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Healthier Fried Ice Cream Cake

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Healthier no-bake Fried Ice Cream Cake, using organic gluten free corn flakes sweetened with fruit juice, all natural vanilla ice cream, and no Cool Whip. A delicious frozen treat, that is a crunchy, creamy, cinnamon laced Mexican dessert. All of the taste without any of the fuss, no fry!

Ice cream cakes are a must have recipe any time of the year, the fact that you make these ahead of time is the best! And this Mexican fried ice cream is all it’s cracked up to be!

We are kind of bonkers about ice cream desserts in our house, try these family and reader favorites: Mile High Mud Pie, Best Ice Cream Sandwiches and definitely try my Fried Ice Cream made in the Air Fryer!

Slice of fried ice cream cake on brightly colored plate with caramel and chocolate drizzle.

Why You Will Love this No Bake Dessert

What’s not to love about a dessert that takes a few steps, but yields a decadent, restaurant quality taste!

  • Takes about 15 minutes hands on time, you will have this cake assembled and in the freezer
  • Customize the amount of cinnamon to your taste!
  • The crunchy, buttery topping and crust cradle your favorite ice cream.
Close up of fried ice cream cake drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce and topped with whipped cream and a cherry.

Ingredients

A pretty simple list of ingredients for a outstanding tasting ice cream cake!

Fried Ice Cream Cake Ingredients, L-R Brown sugar, crushed corn flakes, vanilla ice cream, Cinnamon, vanilla bean paste, butter.
  • VANILLA ICE CREAM | Use your favorite here! I love Trader Joe’s no RBsT Vanilla Ice Cream!
  • CORN FLAKES | I chose gluten free, organic fruit juice sweetened corn flakes, but use your favorite. You will crush them as fine as you like.
  • BUTTER | Real dairy butter, if it’s not hard coming out of the fridge it’s not real butter! 🙂
  • BROWN SUGAR | I used organic light brown sugar, but use light or dark!
  • CINNAMON | The key ingredient to making this a Mexican Ice Cream Cake!
  • VANILLA BEAN PASTE | This is optional, but adds great flavor to the fried ice cream cake.
  • CARAMEL, HOT FUDGE, WHIPPING CREAM | These are optional of course, eat it plain or drizzled with your favorite!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these simple step-by-step instructions to make your own creamy, crunchy ice cream dessert with corn flakes!

  • In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat, then add brown sugar and cinnamon and bring to a simmer.
  • Simmer at a low boil for about 2 minutes, then stir in corn flakes removing from heat.
fried ice cream cake process shots adding brown sugar to butter and cinnamon to mixture.
Fried Ice Cream Process Shots L-R bring to simmer, adding crushed corn flakes.
  • Press half of the buttery corn flake mixture into 9×13 baking dish, cooling completely (I placed mine in the freezer for 10 minutes.
  • Place softened ice cream into mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add additional cinnamon and vanilla bean paste if desired, stir on low until smooth and combined.
Process shots for fried ice cream cake, adding ice cream to mixer and cinnamon and vanilla bean paste to ice cream.
  • Pour over cooled corn flake crust and smooth to edges evenly.
  • Press rest of corn flake crust into top of ice cream; pressing down lightly, cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 5 hours or longer.
Fried Ice Cream Cake adding topping to smoothed ice cream and ready to freeze.

Serving Tips

Suggested serving ideas for this delicious Mexican Fried Ice Cream cake!

  • Remove from freezer about 10 minutes prior to cutting, this will soften slightly.
  • Fill tall cup with hot tap water and place sharp knife in glass to heat up, dry and slice ice cream cake into slices, using a spatula to remove individual slices.
  • Drizzle warm Caramel sauce and/or Hot Fudge sauce over the top, a little squirt of whipped cream and a cherry if you like that sort of thing.
  • Keep it plain, it has loads of taste all by itself!
  • Drizzle a little regular or hot honey over the top!
  • Sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar mixture.
Fried Ice Cream Cake FB image with bite taken out of it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make Fried Ice Cream cake Gluten Free?

Yes, make sure your corn flakes are gluten free. This is a naturally gluten free dessert.

Can I use different flavored ice cream?

