We’ve taken to making our own ice cream cakes since store-bought versions are typically boring assemblages of bland, icy ingredients and too-sweet frosting. This ice cream cake—an ice cream torte, really—is inspired, truly elegant, and sure to win raves. We love the savory spice that cinnamon adds to earthy disks of Mexican chocolate, so for our torte we paired chocolate ice cream with cinnamon-infused vanilla ice cream and bittersweet coffee ice cream for a grown-up frozen treat. Crushed Oreos ably separate the layers. To up the elegance and add a welcome crunch, we sprinkled the top and sides of the cake with sliced almonds, which we toasted to enhance their nutty flavor.

Serves 8 to 10

Use the entire Oreo—filling and all—for the crust. Before removing the cake from the springform pan, run your paring knife under hot tap water for 10 seconds or so.

25 Oreo cookies, broken into rough pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 pint chocolate ice cream
1 pint coffee ice cream
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1½ cups sliced almonds, toasted

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Process Oreos in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and process until mixture resembles wet sand, about 10 seconds.

2. Using your hands, press ⅔ cup crumb mixture evenly into bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Using bottom of measuring cup, firmly pack crust into pan. Bake until the crust is fragrant and set, 5 to 10 minutes. Let crust cool completely on wire rack, about 30 minutes.

3. Scoop chocolate ice cream into large bowl and, using large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, break up scoops of ice cream. Stir and fold the ice cream to achieve a smooth consistency. Spread softened ice cream evenly over crust. Sprinkle ⅔ cup Oreo crumbs over ice cream and pack them down lightly. Wrap pan tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until ice cream is just firm, about 30 minutes. Repeat with coffee ice cream and remaining ⅔ cup Oreo crumbs; wrap tightly and freeze for another 30 minutes. Soften vanilla ice cream, fold in cinnamon, spread evenly in pan, and smooth top. Wrap the cake tightly in plastic and freeze until ice cream is firm, at least 8 hours or up to 1 week.

4. To unmold, run hot thin knife around edge of pan. Remove sides of pan and slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto platter. Press handfuls of almonds gently onto sides of cake, then sprinkle single layer of almonds evenly over top. Serve immediately.