A surefire hit of any summer gathering is any cold dessert, especially if it involves ice cream. That’s why this particular recipe for a peach and butter pecan ice cream-flavored “icebox cake” from Epicurious is a sweet summer treat that’s guaranteed to cool you down and taste great while doing it. What really sets this recipe apart from other ice cream cakes is the use of peach jam or preserves that are infused into whipped cream as well as multiple layers of salty, buttery Ritz crackers. Add in a middle layer of butter pecan ice cream, and all of these wonderful ingredients work together to produce an insatiably delicious flavor, hearty texture, and a cold temperature that’s perfect for this time of year.

Ingredients for Ice Cream Cake

• 30 Ritz crackers
• ¼ cup of raw pecans
• ½ pint of butter pecan ice cream, softened at room temperature until pliable
• ⅔ cup of peach jam or preserves
• 1½ cups of chilled heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
• A pinch of kosher salt

Directions for the Ice Cream Cake

1. You’ll want to begin this delicious dessert recipe by lining a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. Be sure to leave a few inches of overhanging plastic wrap on all sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into the refrigerator, allowing it to chill, until you are ready to use it.
2. Place a dry, small skillet over medium heat and toast your ¼ cup of raw pecans in the skillet. Toast them while tossing them occasionally until they are fragrant and slightly darkened, which should take about 5-8 minutes. Once they’re fragrant and slightly darkened, let them cool before coarsely chopping them; afterward, set them aside.
3. Next, take an electric mixer, set it on a medium-high speed setting, and beat your cream and powdered sugar in a large bowl until stiff peaks begin to form. This shouldn’t take longer than about 3 minutes to occur. Place your peach jam or preserves in a separate medium bowl and whisk the jam to loosen it up. Afterward, you may gently mix in half of your whipped cream, take the other half of whipped cream and mix your vanilla extract and kosher salt into it.
4. Then, you’ll take your prepared loaf pan and half of your vanilla whipped cream and spread the whipped cream into an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Arrange a layer of Ritz crackers on top of the layer. Feel free to break or cut the crackers as needed so that they can fit. Next, add half of your peach whipped cream atop the crackers, and use a spreading utensil to smooth the whipped cream in an even layer. Top the peach whipped cream layer with another layer of crackers, just as before.
5. Take an ice cream scoop and place a few dollops of your softened butter pecan ice cream across the top of the second cracker layer before smoothing it into an even layer of ice cream. Add a third layer of crackers, followed by the remaining peach whipped cream, a fourth layer of crackers, and lastly, the remaining vanilla whipped cream, which is spread on top. It’s okay and even expected if the final whipped cream layer is a little higher than the edges of the pan.
6. Scatter your reserved pecans on top of it all and then cover the loaf pan with that plastic overhang from before. Place the covered loaf pan into the freezer or “icebox” until it sets, which should take a minimum of 6 hours.
7. When serving, you’ll unmold the cake using the plastic overhang. If the cake is resistant to coming out of the pan, you can run the sides of the loaf pan with warm water to loosen it. Slide the cake out of the pan onto a platter, cut it into slices, and enjoy. Note: This cake can be made 2 days ahead of time, and it’s best to keep it frozen until serving.

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