What is an Ice Cream Torte?

An ice cream torte is just a fancy name for an ice cream cake. A torte dessert is similar to a tart but it’s typically made in a pan with straight edges, rather than in a fluted tart pan.

Slice of peanut butter ice cream cake with a graham cracker crust and covered in a layer of ganache and peanut butter cups.

What Kind of Crust for An Ice Cream Cake?

There are a few ways you can go for the crust of an ice cream cake. I’ve made one cake without a crust at all. The fudgy, brownie-like cake was the base of my peanut butter cookies and cream ice cream cake and it was divine!

You could also make an Oreo cookie crust, like I did for my peanut butter pie. And as much as I would never turn down an Oreo, I find sometimes find an Oreo crust a little fussy to work with.

For this ice cream cake, we opted instead for a graham cracker crust with just a hint of cinnamon and the extra level of flavor the crust lends to the torte is just amazing. It’s like the graham crackers were meant for this torte! The graham cracker crust is the same crust I use for our all-time favorite New York cheesecake so I knew it would be a good one to use.

As they say, good things come to those who wait and since I waited all day one Saturday for this treat, I was handsomely rewarded after dinner that night. This torte is AMAZING! I’ve made this peanut butter ice cream before but the milk chocolate ganache with chopped peanut butter cups inside and the cinnamon graham cracker crust totally it over the top.

Instructions

To make the ice cream: Purée the peanut butter, sugar, half and half, salt, and vanilla in a blender or food processor until smooth. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Chill the mixture for 1 hour in the freezer before adding to the springform pan.
To make the crust: While you wait for the mixture to chill in the refrigerator, butter a 9″ springform pan – choose one that has sides that are 2 3/4″ high. Stir the crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. ( I do this with my fingers.) Turn the ingredients into the springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs over the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don’t worry if the sides are not perfectly even or if the crumbs reach slightly above or below the midway point on the sides. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven. (At this point, the crust can be covered and frozen for up to 2 months.) Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350° F and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool completely.
To prepare the torte: After the ice cream mixture has chilled in the freezer for 1 hour and the crust has cooled completely, stir the ice cream to loosen it a little then pour it into the crust. Smooth the top of the ice cream out with an off-set spatula. Move the pan to the freezer and free the ice cream until it is completely frozen, about 6 hours.
Before removing the pan from the freezer, put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan. Bring the 1/2 cup of cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and, working with a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and smooth. Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing with an offset spatula. Scatter the chopped peanut butter cups over the top and freeze to set the topping, at least 30 minutes. When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the springform pan. Keep the torte frozen until ready to serve. Allow the torte to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before slicing. To slice, heat a sharp knife with hot water, dry the knife and slice through the torte.

Recipe Card powered by

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Torte

What is an Ice Cream Torte?

What Kind of Crust for An Ice Cream Cake?

Inspired to Make More Peanut Butter Ice Cream?