Cold Stone offers 8-layer ice cream cakesCold Stone offers 8-layer ice cream cakes

Ron Ruggless

With the holidays approaching, Cold Stone Creamery debuted this week a line of eight-layer ice cream cakes meant for entertaining.

Cold Stone, which in 2004 introduced four-layer ice cream cakes, said the new eight-layer version ranges in price from $25.99 to $35.99, depending on the market.

At Menu Trends & Directions conference this week in Orlando, Fla., Melissa Wilson of Technomic Inc. said the Chicago-based consultancy has seen a big uptick in party platters from restaurants because people are entertaining at home more. She also noted restaurant-purchased food no longer carries a negative stigma when consumers take it to parties and potluck dinners. (Click here for more coverage from the show.)

Cold Stone's new eight-layer cakes contain three layers of ice cream, three layers of cake and two mid-layers of mix-ins and are finished with frosting and a design.

The two flavors offered currently are:
- Cake Batter Layers with cake-batter-flavored ice cream, yellow cake, cookie dough and chocolate shavings wrapped in cake batter frosting and topped with fudge.
- Quilted Coffee Caramel Cake with coffee ice cream, devil’s food cake, caramel and Heath Bar wrapped in a coffee frosting and topped with caramel.
“This expansion in our signature cake line offers a refined elegance and adds ease to entertaining this holiday season,” said Suzanne Schutz, vice president of Cold Stone marketing.

In addition to the new ice cream cakes, Cold Stone also is offering ice cream pies for $12.99 through Dec. 28.

Cold Stone, a division of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Kahala Corp., has more than 1,500 locations in 16 nations.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].