Yield: one 9″ cake // Total Time: 13 hr. 30 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.
Apple pie, but make it even better and more delicious. Welcome to my recipe for apple pie ice cream cake! This cake features an apple blondie as it’s base, and is filled with a graham cracker vanilla ice cream and homemade apple pie filling. All of that gets topped off with some extra graham crackers, apple pie filling, and a homemade salted caramel sauce!
Quick and important notes
Measuring the ingredients
My recipes are all written in grams because it is a more accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! Here is my favorite kitchen scale, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!
Keeping the cake cold
It is important that both the blondie and apple pie filling have significantly cooled off before assembling the cake. If the blondie and apple filling are warm, the ice cream will not set properly. I recommend making both of them ahead of time for the easiest assembly.
Ingredients and Substitutions
All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness in the apple blondies.
Ground cinnamon: for flavoring the blondie and the apple pie filling.
Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the blondies.
Baking powder: for helping the blondies rise.
Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the blondies. You can substitute in salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra added salt from the blondies.
Light brown sugar: for adding moisture, sweetness, and flavor to the blondies. Brown sugar is what really gives blondies their depth of flavor, and would not turn out with granulated sugar. If you are looking for a deeper flavor in the blondies, you can try subbing in dark brown sugar.
Egg: for adding moisture and binding the batter together.
Vanilla: for flavoring! This is my favorite vanilla extract.
Apples: use your favorite type of apples for this cake, I use gala and pink lady! We will use a total of three medium sized apples in the blondie and in the apple pie filling. If you would like to use store bought apple pie filling, you will only need 1 medium sized apple to make the blondie.
Lemon: for bringing out the flavor of the apple pie filling. If you don’t have fresh lemon, you can substitute in 1/2 tbsp. of bottled lemon juice.
Corn starch: for thickening up the apple filling. If you don’t have corn starch, you can use double the amount of flour in place of the corn starch.
Granulated sugar: for sweetening up the apple pie filling.
Vanilla Ice Cream: I used french vanilla ice cream, but you can use your favorite vanilla ice cream in place of french vanilla!
Cool whip topping: for lightening up the ice cream filling.
Graham crackers: to add some classic apple pie crust flavor to the cake. You can also use cinnamon graham crackers for some extra apple pie flavor.
Caramel: optional for topping the cake. You can use store-bought caramel sauce, or you can make my delicious and easy 15 minute salted caramel sauce!
Apple Pie Ice Cream Cake Q&A
Salted Caramel Sauce
I recommend making my super easy and delicious 15 minute salted caramel sauce. You can even make it up to one week in advance and store it in the fridge! If you are looking for something more quick, you can use a thick store-bought caramel sauce and add salt to taste for a super easy caramel sauce.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Definitely! The caramel sauce, apple pie filling, and apple blondie can all be made ahead of time to make assembly of the cake super easy. The blondie can be made, covered tightly with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days before assembly. The apple pie filling and caramel sauce can be made up to one week and stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to one week before assembly.
How to store apple pie ice cream cake.
I recommend covering the top of the springform pan tightly with plastic wrap in the freezer to prevent any freezer burn and to extend the life of the cake. The cake should last up to one month by storing it this way.
Tools and ingredients
For a full list of tools, equipment and ingredients that I use and love, you can check out this page here.
Did you make this apple pie ice cream cake?
If you made this apple pie ice cream cake I would love to see it and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Apple Pie Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
Apple Pie Blondie
- 180 g all purpose flour
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- 113 g unsalted butter
- 160 g light brown sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 medium apple
Apple Pie Filling
- 2 medium apples
- juice of ½ lemon
- 240 mL water
- 1 tbsp. corn starch
- 100 g granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Ice Cream Filling
- 48 oz vanilla bean or french vanilla ice cream
- 8 oz cool whip topping
- 40 g graham crackers crushed
Garnish
- 2 sheets graham crackers crushed
- 2 sheets graham crackers not crushed
- caramel sauce
Instructions
Apple Pie Blondie
- Brown the butter. Add the butter to a medium sized saucepan. Stir the butter ocassionally until it begins to bubble up and turn amber in color. Immediately take the butter off of the heat and pour into a medium sized heat safe mixing bowl. Set aside to cool in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F / 160°C. Grease the bottom of a 9" springform pan with butter and set aside. While waiting for the butter to cool, peel and shred the apple.
- Once the butter has cooled off, whisk in the sugar. Then, whisk in the egg and vanilla until very well combined.
- Whisk in the shredded apple.
- Add in the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Use a rubber spatula to fold the mixture together just until no flour streaks remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the blondie comes out clean.
- If assembling the cake all in one day, place the blondie, still in the pan into the freezer to chill prior to adding the ice cream. Otherwise, wait for the blondie to cool to room temperature and then tightly wrap it in plastic wrap to sit out overnight.
Apple Pie Filling
- Peel and small dice the apples and place them into a medium sized bowl. Toss the apples with the lemon juice
- In a medium sized saucepan set over medium heat, stir together the water and the corn starch. Once the corn starch has dissolved, mix in the sugar and cinnamon, followed by the diced apples.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Take the mixture off of the heat to cool. If assembling the cake all in one day, place the apples into the freezer to chill before making the cake. Otherwise, store the apples in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to assemble the cake.
Ice Cream Filling
- Take the ice cream and cool whip out of the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, until softened.
- Crush the graham crackers until they are very small and fine.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the ice cream, cool whip, and graham crackers and the lowest speed until just combined.
- Spread half of the ice cream filling over the chilled blondie. Then, spread most of the apple filling over the ice cream, reserving some for the garnish. Carefully spread the rest of the ice cream filling over the apples.
- Place the cake into the freezer to chill overnight.
Garnish
- Top the frozen cake with caramel, graham crackers, and the leftover apple filling. Carefully remove the cake from the springform pan. Serve, and enjoy!
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