Copycat Dairy Queen™ Ice Cream Cake

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• Pull out the party hats, people. Fire up the ElectroHouse playlists. Forget the pricey trip to the ice cream shop. Because it’s toodarnedeasy and tres fun, too, making your own ice cream birthday cake. The 13-year-old in my life has informed me that any proper party post will include “dank memes” and “dabbing.” Seeing as how I know nothing about either of these words, and feel far too tired to consult the oracle that is Urban Dictionary, I will dig deep into my recipe writing terminology to properly convey the celebration that is DIY ICE CREAM CAKE-MAKING. Just a handful of super simple steps, a whole lotta creative decorating fun, and by tomorrow you’ll be pulling the prettiest ice cream cake outta your fridge. Like, hello pretty.Grab a springform pan and line it with parchment. This step is optional, but it makes it easy to transfer the finished frozen cake to a serving plate. For the best fit, trace around the bottom of your pan on the parchment paper before cutting. If you’re new to springform pans, don’t panic. They’re easy to find in everyday kitchenware stores, typically cost under $20 and are really easy to use. The whole idea here is that the cake can be built in a high-sided pan. Once frozen, the edges of the pan peel off, so you don’t have to dig your cake out of the depths of frozen metal. A good thing. Plus, springform pans are useful for homemade cheesecake making, chocolate torte cake baking and all other sorts of desserty dreams. So, handy to have in the haus.For this cake we went with basic chocolate and vanilla ice cream. But you can totally get as haywire fancy as you want. Fill it with whichever ice cream combo you please. When it's time to freeze your concoction, overnight is best, but sometimes you can get away with a 3-4 hour turn in le freezer. That’ll depend on your freezer, so overnight is the safe bet. Quick tip: freeze the serving plate for 15-20 minutes before transferring the ice cream cake atop. This will keep the bottom of the cake from melting. Then, grab every pack of Betty Crocker cake décor you’ve ever wanted and let your crafty fly. Sprinkles, jimmies, candy chips, candy letters, candles—decorate your cake any way you please. Whether you’re celebrating something little like a Tuesday night, or something big like a 30th birthday, this cake has party written all over it. And that, dear ones, is worth a dab. Or a dank meme. Or whatever you say when forking ice cream cake onto a happy tongue.