This post is a paid partnership with Hudsonville Ice Cream. As always, our opinions are our own.

After a unique and challenging year, we are ready to celebrate BIG this summer. The birthdays, the anniversaries, the special moments that were put on hold last year have suddenly come around again and this year are bursting on the scene as bigger and better than ever, perhaps in a way to “make up” for last year. Friends and families have reunited safely again, and at the center of the celebration there must be a show-stopping dessert. Show-stopping doesn’t necessarily have to be difficult to make, though! Lucky for us in St. Louis, we have Hudsonville Ice Cream available at the grocery store to make our summer celebrations memorable.

Hudsonville Ice Cream is based out of Michigan, and has used the same base recipe to make their irresistible flavors for over 90 years. They now have over 50 flavors and continue to create Limited Edition flavors that keep us coming back for more! They use milk from their neighbors at the local dairy farm in Holland, Michigan, and their ice cream is now readily available across the Midwest.

One way that we’ve been celebrating special moments this summer is by making Pioneer Woman’s Ice Cream Layer Cake using Hudsonville’s Deer Traxx ice cream. What we love most about this recipe is how incredibly easy it is. Using a few simple store-bought ingredients can create a cake your family will request time and time again. Our nine-year-old niece tried a bit of this cake at my birthday party and described it as “pure happiness.” What a review!

In her recipe, Ree Drummond uses a store-bought pound cake and cuts it into three equal pieces. Our store-bought pound cake was THICK so I actually preferred cutting it in five pieces and discarding the rounded top. It just worked a little better sitting in the pan. Layer a loaf pan with cling wrap both horizontally and vertically. You’ll want plenty to hang off the sides because you’ll be eventually wrapping that plastic on top.

Place one slice of the pound cake on the bottom of the pan. Then, add one cup of the Deer Traxx ice cream. You’ll need to spread it a bit with the back of a spoon so it covers the cake evenly. As the ice cream warms a bit, it will be easier to spread. Drummond then recommends adding a layer of candy to your cake, but we don’t need to do that because the Deer Traxx flavor is PACKED with mini peanut butter cups and chocolate fudge.

Continue to layer the cake and ice cream until you’ve reached the top of the pan. If you need to add more than a cup of ice cream between layers, I say go for it. Just as long as you’ve covered the entire pound cake, you can’t really go wrong with how much ice cream you use.

Make sure the last layer on top is ice cream and spread that layer nice and smooth. Cover the top of the ice cream with Smucker’s Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping. You may need to spread this quickly with a knife. Working sort of quickly, sprinkle extra chopped peanut butter cups on top and press them into the shell a bit before it hardens.

Wait a minute for it to set, then wrap the cling wrap around the top of the cake. Freeze for at least four hours. If you’re going to make this a day or two in advance, I recommend also wrapping the entire cake in foil, just to prevent any freezer burn.

To serve, lift the cake with the cling wrap out of the loaf pan and place on a cutting board. Use a sharp serrated knife to slice and serve! Here’s the big question- fork or spoon?! I polled our family and we’re pretty split. Personally, I like eating this cake with a fork, but others like to use a spoon. No matter which utensil you choose, it’s sure to disappear quickly.

This recipe truly couldn’t be easier, and with the combination of vanilla pound cake and Hudsonville’s Deer Traxx ice cream, it couldn’t be more delicious. We hope your celebrations this summer are particularly exceptional, and that you’ll make sweet memories together, compliments of Hudsonville Ice Cream. To find where Hudsonville is sold near you, check out their handy Scoop Locator, and be sure to print this coupon to receive $2.00 off any Hudsonville flavor!

Deer Traxx Ice Cream Cake

Original Ice Cream Cake Recipe by: Ree Drummond

Ingredients:

1 store-bought vanilla pound cake

1 container (48 fl.-oz.) Deer Traxx Hudsonville Ice Cream

6 Reese’s peanut butter cups, chopped

1 bottle Smucker’s Chocolate Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping

Preparation:

Line a foil loaf pan with cling wrap vertically and horizontally. Leave a lot on the edges to hang over, since you will be wrapping the cake in this later. Using a serrated knife, cut the pound cake into 1/2″ thick layers. Depending on the size of your pound cake, this will mean cutting in 4-5 even slices.

Place one piece of pound cake in the loaf pan. Add one cup of ice cream on top of the pound cake and use the back of a spoon to evenly spread it so it covers the cake. Adding more than a cup is not against the rules. Continue to layer pound cake and ice cream until you reach the top of the loaf pan. The last layer should be ice cream. Top the last ice cream layer with Magic Shell and use a knife to spread evenly. Working quickly, sprinkle the chopped peanut butter cups on top and gently press them into the Magic Shell.

Wrap the cake in the cling wrap and freeze for 4 hours. If freezing overnight, also wrap in foil. To serve, lift the cake from the loaf pan using the cling wrap, remove the wrap, and cut with a serrated knife on a cutting board. Enjoy!