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This pretty, no-bake, Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream Cake is your new go-to summer cake. The crust is made up of salty pretzels mixed with sweet ginger cookies. The crust is then layered with creamy vanilla ice cream and strawberry ice cream swirled with fresh strawberry jam. A generous topping of fresh strawberries finishes it off. This icy cold cake is creamy, extra berry-filled, and requires very little effort.

Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream Cake | halfbakedharvest.com

Once again this summer I’m really embracing ice cream and using up all the berries in the process too! In the last month or so, I feel like I’ve made a new ice cream recipe every few days. And I still have more coming your way…both berry-filled and chocolate heavy.

Ice cream isn’t the easiest to work with since it melts so fast. When it comes to how-to videos and photos, ice cream is always challenging. But even though it’s often made me want to cry, I somehow can’t resist creating a summertime ice cream recipe!

I loved ice cream as a kid, so making it and enjoying it always brings me back to the carefree summer days of my childhood. Those easygoing days were the best.

Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream Cake | halfbakedharvest.com

The details – let’s talk about the crust

First, make the crust. This is super easy. Simply combine salty pretzels, gingersnap cookies (I buy mine from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s), and butter. I find this easiest to do in a food processor, but it can also be done in a bowl. Do what works best for you.

Now, press the pretzel crust into a square baking pan. No baking is required. Simple. Simple.

Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream Cake | halfbakedharvest.com

The layers

For the layers, vanilla ice cream, strawberry ice cream swirled with homemade strawberry jam, and then one final layer of vanilla.

I wanted the strawberry ice cream to have pockets of sweetness and fresh summer berries, so I ended up swirling in my homemade strawberry jam. You can use my homemade jam or your favorite store-bought jam. Both will be equally delicious.

Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream Cake | halfbakedharvest.com

The only semi-annoying piece to this cake is that you do have to freeze the crust and each of the layers.

But it’s not a long wait time. 15 minutes for the crust, then 30ish for the first layer of vanilla and another 30 for the strawberry layer. You’ll have some downtime in between freezes.

Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream Cake | halfbakedharvest.com

Once all of the layers are together, I top with sliced strawberries, then freeze. And wow, that’s pretty much it. I like to freeze overnight to really make sure the ice cream is frozen nicely.

Also, for both the vanilla and strawberry ice cream, I love to use Tillamook. Especially their Oregano strawberry ice cream, it never fails. And for the vanilla, their vanilla bean or old-fashioned vanilla are my favorites.

Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream Cake | halfbakedharvest.com

Once frozen, slice and enjoy every last creamy, berry-filled bite. It’s sweet, heavy on the ice cream, swirled with berries, and has just the right amount of salty pretzel crunch on the bottom. The perfect balance of sweet and salty that leaves you longing for another bite.

Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream Cake | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for other Summer ice cream recipes? Here are some favorites:

No Churn Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars

Creamy Vegan Chocolate Fudge Pops

Blackberry Lavender Ice Cream Sandwiches

Lastly, if you make this Strawberry Pretzel 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!

Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream Cake

Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 6 hours
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 971 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Instructions

  • 1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
    2. In a food processor, pulse the pretzels and gingersnaps into fine crumbs. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture holds together when pinched. Press into the bottom of the pan. Freeze 15 minutes.
    3. Scoop 4 cups vanilla ice cream out onto the frozen crust. Flatten/spread into a mostly evenly layer. Freeze 30 minutes.
    4. In a bowl, gently swirl together the strawberry ice cream and strawberry jam. Spread onto the vanilla layer. Freeze for 30 minutes more.
    5. Take a 1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream and flatten/spread onto the strawberry layer. Top with sliced strawberries. Wrap the cake and freeze 4 hours or until frozen.
    5. Remove the cake from the freezer. Use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan. Let sit 5 minutes. Slice and enjoy immediately.

Notes

 
No Food Processor: 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!
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Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream Cake | halfbakedharvest.com

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Comments

    1. Hi Ronda,
      Sure, that would work for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it’s delish! xT

  1. 5 stars
    We ate this ice cream cake for Fourth Of July (it got devoured) and oh my goodness it was SO DELICIOUS. I don’t like ginger, but the crust ended up being my favorite part! SO GOOD 11/10

    1. Hey Raylee,
      Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear that it turned out well for you:) xT

  2. Thank goodness for your typo in the instructions…oregano strawberry ice cream kinda grossed me out, lol…then found out it’s actually Oregon Strawberry ice cream. It’s in the freezer now! Can’t wait to try it now that I know it doesn’t have oregano in it! 😂