The General Rule Of Thumb For Adding Mix-Ins To Ice Cream Cake

Ice cream cake is the uniting of two supreme dessert forces. Add to that some mix-ins — be it brownies, cookies, candy, or otherwise — and you truly can claim that just about all the best things in the world may be on a single plate.

That said, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Overloading your homemade ice cream cake with chunks and swirls could adversely affect the experience. Too many particulates (chopped up bits like candy, cookies, or nuts — "the chunks") or variegates (liquid additions like jams, fudge, caramel, or peanut butter — the "swirls") may impede the freezing process of your ice cream, compromising your composition and making it hard to cut cleanly. Mix-ins also may simply sink to the bottom rather than stay suspended throughout — and uneven distribution is no fun either.

A good rule of thumb is to hover around ¼ the amount of ice cream, so about 1 to 1 ½ cups per quart. That's not an opinion or rule designed to ruin the party, but rather, to ensure you have a sturdy cake that'll support a very good time.

Selecting your mix-ins is a delicate process. Sure, you can grab any candy off the grocer's shelf and toss it in, but it's important to keep in mind that what you add to your ice cream will be subject to temperatures it may not be designed for and will behave differently as such.

That cold factor is why you don't typically find untreated, natural pieces of fruit in your ice cream; their high moisture content means they become icy, gritty frozen fruit cubes. Instead, fresh fruit is typically turned into a jam or jelly and swirled in, or even blended into the base. And it may not be common knowledge that some inclusions and variegates — like marshmallow cream — are special versions designed for the commercial ice cream maker, adapted for the cold and not the same as what one would find on the shelf at the grocery store.

You can also experiment with making your own mix-ins. Adding a little coconut or canola oil to your chocolate chips or peanut butter cups will help temper them and make them melt in your mouth while staying firm in the ice cream. If you're making your own fruit jam, homemade caramel, or fudge, be certain your swirl is nice and cool so it won't melt through your ice cream mix and wind up lining the bottom of your cake.

Given your understanding of ice cream cake construction, you can turn your attention to flavor combinations and composition. You may take inspiration from the occasion: During the holiday season, peppermint stick ice cream featuring crushed up candy canes, carrot cake ice cream with cream cheese swirls around Easter, chocolate-covered strawberry for Valentine's celebrations, or pumpkin ice cream with crushed gingersnap cookies come harvest time. In the summer, berries provide all kinds of fruity inspiration, along with stone fruits for sweet swirls.

Classics like maple ice cream with wet walnuts or rum raisins transform into iconic cakes all year long. If it's a birthday you're celebrating with your cake, fold in some colorful sprinkles. Brownies make an excellent addition whether you're creating a vanilla, chocolate, fruit-based, or peanut butter ice cream cake. No matter what you choose to mix into your cake, following this simple go-to guideline will give you a high ratio of ice cream satisfaction.