From ice cream sandwiches to Bomb Pops and sundae cones, we all have our go-to favorites from the ice cream truck. As a kid, mine was the Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake Bar. I loved the crunchy exterior and sweet, creamy interior with layers of vanilla and strawberry ice cream in each bite. To this day, I’ll still happily order one when I see it as an option.
However, these days, those moments are few and far between. And, as it so happens, the craving for these nostalgic treats hits hardest when I’m tired from the heat, and the last thing I want to do is run outside to grab a box from the store. Luckily, my troubles may be solved with this easy recipe, inspired by the summer classic. The Strawberry Shortcake Bar is getting a homemade makeover, and I’m here for it.
Sohla El-Waylly’s Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake
Chef and New York Times best-seller Sohla El-Waylly recently posted on her Instagram a recipe for a Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake. She walks viewers through how to make an 8-inch cake with ingredients all inspired by the fan-favorite ice cream truck treat.
To make it, all you need are shortbread cookies, freeze-dried strawberries, vanilla ice cream, and strawberry sorbet. In the video, El-Waylly admits, “It’s so easy, it’s a little embarrassing, but I’m sharing the recipe with you—it’s the perfect summer dessert.”
To make the dessert, El-Waylly starts by crumbling the shortbread cookies and freeze-dried strawberries. The cake is then built by layering sections of the shortbread crumble between vanilla ice cream and strawberry sorbet.
“This is the most genius thing ever!!!” one of El-Waylly’s followers commented. “So excited to try this. And then probably eat it in one sitting,” added another person.
The post even garnered a comment from the maker of the original Strawberry Shortcake Bar, @goodhumor_icecream, who wrote, “This looks delicious!”
While the recipe looks easy enough, it begs the question: Does it taste like the original Strawberry Shortcake Bar? Lucky for you, I tried the recipe and here are my honest thoughts.
I Tried Sohla El-Waylly’s Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake
Allrecipes/Maddie Pedone
As a big fan of the original Strawberry Shortcake Bar, I had high expectations for this cake. Although I must admit, I didn’t think it would turn out so bad, considering I already love all the ingredients in it.
To test the recipe, I prepared a single serving by making the dessert in a ramekin. The process of making the cake was pretty straightforward. I crushed two shortbread cookies and a handful of freeze-dried strawberries to make the crunchy component. To build the cake, I followed the order used in the video: crumble mix, vanilla ice cream, strawberry sorbet, vanilla ice cream, and finally the crunchy mix again on top.
I would emphasize El-Waylly’s tips of letting the ice cream sit in the fridge for around five minutes before assembling and freezing the layers in between each step. This makes it a lot easier to spread the ice cream and prevent the flavors from mixing.
I froze the mini cake for about four hours because I couldn’t wait any longer to try it. Then came the ultimate test—the taste test—and I am happy to report it was delicious. I thought there was a good balance of flavors between vanilla and strawberry. I found the crunchy mixture of strawberries and shortbread cookies to be a good addition that pulls the two ice creams together. El-Waylly totally nailed it with this cake—both the texture and flavor are reminiscent of Strawberry Shortcake Bars.
Given how easy this recipe is, I know I’ll be returning to it time and time again. Plus, there are so many different variations to try, such as using different freeze-dried fruit and sorbet flavors, like mango or blueberry.
While I think the recipe is perfect as is, Allrecipes also has a Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake recipe. This one uses vanilla ice cream sandwiches to recreate the soft, buttery vanilla bits found in the ice cream bar, along with fresh strawberries. The result is a creamy, strawberry-packed cake that’s slightly more varied in terms of texture, and is just as delicious and easy to make.
With two different recipes that recreate my favorite childhood dessert, I may never need to buy a Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bar from an ice cream truck again.
