Last Updated on March 25, 2022
This refreshing ice cream cake roll using cake mix features creamy homemade no-churn ice cream and fluffy cake roll made from box cake mix.
Today’s recipe is surprisingly easy despite taking some time. But, keep in mind that the majority of time is spent waiting for the item to freeze and the cake rolls the cool down completely. This recipe is versatile and can be used as inspiration to create all sorts of ice cream roll cakes.
What Is An Ice Cream Roll Cake?
An ice cream roll cake is very similar to a Swiss roll, but you use ice cream instead of frosting.
For today’s delicious ice cream cake roll recipe using cake mix, we have decided to use a vanilla sponge cake base and no-churn homemade vanilla ice cream. This will give you a basic recipe from which you can work off of. You can have a look at the variations section to see how you can easily change this vanilla ice cream roll cake into any flavor you’d like!
Making ice cream cake roll with cake mix
The process is fairly simple. You follow exactly the same steps that you would if you were making a regular Swiss roll. But, instead of adding a jam or frosting, you add the ice cream.
One thing to keep in mind when it comes to ice cream cake rolls is that there is a lot of freezing time involved, naturally. But, that is also not a bad thing because you can make the ice cream in advance.
What You Will Need To Make This Ice Cream Cake Roll Using Cake Mix
Ingredients
For the ice cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the swiss roll cake
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 box (15.25 ounces) vanilla sponge cake mix
- 1/4 cup milk, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (sunflower or canola)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 tablespoon vanilla essence)
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric hand or stand mixer
- Silicone or rubber spatula
- Freezer-safe container
- Plastic or saran wrap
- 10 x 15-inch baking tray
- Non-stick baking paper
- Foil
- Serrated knife (bread knife)
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Start by making the ice cream
Place the whipping cream inside a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip the cream at a high speed until it has reached soft peaks.
Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add the condensed milk while the mixer is still running. Once all of the condensed milk has been added, add in the vanilla. Increase the speed of the mixer. Continue whipping the base until it reached a relatively stiff consistency.
Scrape the mixture into a freezer-safe container. Cover the surface of the ice cream base with plastic or saran wrap. Freeze the mixture until it is completely solid, about 5-7 hours.
Step 2: Preheat the oven and prepare the equipment
Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C). Line a 10 x 15-inch baking tray with non-stick baking paper or cooking spray.
Step 3: Make the cake mixture
Place the eggs inside a large mixing bowl and beat them at a medium speed for roughly 5 minutes. Once beaten, add the vanilla cake mix, the milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Continue beating the mixture for another minute at a low speed. Make sure to scrape the sides to ensure that all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Step 4: Bake the roll cake
Place the cake mixture into the lined baking tray. It should only be about 1-inch thick. Bake it for roughly 15-20 minutes or until the cake is completely cooked through and a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 5: Cool the cake and shape it
Once baked, remove the roll cake from the oven. Lay down a piece of non-stick baking paper on the kitchen counter. Lightly dust it with some powdered sugar.
Turn the hot cake out on top of the dusted surface and peel off the bottom piece of non-stick paper. Then, while the cake is still hot, roll it into a log starting at the short (10-inch) end. Allow it to cool in this shape for roughly 1-2 hours at room temperature.
Step 6: Assemble the ice cream cake roll
Remove your homemade ice cream from the freezer and allow it to soften slightly at room temperature. Only do this when your roll cake has completely cooled.
Once the ice cream is soft and workable, unroll the cake. Immediately transfer it to a large sheet of plastic wrap or non-stick parchment paper. Then, spread the ice cream over the sheet of cake, leaving about 1 inch on the edges.
Roll the cake roll back up as tightly (but still gently) as you can. Then, wrap the cake in foil and place it inside the freezer, seam-side facing downwards.
Step 7: Freeze and serve
Freeze the ice cream cake roll for another 3-4 hours or preferably overnight. Once the roll has completely frozen, you can unwrap it and decorate it to your liking. To slice the cake roll, we recommend using a sharp serrated knife, like a bread knife.
Tips And Tricks
- If you want to elevate your ice cream flavor, use 1 teaspoon of real vanilla bean paste or infuse the heavy cream with a vanilla pod.
- Make sure that the container you are freezing the ice cream in is completely clean and free of any stains and odors. The cream is very porous and will easily absorb them. We recommend using a glass container.
- You can have a look at this video to see exactly how you should roll the cake. It’s easier than you think!
- We like our ice cream cake rolls pretty simple seeing as they are usually already very sweet. But, if you do want to decorate yours, we recommend using some type of glaze or ganache. For this recipe, you can use a white chocolate glaze or a lemon glaze that will help cut through the sweetness. You will have to refreeze the ice cream roll cake for another hour or so before serving it.
Variations For This Recipe
There are a ton of variations you can apply using this basic recipe. The main elements that you can change include the cake roll part and the ice cream part.
