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This creamy Birthday Cake Ice Cream takes everything you love about birthday cake and turns it into some of the best homemade ice cream ever. From the cake batter ice cream to the colorful confetti sprinkles, this easy recipe is just plain fun to eat.
Cake or ice cream? Who says you need to choose!?
This birthday cake ice cream wraps both into one incredibly satisfying dessert. A classic vanilla ice cream base is infused with white cake mix and a smattering of confetti sprinkles. The sprinkles kind of melt into the ice cream, creating a swirl of celebratory colors.
The finished ice cream is creamy, sweet, colorful, and SO easy to make. 6 ingredients, some blending, some churning, some freezing, and you’re off to the races. Do yourself a favor and take 30 minutes (plus some freezer time) to make this festive dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Creamy as can be: The combination of heavy cream and whole milk delivers an incredibly creamy ice cream. The way it melts over your tongue is pure perfection!
- Nostalgic win: With the flavor of classic birthday cake and a delicate smattering of color from the confetti sprinkles, this ice cream tastes like classic American childhood. It’ll take you back to school birthday parties and
- Easy to make: With only 6 ingredients and a super straightforward set of instructions, this birthday cake ice cream recipe is SO simple!
p.s. This particular ice cream requires an ice cream maker. If you don’t have one but still want to make homemade ice cream, try this No Churn Mango Ice Cream or my Blender Homemade Ice Cream.
Why is it Called Birthday Cake Ice Cream?
Great question! It’s basically birthday cake in ice cream form. In fact, one of the main ingredients is cake mix! That plus the confetti sprinkles, and you’ve got yourself one of the most celebratory, birthday-appropriate ice creams ever. Tastes like birthday cake. Kinda looks like birthday cake. But it’s ice cream!
Ingredient Notes
Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need along with my notes. Check out the recipe card below for a printable ingredient list.
- Whole milk – If you prefer a richer ice cream, you can sub some or all of the milk out for half and half. DO NOT use a lower fat dairy product.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar works best here.
- Heavy cream – Stick with heavy cream. I often see people try to swap it out for something lighter such as half and half or whole milk, but the results turn out icy. You need something with a higher fat content.
- Pure vanilla extract
- White cake mix – If you’d like to use a different cake mix here, you can. Just note that it will drastically change the flavor and/or color of the ice cream. But that could be fun!
- Confetti sprinkles – Feel free to experiment with different sprinkles and/or mix-ins. Check out the section below titled “Variation Ideas” for inspiration.
Variation Ideas
Feeling creative?? You can totally play with this recipe to make it your own. Here are some fun ideas for you:
- Try a different cake mix: White cake mix seemed the most birthday cake-y to me, but you could really use any cake mix you’d like. Yellow cake mix, funfetti cake mix, strawberry cake mix, chocolate cake mix…You’re the boss.
- Have fun with mix-ins: I used confetti sprinkles to really bring home the birthday vibes, but feel free to use something different. Rainbow sprinkles or chocolate sprinkles would be great. You could even omit the sprinkles and mix in chopped candy bars, Oreos, animal cookies, or any other mix-in you’re craving.
- Toppings galore: Sure, you could enjoy your birthday cake ice cream as is. But why not dress it up with a topping or three? Try my Homemade Strawberry Sauce or this Boozy Chocolate Dipping Sauce (for the adults). I’ve also been known to crumble some cookies on top. These Cake Batter Funfetti Cookies would be amazing.
Tips for the Best Birthday Cake Ice Cream
- Heat treat the cake mix: Before folding the cake mix into the ice cream batter, you need to heat treat it in order to kill any harmful bacteria. Spread the mix out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 300°F for 10 minutes. Allow the cake mix to cool before adding it to the ice cream.
- Make sure the sugar is fully dissolved: When blending together the milk and sugar, do so until the sugar has fully dissolved into the milk. This should take about 2 minutes. Otherwise, your ice cream will turn out gritty.
- Use full-fat ingredients: This is ice cream! No need to save calories [wink]. Do not. I repeat, do NOT try to swap the heavy cream or whole milk out for lower fat ingredients. Your ice cream will turn out icy.
- No lumps, please: When mixing the cake mix into the ice cream batter, make sure you get all the lumps out. No one wants a random dry bite of cake mix in their spoonful of creamy ice cream.
- A note on container selection: When you initially freeze the ice cream, you want to put it in a freezer-safe, airtight container that is relatively shallow. I prefer plastic because it freezes faster (when compared to glass). Similarly, the ice cream will freeze more quickly in a shallower container.
- Have patience: Once your ice cream maker is done working its magic, let the ice cream freeze for at least a few hours (preferably overnight). Otherwise, it will be very soft (almost runny).
How to Store
Store the ice cream in an airtight container for up to 2 months. A container specifically designed for ice cream or a freezer-safe plastic container is best. To prevent freezer burn, press a film of wax paper or plastic wrap into the exposed surface of the ice cream before sealing the container.
More Frozen Treats to Try
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Birthday Cake Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup white cake mix
- 1/2 cup confetti sprinkles, heat treated*
Instructions
- Place the milk and sugar in a food blender and blend for about 2 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved. You can also use an electric mixer or a whisk.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the heavy cream and the pure vanilla extract.
- Pour the heavy cream mixture into the milk/sugar mixture and blend for another minute.
- Stir in the cake mix and make sure there are no lumps.
- Turn on the ice cream maker, pour in the milk mixture and freeze it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- About 4 to 5 minutes before the ice cream is done churning, add the sprinkles into the mixture through the ingredient spout on the ice cream maker.
- Once the ice cream is done churning, transfer it to an airtight container.
- Cover the ice cream with a lid and freeze for several hours or overnight.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Delicious and so simple to make. I also added chunks of yellow cake to mine in the last minute.
Is no one concerned about the raw flour in the cake mix? Sounds like a good idea in theory but you really have to cook flour.
I tried making this for my fiance’s birthday yesterday. Even though I chilled the canister and mix overnight, the mix never turned into ice cream. I used lots of ice and salt for the churner, but nothing. I’m gonna have to just put it in the freezer, and mix it every few hours. The mix tastes good, though.