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This Birthday Cake Ice Cream is rich, creamy, not too dense, and it’s packed with actual mini cupcakes (frosting and all!) plus plenty of sprinkles. No ice cream maker needed, no weird ingredients, just a hand mixer and a loaf pan!
It’s giving party in a pan, and we’re very into it.
It’s the frozen cupcake bits for me.
What do you get when you combine soft-serve vibes, birthday cake energy, and zero need for an ice cream machine? This.
A dreamy, no churn Birthday Cake Ice Cream that’s loaded with mini cupcakes, frosting swirls, and the kind of sprinkles that make you feel like a kid again.
We’re talking a sweet, creamy vanilla base that comes together with just four ingredients—heavy cream, milk, sugar, and a splash of joy. (Okay, the joy is vanilla, but same thing honestly.)
You don’t need anything fancy, just a hand mixer, a loaf pan, and the willingness to not eat all the cupcakes before they make it into the ice cream.
If this recipe reminds you of our cake shake, that’s because they’re very similar. Actual cake in both recipes because we’re living our best lives over here.
♥ 3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:
- No Churn, No Problem: You’ll need a hand mixer and a loaf pan. No churning required! It takes about 25 minutes to prepare and a few hours to freeze. It’s even simpler by making use of pre-made mini cupcakes!
- Cake + Ice Cream in One: If you’ve ever mashed your birthday cake right into your ice cream (👋 it’s me!), this recipe does the work for you. Bites of cake and swirls of frosting all throughout!
- Soft Serve Vibes: A lot of no churn ice creams are very dense, but not this guy. It’s light and creamy – then you hit a pocket of frosting or a sprinkle-studded cupcake chunk and it’s like, oh yes, that’s the stuff.
Ingredient Notes:
Heavy Cream & Whole Milk – It’ll make up the creamy base of this homemade ice cream recipe. Be sure to use whole milk here for the best results.
Sugar – For beating together with the milk and cream to sweeten up the vanilla ice cream. Don’t worry – it melts in beautifully. No grainy ice cream here!
Vanilla Extract – Use a good quality extract here for the best flavor! You could also go for a cake batter flavor if you wanted even more cake vibes, but we really like the vanilla base.
Mini Vanilla Cupcakes – Any pre-made, mini vanilla cupcakes from the grocery store bakery should work well here. You could use other flavors besides vanilla if you wish.
Rainbow Sprinkles – The rainbow sprinkles add that birthday cake look to the ice cream.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
My Favorite Vanilla!
A good quality vanilla really does make a difference and this is my favorite brand.
Step by Step Instructions:
Quarter the mini cupcakes and place them on a cookie sheet with parchment paper in the freezer while you proceed to making the ice cream.
Beat the heavy cream and sugar until peaks form, then add in the milk and vanilla and beat again for at least 5 minutes.
Gently stir in the sprinkles and the slightly frozen cupcakes. Stir by hand so you don’t break up the cupcakes.
Pour the ice cream mixture into a metal loaf pan and add extra sprinkles right on top. Pop this in the freezer for at least 6 hours.
Helpful Tip!
Storage Instructions:
You’ll want to keep this ice cream stored like pretty much every other kind of ice cream: in the freezer. I wrap mine in plastic wrap and then foil and store for up to 2 months.
💬 Real Talk
Yes, you’re going to feel slightly ridiculous buying mini cupcakes just to tear them apart. But trust the process. Those frosting pockets and cupcake bites? That’s the magic.
Also, this stuff isn’t hard or dense like a lot of no churn ice cream. It’s so light and creamy with major soft-serve vibes. It’s kind of a dream.
More Frozen Treats:
- Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
- S’mores Ice Cream
- Strawberry Popsicle Recipe
- Orange Creamsicle Popsicle
- Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple Ice Cream
- Pumpkin Ice Cream
- Caramel Ice Cream
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Birthday Cake Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup granulated Sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup rainbow sprinkles
- 6 mini vanilla cupcakes store bought
Instructions
- Carefully quarter the cupcakes, place them on a cookie sheet with parchment and freeze them while you make the rest of the ice cream.
- Make the rest of the ice cream by beating the heavy cream and sugar until stiff peaks form, then add in the milk and vanilla and beat again for at least 5 minutes.
- Gently stir in the sprinkles and the slightly frozen cupcakes.
- Pour the mixture into a loaf pan and let freeze in the freezer for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
- Use an ice cream scoop ran under hot water to scoop out the ice cream. Let the ice cream set on the counter for 5 minutes before scooping for a softer consistency.
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