Variations of the ice cream
The biggest variation on the ice cream we would make is using a different extract. Because we are using such a neutrally-flavored no-churn ice cream recipe, you can effortlessly substitute the vanilla with any flavor that you’d like.
You can even use a bit of reduced syrup or juice to add flavor. Just take into consideration that you don’t want to change the consistency of the ice cream base too much (which is why we recommend sticking to the extracts).
You can also buy pre-made ice cream to save you some time. We just love the flavor of homemade ones.
Variations of the cake roll
You can substitute the vanilla cake mix with any cake mix flavor of your liking. You can choose a strawberry cake mix, chocolate cake mix, or even something more complex like a slated chocolate cake mix.
Then, simply pair it with an ice cream flavor that goes well and just like that, an entirely different ice cream cake roll!
One thing we would recommend to keep in mind is choosing cake mixes with light and fluffy textures, like sponge cake mixes or angel food cake mixes. Some mixes, for example, pound cake, may be too rigid and dense to easily roll.
You can also follow the cake mix recipe on the box if you’d like.
Servings And Preparation Time
| Prep, baking, and cooling time | Freezing time | Servings |
| 3 hours | At least 10 hours | 8-10 slices |
Conclusion
Who would’ve thought that an ice cream cake roll using cake mix could be this delicious? Let us know what you think about it in the comments below and which flavors you like to make!
Creamy and Delicious No-churn Ice Cream Cake Roll Using Cake Mix
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric hand or stand mixer
- Silicone or rubber spatula
- Freezer-safe container
- Plastic or saran wrap
- 10 x 15-inch baking tray
- Non-stick baking paper
- Foil
- Serrated knife (bread knife)
Ingredients
For the ice cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the swiss roll cake
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 box (15.25 ounces) vanilla sponge cake mix
- 1/4 cup milk, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (sunflower or canola)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 tablespoon vanilla essence)
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Start by making the ice cream.Place the whipping cream inside a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip the cream at a high speed until it has reached soft peaks.Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add the condensed milk while the mixer is still running. Once all of the condensed milk has been added, add in the vanilla. Increase the speed of the mixer. Continue whipping the base until it reached a relatively stiff consistency.Scrape the mixture into a freezer-safe container. Cover the surface of the ice cream base with plastic or saran wrap. Freeze the mixture until it is completely solid, about 5-7 hours.2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven and prepare the equipment. Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C). Line a 10 x 15-inch baking tray with non-stick baking paper or cooking spray.
- Make the cake mixture.Place the eggs inside a large mixing bowl and beat them at a medium speed for roughly 5 minutes. Once beaten, add the vanilla cake mix, the milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Continue beating the mixture for another minute at a low speed. Make sure to scrape the sides to ensure that all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.6 large eggs, room temperature, 1 box (15.25 ounces) vanilla sponge cake mix, 1/4 cup milk, room temperature, 1/4 cup vegetable oil (sunflower or canola), 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 tablespoon vanilla essence)
- Bake the roll cake.Place the cake mixture into the lined baking tray. It should only be about 1-inch thick. Bake it for roughly 15-20 minutes or until the cake is completely cooked through and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the cake and shape it.Once baked, remove the roll cake from the oven. Lay down a piece of non-stick baking paper on the kitchen counter. Lightly dust it with some powdered sugar.Turn the hot cake out on top of the dusted surface and peel off the bottom piece of non-stick paper. Then, while the cake is still hot, roll it into a log starting at the short (10-inch) end. Allow it to cool in this shape for roughly 1-2 hours at room temperature.Powdered sugar, for dusting
- Assemble the ice cream cake roll.Remove your homemade ice cream from the freezer and allow it to soften slightly at room temperature. Only do this when your roll cake has completely cooled.Once the ice cream is soft and workable, unroll the cake. Immediately transfer it to a large sheet of plastic wrap or non-stick parchment paper. Then, spread the ice cream over the sheet of cake, leaving about 1 inch on the edges.Roll the cake roll back up as tightly (but still gently) as you can. Then, wrap the cake in foil and place it inside the freezer, seam-side facing downwards.
- Freeze and serve.Freeze the ice cream cake roll for another 3-4 hours or preferably overnight. Once the roll has completely frozen, you can unwrap it and decorate it to your liking. To slice the cake roll, we recommend using a sharp serrated knife, like a bread knife.
Notes
Make sure that the container you are freezing the ice cream in is completely clean and free of any stains and odors. The cream is very porous and will easily absorb them. We recommend using a glass container.
Lindy Van Schalkwyk is a culinary specialist with a background in Advanced Cooking, Advanced Pâtisserie, Media Communications and Nutrition. She has gained invaluable experience in the culinary industry having worked in some of the top restaurants in Africa in 2016 and 2017. Her expertise in nutrition has enabled her to develop recipes for special dietary needs. In 2018, Lindy began working in the Food Media industry, focusing on recipe development, recipe writing, food writing and food styling.