French Ice Cream Cake (Vacherin Recipe)
Want a unique summer dessert that’s as delicious as it is beautiful? This French ice cream cake, or vacherin, recipe is sure to be a hit.
I love to make this treat for the Frenchman’s birthday. When I first shared this recipe back in THIS YEAR, we had just finished celebrating with this gorgeous cake.
Called Vacherin in French, this ice cream cake is rather simple, with just three components: ice cream (bien sur!), meringue, and chantilly cream. Two meringue discs sandwich the ice cream or sorbet of your choice, and then the whole cake is iced with chantilly whipped cream to finish it off! It’s simple, delicious and completely refreshing on a hot day.
What is Vacherin?
If you spend any time researching vacherin online, you’ll find a variety of answers to what it is, from a round cheese made of cow’s milk to a complicated dessert that looks more like a pavlova than an ice cream cake.
But a true French vacherin is simple: a beautiful ice cream cake made with two discs of meringue, your favorite ice cream or sorbet and classic chantilly cream. Think of it like a giant, frosted ice cream sandwich. Does it get any better?
You can often find these French ice cream cakes in local patisseries, but it’s just as easy (and more fun) to make your own at home!
French Ice Cream Cake Ingredients
To make this vacherin recipe at home, you need a few basic ingredients (most of which you probably already have in your kitchen!).
- Egg whites: You’ll need 3 egg whites to make the meringue base for this ice cream cake. Use whole eggs and carefully separate the whites rather than using pre-packaged egg whites, which won’t whip as well.
- Granulated sugar: This is combined with the egg whites to make the meringue. Granulated sugar helps the egg whites come to stiff peaks and gives the meringue structure.
- Heavy whipping cream: You’ll use heavy cream to make the chantilly cream topping for this vacherin recipe. Make sure to use full-fat whipping cream for the best consistency.
- Powdered sugar: Add powdered sugar to the heavy cream while whipping to add sweetness and help it thicken.
- Ice cream or sorbet: Grab your favorite pints from the grocery store or your freezer stash! You can use ice cream, sorbet or a combination of the two. You’ll need about 2 pints total.
How to Make French Ice Cream Cake
Making vacherin cake at home comes down to four main steps:
- Making the meringue
- Molding the ice cream
- Making the chantilly cream
- Assembling the cake
Making The Meringue
Whip the egg whites in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment until they start to foam. Then, slowly add in the granulated sugar until the meringue starts to form.
Add the meringue to a piping bag and pipe two large circles onto a baking sheet. You want these to be slightly bigger than the mold you plan to use to form the ice cream portion of the cake. You can also pipe other shapes and designs with any leftover meringue.
One tip for the meringue circles: trace the mold you are using on the parchment paper you are going to pipe the meringue on. Flip the parchment paper over, so you still have the line showing through, but it’s not going to come into contact with the batter. I’d recommend piping the meringue a bit over the line (doesn’t need to be perfect).
Or if you can’t be bothered, in true rebel baker style, I’d say just go for it with the circle. Then, when you think it’s good, hold up the mold to compare. Again, it doesn’t have to be perfect; you just want to make sure the circle is large enough to fill the mold.
Bake the meringue for 8 minutes at 300F/150C before turning the oven down to 200F/90C and baking for two more hours.
Pro Tip: Once you turn off the oven, leave the meringue in it for several hours or even overnight to help it dry out.
Molding The Ice Cream
Use a round mold and line it with plastic wrap with an overhang over the sides of the mold. This will make it easy to remove the ice cream from the mold when it’s ready. Layer the ice cream into your mold one flavor at a time, freezing to harden it into place.
Pro Tip: You don’t need a fancy mold for this. I used a ring made for assembling entremet cakes – essentially a tall metal ring, open on the top and bottom. A cake pan would work perfectly as well. You could also try making a fun shape by using a bowl.
For the bowl mold, you could do one circle of meringue on the bottom of the cake, cover the cake with whipped cream, and then decorate with more meringue shapes. There’s certainly not one particular way to do this.
Make The Chantilly Cream
Start with a chilled mixing bowl and chilled whipping cream. Don’t make the chantilly cream until just before you want to assemble the cake.
To make it, add all of the cream to a bowl and use either a stand mixer or hand mixer to whisk until you get soft peaks. Then add the powdered sugar to taste and beat until you get medium to stiff peaks. If your cream is not whipping, you can try adding something with a high fat content, like a tablespoon of cream cheese, mascarpone, or crème fraiche.
Pro Tip: Don’t make the chantilly cream too sweet, because the meringue and ice cream are already very sweet.
Assemble the Vacherin
To put the cake together, start by removing the ice cream from its mold. To demold the ice cream, place the mold in hot water for a couple of seconds. Then test. If it isn’t coming out, place it back in the water for a couple more seconds and keep testing, until it comes out. Essentially, you are melting a little of the ice cream on the sides so it slips out.
When you’re ready to assemble the cake, peel the meringue circles off the parchment. If they’re a bit too large, you can use the mold to press down and cut them to the right size. I did this by first demolding the ice cream and putting it on a plate in the freezer so my ring was free, and giving it a quick wash and dry.
