thankful to have recipes like this ice cream cake to always remember her by. I’m also thankful that I get to share these stories (and recipes) of hers with you guys! They bring back the best of times for me!
My Nonnie loved to entertain, but here’s the thing. While she enjoyed cooking and baking, she was always all about the simple recipes. Which is why her recipes are truly the best. Nonnie didn’t mess around with anything too complicated. She took short cuts when needed, and that is why I love her (and her recipes) so much. She taught me that not everything has to be made from scratch. Taking help from the store sometimes is just what you need to do.
Don’t get me wrong, I love doing all homemade as much as possible. But sometimes life gets busy. You need to give yourself a break and accept that the store has great time-saving options too.
This ice cream cake is the perfect example of one of Nonnie’s simple but delicious recipes.
This recipe requires 6 pantry staple ingredients, zero oven time, and almost no effort. The trickiest part about this cake? Waiting for it to freeze.
Let me break it down into steps.
Step 1: make the crust. This is super easy. Just combine crushed chocolate cookies with melted butter. I find this easiest to do in a food processor, but it can also be done in a bowl. Do what works for you. Now, press the cookie crust into a springform pan. Done with that.
Step 2: the ice cream filling. Are you ready? Mix slightly softened chocolate ice cream and a jar of creamy peanut butter together until they are just mixed and have pretty swirls throughout. Spread the ice cream over the crust. Done with that.
Step 3: freeze.
Step 4: make the “magic shell”. Mix melted chocolate with coconut oil until smooth. You now have a “magic shell”. Pour the “magic shell” over the cream cake and top with peanuts. The shell will harden and the peanuts with be secured into place. Done with that.
Step 5: Slice and eat. Simple, easy, and so darn delicious!
I’m not sure if that process seems too easy, but while this is a simple cake, it’s so so good. The crust is sweet and slightly crunchy, while the ice cream is sweet and so darn creamy. And that chocolate on top? It’s salty, chocolatey, and adds a nice crunchy “crack” with every bite.
To sum this cake up… It’s sweet, heavy on the chocolate, heavier on the peanut butter, so creamy, but a little crunchy too. Oh, and just a little salty as well. It’s perfect, and every bite leaves you wanting another…which admittedly is a very dangerous thing.
If you put this cake out at a party, it will get eaten, and it will be the first dessert to disappear. Only crazy people don’t love this cake.
I make this cake from Memorial Day through Labor Day, for pretty much every summer party or dinner with friends. It’s my “back pocket” ice cream cake that never ever fails me.
Best part? It’s an ice cream cake, so you can make it today as Sunday’s Father’s Day dessert and it’s going to be delicious…because it’s FROZEN.
Best. Ice Cream. Cake!
Make it, enjoy it, and have the happiest Father’s Day weekend!
If you make my Nonnie’s 6 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nonnie's 6 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake
Servings: 10
Calories Per Serving: 2210 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 box (9 ounce) chocolate wafer cookies
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 3 pints chocolate ice cream, slightly softened*
- 1 jar (16 ounce) creamy peanut butter (about 2 cups)
- 12 ounces dark, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate, chopped
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (optional)
- roasted peanuts, roughly chopped, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. 2. In a food processor, pulse the cookies into semi-fine crumbs. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture holds together when pinched. Press into the bottom, and about 1-inch up the sides, of the prepared pan, making sure to pack it in tightly.3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened ice cream and peanut butter until just combined, leaving streaks of peanut butter throughout the ice cream. Spread the ice cream over the crust in an even layer. Cover and freeze for 4-6 hours or preferably overnight.4. To make the "magic shell". In a microwave safe bowl, melt together the chocolate and coconut oil until melted and smooth, about 1 minute. Let cool 5-10 minutes. Remove the cake from the freezer and release from the spring-form pan. Pour the magic shell over the cake. Working quickly, top with peanuts and then return the cake to the freezer until ready to serve.5. Remove the cake from the freezer 10 minutes before slicing, slice and serve immediately.
Notes
*Remove the ice cream 10 minutes before using to allow it to soften slightly.
