Viennetta Ice Cream Cake
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Serve up this timeless Viennetta ice cream cake for dessert this summer. It includes creamy vanilla ice cream decadently layered with both chocolate and butterscotch magic shell.
If you haven’t had Viennetta ice cream cake before, you are missing out. I like to refer to it as an ice cream lasagna. Layers of creamy ice cream and a crunchy magic shell layer. It’s a popular dessert that Breyers made years ago back in the 80s. The original Viennetta looked like a fancy cake log but it was made with ice cream with a crispy chocolate layer all throughout the dessert.
So each bite you get creamy ice cream with crispy sweet chocolate. There is something about that crispy chocolate layer in this layered Viennetta dessert that leaves you wanting one more bite. Bet you want to give it a go now, right?
Here are a few reasons why I think you need to immediately make my homemade Viennetta ice cream cake recipe:
- It’s so quick and easy to make. Like, it will take you no longer than 5 minutes to assemble.
- Viennetta is a classic dessert that guests will love.
- It’s basically fancy ice cream and who can say no to an elevated ice cream dessert?
- You only need three ingredients: vanilla ice cream, chocolate magic shell, and butterscotch magic shell.
Okay, so now I’ve convinced you to give it a go, let’s get layering!
If you love Ice Cream as much as I do make sure you try out some of these other recipes like Oreo Ice Cream Cake, Ice Cream Grahamwiches, Strawberry Ice Cream Pie, Deep Fried Ice Cream Milkshakes, No Churn Ice Cream With Fresh Blackberries and Mint Oreo Ice Cream Pie.
What You’ll Need to Make Viennetta Ice Cream Cake:
Recipe Ingredients
- Some good quality vanilla ice cream
- Magic shell (one or two flavors, up to you)
- Waxed paper
- Brand new (reserved for kitchen use only) hair pick
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How To Make My Homemade Viennetta Ice Cream Cake:
Line a loaf pan with waxed paper. This will help you get your loaf out.
Spread 1/3 of your ice cream into the bottom of the loaf pan.
Run the pick along it to form deep grooves. These will fill in with our yummy magic shell.
Pour a layer of magic shell over and allow it to harden a minute.
Add another 1/3 of your ice cream and dig grooves into it with your pick again.
Pour magic shell over that as well.
Now add the rest of our ice cream and dig grooves into it as well.
Top this final layer with a drizzle of the chocolate magic shell.
Immediately cover the ice cream cake with aluminum foil and place it in the freezer until firm.
When ready to serve, allow it to sit out for about five minutes, and then remove it from the pan using the waxed paper.
Remove the waxed paper and place it on a platter to slice and serve.
Storage
Your ice cream can store for 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Just make sure to place it in a proper container for the freezer.
I recommend placing your ice cream cake on the back shelf, that way if you open and close the freezer it does not melt the ice cream.
Recipe Notes
- Using a fork or pick to create ridges into the ice cream helps to create that classic groove look from the ice cream and chocolate layer of the cake.
- You can make homemade magic shell if you want, but you can also buy it for about a dollar. No sense in making extra work for yourself!
- You can use any flavor of the magic shell to create a different flavor pairing. The original Viennetta ice cream cake did not have butterscotch so go with 2 bottles of chocolate if you want to be more traditional.
- Work somewhat fast, as the ice cream will melt pretty quickly once you get started assembling your dessert.
- For a fancy finish, add frozen whipped topping (like Cool Whip) and a sprinkle of cocoa powder for the iconic look. However, I’d only add this if I was eating it immediately.
- You can also add fun mix-in items to add flavor. Just add them over the magic shell once it hardens.
- Crush up and sprinkle with cookies like Oreo cookies.
- Add in some chopped candy bars.
- Add chopped nuts like roasted hazelnuts or almonds.
- Use a different flavor of magic shell.
- Swap the vanilla ice cream with chocolate ice cream, coffee ice cream, or any other ice cream flavor. You could also do one layer of vanilla, one layer of chocolate, and one layer of strawberry ice cream to make a Neopolitan Viennetta ice cream cake.