Place your molded ice cream on top of one of the meringue circles, then put the other meringue disc on top. Press down carefully, then put them in the freezer for a couple minutes to set.
Top the cake with the homemade chantilly cream, spreading it all over the top and sides of the cake like frosting. Put the cake back into the freezer until you’re ready to eat it.
Can you make vacherin in advance?
This is a great dessert to start making ahead. You can start the day before by making the meringue and molding the ice cream. I whipped up the meringue late in the evening after the sun went down and then left it in the oven overnight to continue to dry out. By the next afternoon, when I got around to putting the cake together, it was perfectly crisp.
The cake will be good for several days in the freezer (if it lasts that long!). The only thing that might happen is that the meringue on the outside softens just a little. If you prefer the chantilly cream fresh and unfrozen, then add this just before serving.
Personalize Your Vacherin Recipe
The great thing about this cake is that it can be customized so easily. Pick your favorite ice creams or the favorites of the person you’re making it for, et voila!
Sorbets are lovely because they add a bright, fresh flavor to this cake that can sometimes be lost with cream-based ice creams. I would recommend a mixture if you really want to include an ice cream, and not all sorbet. I used yogurt ice cream, passion fruit sorbet, and strawberry sorbet. I also noticed that the sorbets will stay frozen a bit longer than the ice cream, making it easier to assemble.
Make Your Own French Ice Cream Cake
While this vacherin recipe may seem like it has a lot of steps, it’s actually quite simple to make. If you’re looking for a special birthday treat or dessert for a party, French ice cream cake is absolutely a show-stopper!
Be sure to tag me on Instagram and TikTok when you share your cake online!
French Pastry Made Simple
This recipe, along with dozens of other French favorites, is included in my cookbook French Pastry Made Simple. Grab your copy and start baking!
Ice Cream Cake a la Française
Vacherin, the traditional ice cream cake in France made with just three components: ice cream or sorbet (or a combination of the two), meringue, and chantilly cream.
*See blog posts for tips. The ice cream quantity will vary greatly on the size of your mold. So if in doubt, buy a little extra. If your cream is not whipping add something with a high fat content, like a tablespoon of cream cheese, mascarpone, or creme fraiche.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 liter total of ice cream, sorbet, or a mixture of the two (about two pints)
Meringue
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 3 egg whites
Chantilly Cream:
- 300 ml heavy whipping cream (minimum of 30% fat)
- 25-50 g powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the French Meringue:
- Start with the meringue. Preheat your oven to 150*C/300*F.
- In a mixing bowl, add the egg whites and whip with the whisk attachment. When they start to foam, slowly start adding the sugar until a nice meringue forms.
- Transfer to a piping bag with a round tip (or no tip) and pipe two large circles that are slightly larger than the mold you will use to form the ice cream.
- Pipe any additional designs you might like to use to decorate and then bake for 8 minutes at 150C/300F. Then turn down the heat to 90C/200F and continue baking for 2 hours. Turn off the heat and leave in the oven overnight or for several hours to continue to dry out.
To mold the Ice Cream:
- Take your mold, and line it with plastic wrap with an overhang. Layer in the ice cream, one flavor at a time and then freeze to harden into place. It helps to leave the ice cream out for 20-30 minutes to soften before doing this.
To whip the Chantilly Cream:
- For best results, chill your mixing bowl before starting, and make sure the whipping cream is also well chilled. This should be made just before you start to assemble the cake.
- Add all the cream to the bowl and whip using either a hand mixer or the whisk attachment of a stand mixer.
- When you are at soft peak, add the powdered sugar to taste and the vanilla. You don't want it to be too sweet as the meringue and ice cream are already quite sweet in this dessert.
- Beat until medium to stiff peak, watching carefully that you don't overbeat the cream. You'll be able to tell this if the texture changes from being silky smooth to more jagged edges. To correct this, whip in a little bit more cream.
- Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
To Assemble:
- De-mold your ice cream/sorbet by placing it in hot water for a couple of seconds and then pulling on the plastic wrap to lift it out.
- Place on a plate and back in the freezer while you get the other components ready. Wash and dry the mold.
- Peel the circles off the meringue, and then use the mold you had the ice cream in to "cut" the circles to the right size by pressing down.
- Remove the ice cream from the freezer. If it is difficult to remove from the plate, let it stand for a couple of minute, or carefully dip just the bottom of the plate in hot water to release.
- Remove the plastic wrap and place on top of one of the meringue circles. Place the other one on top. Press down carefully. Then freeze for a couple of minutes to set.
- Take your chantilly cream out of the refrigerator and give it a quick brisk whip with a whisk to rewhip it.
- When ready, take the cake out of the freezer and ice with the cream, and decorate with more meringue pieces if you'd like! Put bake into the freezer until ready to eat.
Notes
The cake will be good for several days in the freezer (if it lasts that long!). The only thing that might happen is that the meringue on the outside softens just a little. Enjoy!
Bienvenue, I’m Molly!
I am a Pastry graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Paris offering pastry classes in Versailles and around France. Originally from Dallas, Texas, she moved to Paris in 2013 to follow her passion for baking & ended up staying!
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