Ice Cream Pretzel Cake Recipe

By traciesparks

"Our family loved a dessert we had at a local restaurant, so I invented my own version for a birthday party," explains Monica Rush of Reading, Pennsylvania. "It was a big hit. It's simple to make ahead and just pull out of the freezer when you need it."

My husband loves ice cream cakes and I was getting tired of buying them from the store, so I tried this for his birthday this year. It was so delicious! And easy, too! My recommendation would be to get the caramel in a squeeze bottle to make the decoration on top pretty like the picture.

This was really good, but I recommend freezing for at least 24 hours as mine was still soft.

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups crushed pretzels
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
• 3/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
• 2 packages (7-1/2 ounces each) chocolate-covered miniature pretzels
• 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
• 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

Preparation

Step 1

Place crushed pretzels in a small bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Cover and freeze for at least 30 minutes. Spread fudge topping over crust; cover and freeze.

Set aside 16 chocolate-covered pretzels for garnish. Place remaining pretzels in a food processor; cover and process until crumbly. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in ice cream. Spread over fudge topping. Drizzle with caramel topping. Garnish with reserved pretzels. Cover and freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight. Yield: 16 servings.

Editor’s Note: If you are unable to find chocolate-coated pretzels, use 1 package (11-1/2 ounces) milk chocolate chips, 4 teaspoons shortening and about 110 miniature pretzel twists. In a microwave, melt chips and shortening; stir until blended. With a fork, dip pretzels into chocolate mixture to evenly coat, reheating chocolate if needed. Let stand on waxed paper until set.


Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 320 calories, 16 g fat (9 g saturated fat), 42 mg cholesterol, 277 mg sodium, 42 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.

Ice Cream Pretzel Cake published in Quick Cooking May/June 2005, p19