Strawberry Chunk Ice Cream Cake

Hubby wanted an ice cream cake for his birthday (today!) and while I was looking for inspiration he said this one sounded good, so I took a stab at it. It was a lot easier than I expected! And so yummy.

So the inspiration was the Cold Stone Strawberry Passion cake. I think I ate it a long time ago but I don't remember what it tasted like...so I don't know if this is a good likeness, but it is definitely delicious, nom.

P.S. If you want to do your own variation, here are some ideas I had for the next time I make this: cheesecake chunks mixed into the ice cream, or else cheesecake ice cream with strawberry chunks. And instead of puree, I think next time I might try a strawberry gelee, like the one in my last recipe: Berry Mousse Cakes.

Strawberry Chunk Ice Cream Cake
Makes 4 small cakes

• Red Velvet cake mix (you will have a lot of leftover, I used it for cake bites) + called-for ingredients
• 2-1/2 cups strawberries
• 1-1/2T granulated sugar, divided
• Strawberry ice cream (about 3 cups)
• 5 graham crackers
• 3T unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Make cake mix  in a 13x9 in. pan according to instructions. Let cool completely.

Take 1 cup of strawberries and puree with 1T sugar. Place in fridge until needed.
Take another 1 cup of strawberries and dice them. Place in fridge.

Make your graham crackers into crumbs by place them in a large ziploc bag and using a rolling pic to crush them. Pour into a small bowl and combine with the melted butter and 1/2T sugar. Set aside.

Before assembling, place your ice cream in the fridge to soften.

Assembly:

Cut circles out of the cake slightly larger than your pastry rings and cut off the tops so that they are level (and the height that you want them). Place the pastry rings onto a small pan and squeeze the cake circles into the bottom of your rings. Pour a thin layer of strawberry puree over it.
Take out your softened ice cream and mix in the diced strawberries and graham cracker mixture. Spread this on the top of your cakes and level the top with a knife. Freeze for at least a couple of hours or overnight.

Thaw for a few minutes before serving.