Pistachio Kulfi Ice Cream Cake is layered with an eggless pistachio sponge cake, creamy pistachio kulfi, and cardamom whipped cream — this is truly a show-stopping summer dessert perfect for all your summer entertaining!
If you are looking for more Indian kulfi recipes, try my mango kulfi, strawberry kulfi or chocolate kulfi next!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Kulfi Ice Cream Cake Recipe
🕒 Ready In: ~12 hours
👪 Serves: 12 servings
🧑🍳 Main Ingredients: Raw pistachios, heavy cream, condensed milk, sugar, cardamom, flour, oil and yogurt.
📖 Dietary Info: Vegetarian, eggless recipe
📌 Difficulty: Fairly easy
Why you’ll love this kulfi ice cream cake?
It’s basically a classic ice cream cake — but with an Indian twist — and it turns into the most perfect summer dessert. It’s easy to make, looks seriously impressive, and it’s one of those make-ahead cakes that makes entertaining feel so much less stressful, especially for backyard parties and summer get-togethers.
For the cake layer, I went with a soft pistachio sponge and kept it eggless so the whole dessert stays a beautiful eggless ice cream cake. I used ground pistachios right in the batter for that deep nutty flavor, then folded chopped pistachios into my kulfi recipe for texture, and finished everything with a final sprinkle on top for color and crunch.
It’s one of those desserts that looks like you spent hours on it… but it’s actually much simpler than it seems. And honestly? Yum.
- maria doss
🧑🍳 My Top Tip
This cake is a 1–2 day process, so here’s a simple breakdown of how to make it:
Day 1:
- Make the pistachio cake and let it cool completely.
- While the cake is baking, prepare the saffron cream and allow it to cool.
- Once cooled, transfer the saffron cream to the fridge and chill for 2–4 hours.
By this time, the cake should also be fully cooled.
Still Day 1:
- Make the kulfi ice cream mixture. Spread it evenly over the cooled cake.
- Freeze for at least 2 hours, until slightly set.
- Then prepare the whipped cream topping and spread it over the kulfi layer.
- Cover and freeze overnight until fully set.
👉 This kulfi cake recipe is also pulbished on our Substack: Modern Cravings as part of Indian Dessert Recipes!
More Kulfi Recipes
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Kulfi Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
For the pistachio cake
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup raw pistachios
- 8 whole cardamoms
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plain yogurt (refer notes to use Greek yogurt)
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons water
For the kulfi
- 2 cups heavy cream divided
- ½ teaspoon saffron threads
- 1 can (14-ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- ¼ cup raw pistachios chopped
For the cardamom whipped cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
Instructions
Make the pistachio cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round springform pan and set aside.
- In a food processor, add 1 cup flour, ½ cup pistachios, 8 cardamom, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt. Process for 2–3 minutes, until the pistachios and cardamom are finely ground.
- In a medium bowl, add 1 cup yogurt, ¾ cup sugar, ½ cup oil and 2 tablespoons water. Whisk for about 2 minutes, until the mixture looks creamy and the sugar is mostly dissolved.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and gently whisk just until combined. Do not overmix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Smooth the top.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack. Do not remove it from the pan!
Make the kulfi
- Add 1 cup heavy cream and ½ teaspoon saffron to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until the cream just begins to boil, keeping a close eye so it doesn’t overflow. Remove from the microwave, stir well, and let it cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold — at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Once chilled, pour it into a large bowl along with the remaining 1 cup heavy cream. Using an electric mixer, beat on high speed until thick and softly whipped, about 1 ½ minutes.
- Add 1 can of condensed milk, 1 teaspoon cardamom powder and ¼ cup chopped pistachios. Beat again for about 30 seconds, just until everything is fully combined.
- Pour this whipped kulfi mixture over the cooled pistachio cake. Spread it evenly across the top. Cover the pan tightly with foil and freeze for 2 to 4 hours, until it begins to firm.
Make the cardamom whipped cream
- Add 1 cup heavy cream, 3 tablespoons sugar, and ½ teaspoon cardamom powder to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until thick peaks form and the cream holds its shape.
- Spread this whipped cream evenly over the partially set kulfi layer. Finish by sprinkling chopped pistachios on top for crunch and color. Cover the pan tightly with foil and freeze for at least 8 hours, or until fully set.
Serving suggestion
- When you’re ready to serve, slice the kulfi ice cream cake and enjoy.👉I highly recommend letting the slices sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before eating. This allows the cake and kulfi to soften slightly, making the texture creamier and much more enjoyable than eating it straight from the freezer.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
Serving Suggestions
Simply slice and serve, just like any ice cream cake.
That said, I highly recommend letting the slices sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before digging in. This gives the cake and kulfi a chance to soften slightly, making them creamier and more delicious. The texture is so much more enjoyable than eating it straight from the freezer.
How to make pistachio sponge cake?
MADE THIS RECIPE AND LOVED IT? 💚 Please leave a ⭐️STAR rating and COMMENT below- I love to hear your feedback! Tag me with your creations on Instagram and find me on Facebook.
Hi, I’m Maria! I share easy, flavor-packed dinners, high-protein meals, and irresistible baking ideas. If you’ve ever asked, “Don’t know what to cook tonight?” you’re in the right place. And yes—there’s plenty here for breakfast, snacks, and dessert too. More about maria ->
Apoorva
Hi Maria, thanks for the amazing detailed recipe. I made it last week and it was an instant hit. Couple of questions for next time I make it:
1. The dough for the pistachio cake was quite hard to spread, is that expected?
2. I want to make the kulfi a bit less sweet, can I just reduce the amount of condensed milk to 75% or do I need to sub something else for the texture?
Maria Doss
Hi Apoorva,
Glad you loved the cake. To answer your questions:
1. The cake batter is supposed to be light and spreadable consistency. My guess would be that the yogurt was thick. You could try stirring in 1 or 2 tablespoons water into the cake batter, if this is the case next time.
2. I would recommend increasing heavy cream by about 1/4 cup in the kulfi recipe if you are reducing the condensed milk to 75%.
Hope it helps, Maria
Apoorva
@Maria Doss, thank you for your response- this is very helpful!
Shruti
Hi Maria
Thank you for the recipe. Can this be made without the spring foam pan? If so, would the kulfi ice cream need to be prepared a day before in a separate cake pan? Thanks
Maria Doss
Hi Shruti,
The springform makes it extremely easy to remove the ice cream cake when done. Alternatively, you could try lining a 9-inch (or 8-inch) round pan with several layers of plastic wrap (or foil) and then assemble the cake as instructed. When ready to remove, try loosening the plastic wrap with a butter knife, gently remove the cake out and remove any remaining plastic wrap sticking to the cake.
If serving directly from pan, then you don't have to use any plastic wrap.
Hope it helps, Maria
Asheema
I made this and it was a hit. It was gone within 30 minutes. Great recipe. Thank you
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear! So glad you love it – Maria ♡
Richa
Came out excellent! Everyone loved it. I took it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge 2-3 hours before we were going to have it.
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear, so glad you loved it - Maria ♡