The six-turning-seven year old doesn’t like cake.

Pie is okay and brownies are tolerable. But ice cream is awesome. “Mom can I have lemon meringue pie for my birthday and ice cream cake for my party?” Sure, no problem. Except that I cannot find ice cream cake in the grocery stores here. After two or three failed searches through the freezer sections of local markets, I figured that it can’t be that hard to just make an ice cream cake, right? Plus, if I make it, it won’t have a layer of cake in it like most store-bought ones.

“And, Mom, can we do an ocean craft at my party?” Of course! We can do that. (I wonder what that will be….) A quick Google and Pinterest search, without getting sucked in or stressed out, and we’re all set. Bring on the party!

Ocean Crafts

Hand print hermit crabs: Materials: paint, chenille sticks (pipe cleaners), googly eyes, paper plates, marker, glue Process: Have the child make a hand print with their right hand. Allow to dry, cut around it. Cut a piece out of the side of the paper plate, draw a spiral on the plate. Glue hand print to plate. Bend the chenille stick in half, glue to the back of the plate, add eyes.

Paper plate aquariums: Materials: paper plates (one blue, or extra blue paper), scissors, plastic wrap, colored paper, pencil, glue, tape, stapler. Process: Cut a circle out of the middle of one paper plate. Tape a piece of plastic wrap to the inside of the circle. Draw and cut out ocean animal shapes. Glue them to the blue plate (or to the blue paper, then glue that to the inside of back plate. Staple the plates together.

Homemade Ice Cream Cake Time needed: at least 6 hours. Serves about 16-18.

Materials I used: Ice cream and frozen custard in three varieties (total of about 2-3 quarts or liters), sugar creme wafers, crushed waffle cones, coconut, magic shell, a tube of frosting, sugar decorations, 9×13 pan, off-set spatula

Directions: Allow 2 quart containers of ice cream to thaw to spreading consistency. Line a 9×13 pan with sugar creme wafers, spread one of the quarts over the cookies using the off-set spatula. Spread with waffle cones and coconut, add another layer of ice cream. Freeze at least two hours.

Thaw the last container of ice cream to spreading consistency. Spread over the layers. Freeze 2 hours. Top with magic shell and/or frosting; decorate. Freeze one more time.

To serve, let cake sit out for about 30 minutes. Warm a sharp knife in a glass of hot water. Use knife to cut cake, rinsing between slices.

Note: The variations are endless, of course. You can use fruit, nuts, cookies, peanut butter, Nutella, sponge cake, and other things as layers or toppings. It can also be made in a spring form pan, but with less ice cream.

Enjoy!