Why not? It’s your dessert! Make it with chocolate ice cream, cinnamon ice cream, but vanilla ice cream is the classic way to make this.

Do I have to put cinnamon in this frozen dessert?

Not if you don’t want too! Make it Yours is our motto, if you don’t like cinnamon leave it out. Or reduce it. Classic Mexican fried ice cream does have cinnamon in it though.

More No Bake Desserts:

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Best fried ice cream cake with caramel and chocolate drizzle, whipped cream and a cherry on top, amongst brightly colored plates and napkins.

Fried Ice Cream Cake

Author: Kathleen • The Fresh Cooky © 2021
5 from 5 votes
Healthier no-bake Fried Ice Cream Cake, using organic gluten free corn flakes sweetened with fruit juice, all natural vanilla ice cream, and no Cool Whip. A delicious frozen treat, that is a crunchy, creamy, cinnamon laced Mexican dessert. All of the taste without any of the fuss, no fry!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Freeze Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 17 minutes
Course Ice Cream
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 12 slices
Calories 529 kcal

Ingredients
  

Corn Flake Crust

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 cups Corn Flakes, crushed, measured after crushing; I used Gluten free, Organic, Fruit Sweetened Corn Flakes

Fried Ice Cream Cake

  • 1/2 gallon vanilla bean or French Vanilla ice cream, softened
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, optional

Topping suggestions

  • Salted Caramel Sauce
  • Hot Fudge or Chocolate Sauce
  • Honey or hot honey
  • Cinnamon sugar or just keep it plain

Instructions
 

  • Remove ice cream from freezer about 10-15 minutes before making to soften.
  • In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat, then add brown sugar and cinnamon and bring to a simmer.
  • Simmer at a low boil for about 2 minutes, remove from heat, then stir in corn flakes.
  • Press half of the buttery corn flake mixture into 9×13 baking dish, reserve the other half. Cool topping completely (I placed mine in the freezer for 10 minutes.
  • Place softened ice cream into mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add additional cinnamon and vanilla bean paste if desired, stir on low until smooth and combined. Pour over cooled corn flake crust and smooth to edges evenly.
  • Press rest of corn flake crust into top of ice cream; pressing down lightly, cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 5 hours or longer.
  • Well covered this dessert will last 2-3 months in the freezer, if it lasts that long. See below for serving suggestions.

✱ Kathleen’s Tips

Serving Tips

Suggested serving ideas for this delicious Mexican Fried Ice Cream cake!
  • Remove from freezer about 10 minutes prior to cutting, this will soften slightly.
  • Fill tall cup with hot tap water and place sharp knife in glass to heat up, dry and slice ice cream cake into slices, using a spatula to remove individual slices.
  • Drizzle warm Caramel sauce and/or Hot Fudge sauce over the top, a little squirt of whipped cream and a cherry if you like that sort of thing.
  • Keep it plain, it has loads of taste all by itself!
  • Drizzle a little regular or hot honey over the top!
  • Sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar mixture.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Calories: 529 kcal Carbohydrates: 39 g Protein: 1 g Fat: 9 g Saturated Fat: 6 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g Cholesterol: 25 mg Sodium: 136 mg Sugar: 33 g

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Fresh Cooky is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Kathleen Pope, The Fresh Cooky.

About Kathleen Pope

Recipe Innovator | Food Photographer | Food Writer

Hi, I’m Kathleen Pope. Here at The Fresh Cooky you will find easy, mostly from-scratch, trusted recipes for all occasions. From speedy dinners to tasty desserts, with easy step-by-step instructions. I am here to help teach you how to make mouthwatering recipes without spending hours in the kitchen. Read more about Kathleen here.

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12 Comments

  1. This is my kind of cake! We made this for a friend’s birthday, and I have a feeling it’ll be gracing our table a few more times this summer because it was so tasty.

  2. My first job was at a Mexican restaurant in high school as a server and we had fried ice cream there. I haven’t had it in ages but this was so much easier and tasted just as good.

  3. Wow, I never knew how restaurants could roll ice cream and fry it. This version is so much better! Served as a dessert to a Mexican themed meal and everyone raved about the ice cream cake. Don’t skip the cinnamon. Adds the perfect flavor.