Food and Recipes Desserts Cakes Layer Cakes Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake Will Sweeten Up Summertime 4.0 (1) Add your rating & review This strawberry shortcake ice cream cake is a delicious sum of all its parts: Cornmeal shortcake, berry sorbet, and strawberry ripple ice cream add up to one tasty dessert. The key to preparing this just right is to use two loaf pans that are the same size—one for baking the cake and the other for layering and freezing the ice cream and sorbet. You'll need to factor in a few hours for the freeze, but otherwise, this dessert only requires 25 minutes of hands-on time. It could not be simpler than that! The dessert is plenty good on its own, but is also tasty served with a dollop of whipped cream if you like. By Joy Howard Joy Howard Joy Howard is a cookbook author, food stylist, and recipe developer who's spent more than a decade creating recipes for home cooks. She is the author of Disney Eats and the forthcoming Tomato Love (Storey Publishing, Summer 2022), is a frequent contributor to Southern Living and America's Test Kitchen, and for many years wrote a column for EatingWell magazine about cooking with kids. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on May 6, 2024 Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more about the Southern Living Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Active Time: 25 mins Freeze Time: 7 hrs Total Time: 7 hrs 25 mins Servings: 8 Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Ingredients Cake Layer: 1 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup plain yellow cornmeal 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 cup whole buttermilk 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 large egg, at room temperature Ice Cream Layer: 1 cup heavy whipping cream 3 large fresh strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped (2/3 cup) 1/4 cup strawberry preserves 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk (from 1 [14-oz.] can) 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 pt. strawberry sorbet, softened Topping: 1 lb. fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced (optional) 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar (optional) Directions Prepare loaf pan for Cake Layer: Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat an 8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; line with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on 2 long sides. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Prepare the Cake Layer: Whisk together flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add buttermilk, oil, and egg; whisk to combine. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Bake Cake Layer: Pour batter into prepared pan. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Bake until edges are golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer loaf pan to a wire rack. Let Cake Layer cool completely, about 1 hour. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Meanwhile, prepare the Ice Cream Layer: Line another 8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Beat whipping cream in a large bowl with a hand mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Gently fold in chopped strawberries, preserves, condensed milk, and vanilla (for a rippled appearance, stop stirring before berries and preserves are fully combined). Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Add ice cream to loaf pan: Spread mixture evenly in pan. Freeze, uncovered, until firm, about 1 hour. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Top ice cream with sorbet: Remove from freezer; spread sorbet evenly over ice cream. Return to freezer. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Trim the Cake Layer: Remove cooled Cake Layer from loaf pan. Using a serrated knife, trim the domed top of Cake Layer to make it flat and even. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Add Cake Layer to Ice Cream Layer: Remove Ice Cream Layer from freezer. Place Cake Layer, cut side down, on top of sorbet. Cover and freeze until Ice Cream Layer is solid, about 6 hours. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox If desired, prepare the Topping: Stir together strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl until combined. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until strawberries begin to release their juices, about 10 minutes. (If making the cake ahead of time, wait until just before serving to stir together the Topping.) Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Remove cake from pan, and top with strawberries: Remove ice cream cake from freezer. Run a butter knife along the edges to loosen from pan. Invert onto a platter; top with strawberry mixture, if desired. Serve immediately, or cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze up to 1 month. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Rate It Print