No-Churn Peanut Butter Ice Cream Makes a Decadent Cake

It was 2002, and I was happily unwrapping an ice cream maker that someone had kindly given me as a wedding gift. Yes, I had registered, but it was still exciting to hold that box in my hand, imagining all the ice cream I would make for my friends and family in our new little apartment. However, this shiny new machine didn’t make much ice cream, because before I had even had time to learn how to use it, I had discovered ice cream without an ice cream maker.

No-churn ice cream has been around for decades, in modern magazines and vintage cookbooks alike, with variations all over the place. It’s different from “regular” ice cream, which often requires egg yolks, heavy cream, milk, sugar, and an expensive ice cream maker. The no-churn method, on the other hand, is simple: Stir 2 cups of whipped cream into a 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk and freeze until firm. You can honestly get away with just those two ingredients. However, it’s more fun (and delicious) to add other ingredients.

In my experimentation, I discovered that a few extra ingredients make this ice cream truly special. First, adding a little salt helps cut the sweetness, as an entire can of sweetened condensed milk has a good amount of it. Cream cheese adds a much-needed tang, which helps balance out that sweetness and helps keep the ice cream creamy when frozen. A big dollop of vanilla adds depth of flavor, and my favorite flavors have some added acidity (like coffee or blood orange juice) to help cut through the intense richness.

While I’ve made all sorts of cakes over the years that I love—chocolate, vanilla, olive oil, mint, pumpkin, espresso—today I’ve made you an extravagant no-churn peanut butter ice cream cake that’s perfect for lazy summer days and national holidays.

No-Ice Cream Maker Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake

For 10 people.

This ice cream cake is very rich, and a small amount goes a long way. If all the steps seem too long, you can always make the ice cream by itself (without the crust and magic shell) and it will still be very delicious. The cake will need to be frozen for at least six hours before serving. By Sarah Kieffer.

Crust:

• 2 cups (200 g) Oreo Thins or other chocolate wafer cookies

• 4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter, melted

No-Churn Peanut Butter Ice Cream:

• 1 can (14 oz, 397 g) sweetened condensed milk

• 1/3 cup (108 g) creamy peanut butter

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

• 3/4 tsp lemon juice

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 2 oz (57 g) cream cheese, at room temperature

• 2 cups (480 g) heavy cream

• 16 cups Reese’s Peanut Butter, optional (see Note)

Chocolate shell:

• 2 cups (340 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1/3 cup (75 g) refined coconut oil or shortening

Directions

Line a 9 x 4 x 4-inch Pullman pan or 9 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.

For the dough: Place cookies in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely crumbled. Transfer crumbs to a medium bowl and pour melted butter over top. Use a spatula to mix until well combined. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan.

For the ice cream: In a large bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter, vanilla, lemon juice and salt until completely combined.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the heavy cream in a slow, steady stream, mixing until combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until stiff peaks form, 4 to 6 minutes.

Add half of the whipped cream mixture to the sweetened condensed milk mixture and whisk until well combined. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining whipped cream mixture until no streaks remain. If using chopped peanut butter cups, add them now and stir (see Note). Pour the ice cream mixture evenly over the crust in the prepared pan.

If using whole peanut butter cups as pictured (I used Reese’s Thins), carefully place them in the ice cream in four rows, four wide. Place the ice cream in the freezer and freeze until firm, 6 hours or, covered, up to 1 week.

For the chocolate shell: Place chocolate chips and coconut oil in a large measuring cup or other microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir. Repeat until melted and completely smooth. Use immediately.

To assemble: When ready to serve, place a wire rack over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using the wire rack, remove the iced cake from the pan, peel off the parchment, and place it on the prepared pan. Pour all of the hot Magic Shell over the cake, letting it drip down the sides to completely cover them. The Magic Shell will harden quickly. Carefully move the iced cake to a serving plate if desired and cut into pieces. Serve immediately. Leftover iced cake can be stored in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 week.

Note: Cutting the peanut butter cups (instead of sliding them in whole) makes the cake easier to cut. For a less rich cake, the peanut butter cups can be omitted.

Sarah Kieffer is a Minnesota baker, cookbook author, and creator of the blog Vanilla Bean. Follow her on Instagram at @sarah_kieffer.