Chocolate Caramel Toffee Trifle Ice Cream Cake
Devils Food chocolate cake mix
1 16-ounce container Cool Whip, thawed
2 half gallons ice cream, different flavors (we used Heath Bar ice cream and Chocolate Cheesecake ice cream)
1 bag heath bar bits
8 tablespoons caramel syrup (or coffee)
6 tablespoons caramel topping
6 tablespoons chocolate syrup (I didn't use this, but wish I had!)
10-inch spring form pan
7-inch spring form pan
Bake the cake in a 9x13 pan according to the directions on the box and cool completely in the pan. Take a fork and crumble the cake into crumbs. Drizzle with the 8 tablespoons of caramel syrup or coffee and toss with a fork to moisten.
Thaw the heath bar ice cream for about 15-20 minutes, or until it's spreadable but not too runny. It may be helpful to transfer the ice cream to a large bowl and stir to smooth it out for spreading.
While the ice cream is thawing, spray the sides only of the spring form pans with non-stick spray, then cut pieces of parchment or wax paper and press against the sides of the pan. Trim to fit.
It's time to build your first layer. Scoop two cups of the cake crumbs into the 10-inch pan and 1 cup of cake crumbs into the 7-inch pan. Press down firmly with the back of a spoon to cover the bottom of the pans. (If the cake sticks to the spoon, spray the back of the spoon with non-stick spray.)
Scoop 2 cups of ice cream into the 10-inch pan and 1 cup of ice cream into the 7 inch pan. Spread evenly.
Drizzle each with 1 tablespoon of caramel topping (and chocolate syrup if you're using it) and a generous sprinkling of heath bits. I got a big glob of caramel topping in one spot, but no worries! It doesn't have to be perfect. The beauty of this recipe is how the imperfection of the layers still look completely amazing.
Scoop 1 cup of cool whip into the 10-inch pan and 1/2 cup of cool whip into the 7-inch pan. Spread evenly.
Freeze both pans for 1 hour.
Now build your second layer. Thaw the chocolate ice cream to a spreadable consistency. I built the second layer a little different from the first, since I used all of the chocolate ice cream for this layer. Start with the cake, 2 cups for the 10-inch pan and 1 cup for the 7-inch pan.
Now spread 2/3 of the carton of chocolate ice cream in the 10-inch pan and 1/3 of the chocolate ice cream in the 7-inch pan. Finish with the caramel topping, heath bits and cool whip, as you did for the first layer. After completing the second layer, freeze pans for 1 hour.
For the third and last layer, I filled the 10-inch pan to the top with two cups of cake crumbs and the rest of the heath bar ice cream. Then I filled the 7-inch pan to the top with 1 cup of cake crumbs and just topped with cool whip. Spread both layers so that they are smooth and even. For the final layer, I only sprinkled the 7-inch cake with heath bits.
(After both pans are filled, you should still have about 1 1/2 cups of cool whip and a few heath bar bits left for garnish.)
Cover the pans with plastic wrap and freeze overnight, at least 8 hours.
When you're ready to assemble the cake, press down gently on each cake to make sure they are very firm. Set the 10-inch pan on a plate or cake pedestal. Carefully, remove the sides of the pan and peel the wax paper off the cake. (The 10-inch cake will remain on the base of the spring-form pan.)
Take the 7-inch cake and carefully remove the sides of the pan and peel the wax paper off the cake. Take a sharp knife and gently slide it under the cake, between the cake and the base, to loosen it from the base. The whole cake should lift off the base pretty easily. Once you've removed the 7-inch cake from its base, center it on top of the 10-inch cake.
Take the remaining cool whip and using a pastry bag or piping gun, pipe the cool whip around the base of the top cake in a pretty pattern. I used a star tip on a piping gun to achieve this look. Sprinkle with the remaining heath bits and you're done!
Freeze until ready to eat, and if desired, drizzle with more caramel topping before serving.
Original Blog Post: Chocolate Caramel Toffee Trifle Ice Cream Cake