*If you do not have a food processor just add the cookies to a large ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to smash the cookies into crumbs. Or simply crush them by stepping all over the bag!
Made it and it turned out great! Couldn’t find chocolate wafers so used chocolate graham crackers! This is a fav!
Hey Mary,
Happy Monday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Another question! 🙂 my magic shell is not runny, but rather thick. Will it still pout over? Any recommendations on thinning it?
Hey Rebecca,
I would try adding some more coconut oil. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Looking forward to making this for the 4th! If I use butter instead of coconut oil, how much should I use? Thank you!!!
Hey Rebecca,
I would use an equal amount of butter. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Do you use chocolate wafer cookies or chocolate sandwich cookies with creme filling?
Hey Terry,
You can use either one, if you use Oreos you will want to remove the creme filling. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This recipe was so easy and yummy! My boys helped me make it for Father’s Day and we altered it a bit- used vanilla ice cream and dark chocolate truffle ice cream! We are looking forward to making a non chocolate version with golden Oreos and fruity ice cream. Another home run recipe- thanks Tieghan!!
Hey Krista,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful holiday weekend ?? xTieghan
I just saw the above comment that answered this question.
I’m really excited to make this for my son’s birthday! When you say chocolate wafer cookies, is that like oreos? Or purely a wafer cookie?
Hey Lindsay,
Most grocery stores will carry a chocolate wafer cookie, but Oreos will also work! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! My daughter and I were wondering when the recipe says to use the parchment paper, is it just for for the bottom or all around?
Thank you!
Ruth Mentzinger
Hey Ruth,
I just use the parchment on the bottom to ensure the cake doesn’t stick to the pan. I hope you give this recipe a try, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can someone tell me what y’all are using to cover the cake? I know dumb question
Hey Erica,
I like to use bee’s wrap wax, but foil or plastic wrap will also work. I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan. This looks delicious! I want to make for my grandson’s birthday. My question is..what type of chocolate wafer cookies do you use? Are they actual wafer cookies, or just chocolate thins?
Hey Carol,
You can just use the wafer thins or I also use Oreos and scrape the cream out. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Made this for my daughters birthday and it was a huge hit! To make it more festive for the kids I swapped the peanuts on top for rainbow sprinkles. Everyone loved it and I got to feel like the ultimate rock star presenting my homemade cake! It was so easy to make and I can’t wait to try it again. I wish I could include my photo, it was so darn pretty. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Hey Karen,
Fantastic!! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
I made this for Father’s Day and it was delicious! One issue I had was that the chocolate exterior shell came out very thick and made it almost impossible to cut. I did melt the chocolate with olive oil and butter rather than coconut oil – do you think that could be the difference? The only other thing I can think of is that I let the melted chocolate cool for too long (10 min) before pouring it over the ice cream and maybe it wasn’t runny enough by that time. I was worried if I poured it earlier it would melt the ice cream. Thanks for your help!
Hey Rachel,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Next time I would use coconut oil or butter and yes let it cool for a shorter amount of time. Have a great Tuesday! xxTieghan
Hey! If I wanted to replace the chocolate wafers with Oreo cookies. How many cookies do you think I would need? 1 or 2 sleeves? Thank you!
Sidney
Hey Sidney,
I would probably use 2 sleeves. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
So easy and so impressive to serve!!! Everyone loved it!!! ?
Hey Kristi,
Wonderful! I am so glad this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it! Have a lovely week:) xTieghan
Hi. In your photos it looks like two layers, but I only see directions for one layer? Thanks so much!
I made this for my husband in a single serving springform pan for Father’s Day last year and he requested it again this year. I also do a few other minis for the kids to split but with chocolate and cookies and cream. It’s a win for all! And soooo easy!
Hey Sarah,
Wonderful! I am so glad this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it! Have a lovely week:) xTieghan
Hey Vickie,
There is only one layer, you can follow the recipe as is:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was very easy! And i’m 11! thanks so much!
Hey Tiana,
Happy Sunday! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! That’s impressive:) xTieghan