Recipe FAQs
What ice cream should I choose?
Quality ice cream is key in this Viennetta cake. The reason being is the ice cream is going to be a stand-out flavor. So reach for a creamy and delicious vanilla ice cream for this dessert.
I suggest Blue Bunny (this is the best I have tasted in a while) or something from Bluebell if you have that where you are. Edy’s also makes some very good ice cream and a lot of people swear by Purity. However, I haven’t had a chance to taste any of theirs yet so I’m just sticking to the ones I know as recommendations. Just go for the absolute best in your area.
You may also like these ice cream recipes:
Walnuts in Syrup For Ice Cream Sundaes
No Churn Ice Cream With Fresh Blackberries
Deep Fried Ice Cream Milkshakes
Ingredients
- 1.5 - 1.75 quarts good quality vanilla ice cream
- 1 bottle chocolate magic shell
- 1 bottle butterscotch magic shell*
Instructions
- Soften ice cream slightly by allowing it to sit out for 5-10 minutes but no longer.1.5 - 1.75 quarts good quality vanilla ice cream
- Line the loaf pan with waxed paper pieces that are long enough to hang over the sides.
- Spread 1/3 of the ice cream in the bottom of the loaf pan. Make grooves in it with the pick. Squirt chocolate magic shell over top, just enough to cover. Allow it to sit for one minute to harden.1 bottle chocolate magic shell
- Repeat the process using the butterscotch magic shell as topping on the second layer and then repeat once more, ending with just a drizzling of chocolate magic shell on top.1 bottle butterscotch magic shell*
- Immediately cover with aluminum foil and place in the freezer until frozen solid.
- To serve, remove the loaf pan and allow it to sit for five minutes. Grab both sides of waxed paper and pull the loaf out of the pan. Discard the waxed paper and place the loaf on a platter. Carefully cut and then serve.
Nutrition
“A happy person is not a person in a
certain set of circumstances, but rather
a person with a certain set of attitudes.”
~ Hugh Downs
Hi Christy! Thanks-you have great timing-we just finished your oreo ice cream cake!
I bet it would be even more wonderful with graham crackers intermingled with the ice cream. maybe crunched up? or with vanilla wafers? Yum!!!
You brought back memories of listening to Shaun Cassidy on cassette tape!
If there is a Bruster’s near any of you there ice cream is to die for!! They make it fresh every day. The mocha toffee chip is my favorite. Go to http://www.brusters.com to see if they have one near you. Their ice cream beats Baskin Robins hands down in my opinion!!!
My son always asked for Vienetta for a birthday treat in his middle school yrs . I will have to pass this along to his bride (of 3 weeks) . How did you ever think to use a hair pick ?? I wish my brain worked like that !
I definitely remember the ’80s, but I never had Viennetta! The name rings a bell. Looks good! That hair pick is pretty retro. I didn’t know they still sold those things. My mother was as frugal as they come so all we ever had when I was a kid was this store brand Neapolitan ice cream and the strawberry tasted like chemicals. After my husband and I got together we were talking about ice cream and realized that our mothers both got this awful ice cream and no one would ever eat the strawberry. Then they’d refuse to buy any more because, “There’s ice cream still in the freezer!” He did at least have a Commodore 64! He used to type up computer game code by hand that came out of magazines!
I still eat Breyer’s because their Carb Smart is very low in net carbs and Publix often puts it BOGOF. I went to get some last week and they only had one vanilla Carb Smart left so I looked for another sugar-free option. They did have no-sugar Neapolitan, but I cringed remembering that awful store brand from the ’70s & ’80s. I bought it anyway, and fortunately, even reduced-fat and without real sugar, it is still better than that stuff from my childhood!
I hear that kids today can’t be bothered to do email. It takes too long to type out paragraphs. They just want to do quick texts and Facebook updates.
I thought it was just in my mind about Breyers but then they ‘improved’ their coffee ice cream… one taste and it was like bidding adieu to lifelong love.haha… oh well.. thanks for the fun in re-creating some of those happy tastes from our memories.
I love coffee ice cream…