Listen up, cake lovers! While it just doesn't make sense to turn on the oven while temperatures outside are soaring, that doesn't mean you need to go without your favorite dessert all summer. Here's a great alternative: ice-cream cake.

They are not only blissfully refreshing, but also surprisingly easy to make. The biggest challenges are probably making sure you have enough freezer space and eating your slice before it melts.

It's also a great way to use up leftover cookies. For the base, fill a freezer bag with butter or oatmeal cookies.

Ladyfingers or chocolate cookies also work well – your appetite is the limit. Crush them using a rolling pin, then mix the crumbs with melted butter and some cinnamon and fill into a greased loaf pan or springform pan dusted with icing sugar.

After you've pressed down the mixture to make sure it forms a nice, coherent base, leave the pan in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

In the next step, several layers of ice cream are spread on top. If you want to use different types of ice cream, put the pan back into the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes before adding the next layer.

Once you've finished the cake, it needs to be frozen for another several hours. But don't worry, your creation will be worth the wait.

Before serving, it's recommended to let the cake briefly sit at room temperature, to make make cutting easier.

If you want to pimp your summer dessert with some decorations, for example coconut flakes, brittle, or chopped pistachios, that's best done before it goes into the freezer.

Ice cream cakes are surprisingly easy to make. The hardest part is eating it before everything melts!