How We Make Our Non-Dairy Cakes Taste Just as Good as Dairy Cakes

People ask us this a lot.
Usually with a half–confused smile: “Non-dairy… but does it actually taste like ice cream?”
Fair enough. Everyone assumes “creamy” automatically means “dairy.” It’s just something we grow up with.

But at parties here in Melbourne, something funny keeps happening.
The non-dairy cake is often the first one gone. Not the gluten-free one. Not the nut-free one. The dairy-free one. Kids don’t even blink before grabbing a slice. Adults come back for seconds way faster than they expect. And nobody realises there wasn’t a drop of milk in it until someone brings it up later.

So how do we get away with it?

It mostly starts with Ben & Jerry’s

We use the Non-Dairy line Ben & Jerry’s makes.
These tubs don’t behave like “typical” dairy-free ice creams. They aren’t icy or thin. They’re built from blends of coconut, almonds, oats—things that act like cream even though they aren’t cream.

You scoop it and go, “Oh… okay. That’s actually proper ice cream.”

The texture sits right in the sweet spot: soft enough to slice, firm enough to build a cake around.

The flavours we use the most:

• Choc Chip Cookie Dough Vegan & Non-Dairy

• Strawberry Cheesecake Vegan & Non-Dairy

Thick, steady, easy to layer.
They behave like the dairy version, which makes our job easier.

The “Creamy” trick isn’t magic

Cream isn’t the part that makes something creamy.
It’s the structure behind it.
Tiny pockets of air. Smooth fats. The stuff you don’t see.

Plant-based mixes can do that too.
When they’re blended properly, they trap air the same way dairy fat does.
That’s why you get that smooth, soft-melt feeling instead of the crunchy ice texture people expect from dairy-free things.

This is why you can take a non-dairy ice cream cake out for candle photos, let the kids drag out the “Happy Birthday” song, and it still slices cleanly.

And yes — it still looks like a regular cake

Parents are always surprised by this.
They think the cake will look “different” somehow.

It doesn’t.

We use non-dairy bases for:

• Anime cakes

• K-Pop cakes

• Labubu cakes

• Vintage hearts

• Footy themes

• Tall stacked cakes

• All the popular character designs

Nothing collapses.
Colours stay bright.
Toppers sit exactly where they should.
You’d never know it wasn’t dairy.

Most people don’t taste a difference

This is the part we love telling people.
Kids don’t care.
Adults forget.
No one is standing at the table trying to guess whether the slice had milk in it.

The flavours hit the same way.
The texture feels the same.
Some people even say the non-dairy versions feel lighter after a full slice.

Why we care so much about it

Because nobody should feel left out at a birthday.
One cake should be enough for everyone.
Not a “special corner slice for the allergy kid.”

When the non-dairy cake tastes just as good as the dairy version, the whole experience becomes easier.
Parents relax. Kids eat freely.
And the cake moment feels like a celebration again, not a checklist.

At Ice Cream Cakes Melbourne, making non-dairy cakes taste just as good isn’t a challenge for us anymore.
It’s something we’re proud of—because it means every guest gets to enjoy the same slice of cake without thinking twice.