Chelsea. Chels. Chellerina. Cuddly. Cuddlemuffin. Cuz. Cousin. This Cookie Dough Caramel Cake is for you.

Okay, technically it's not "for" you because I can't ship a frozen cake across the country for your birthday but despite our distance I wanted to do something special for you for your 25th.

My cousin Chelsea has been my best friend since birth. My memories with her are endless. Half-our childhood was spent in matching outfits, performing in our living rooms for anyone who would watch. When my family moved to the bay area when I was 9, Chelsea and I were heartbroken that we would be separated. Only 6 months apart, she's the closest thing to a sister I've ever had. I mean, our siblings are great too but Chelsea and I share a special bond. She knows me at my weirdest level, with all the good, bad, and in between.

Now when I originally started jotting down ideas for a Chelsea-themed post I considered making meat patties. Does that seem odd? When we were about twelve years old Chelsea came up to Discovery Bay for a visit. After everyone else had gone to bed, the two of us stayed up watching Saturday Night Live reruns, laughing until we cried... and eating all the leftover hamburger patties in the refrigerator. The next morning when my mom woke up and discovered the remnants of our meat party we burst into fits of giggles. It was so strange for two pre-teen girls to eat that much meat that she couldn't get mad. To this day, my mom still laughs about our middle-of-the-night meat party. I do too.

I also considered making our favorite sandwich; the peanut-butter pickle. Despite the delectable crunch of dill pickles sandwiched between layers of creamy peanut butter on white bread it, it didn't feel quite special enough to celebrate Chelsea's 25th. Also... most people don't understand the tastiness of that combo.

Cake was out of the question. With everything Chelsea and I have in common, from our affinity for Disney to our love of late night comedy, there are a couple things we disagree on. Chelsea doesn't like cake. (You are crazy Chelsea) I had to get more creative. Personally, I don't think you've got a birthday dessert unless cake is involved so I decided a cake-shaped ice cream dessert would have to do! This is one cake you don't need an oven or batter for. With no baking, the assembly is the only thing that will take you a bit of time. That and deciding your favorite flavors of ice cream to layer up.

Ice Cream Cake Assembly (based on Sweetapolita)

6 in. springform pan
2 tablespoons melted butter, unsalted
1 & 1/2 sleeves of Oreo cookies (minus the fillings)
1 pint cookie dough ice cream (or your favorite! these flavors are Chelsea's)
1 pint salted caramel ice cream
5 mini-ice cream sandwiches
whipped cream frosting (see Sweetapolita )

In a food processor, grind Oreo cookies into a fine powder. Add in melted butter and pulse until crumbs are wet. Press buttery cookie mixture into the bottom of the springform pan. Place springform pan into freezer to set for twenty minutes. Remove cookie dough ice cream from freezer to softer for ten minutes while the Oreo crust chills. Empty the pint on top of the Oreo crust and use the back of the spoon to evenly spread the ice cream into a smooth layer. Put the pan back in the freezer for a minimum of two hours. Next, layer the mini ice cream sandwiches on top of the cookie dough ice cream layer. Cut bars to ensure the sandwiches go all the way around the sides. I cut the bars into small pieces to make sure the layer looked even. Return the cake to the freezer to freeze another two hours. Ten minutes before beginning the next layer, take the salted caramel ice cream out of the freezer. Again, empty the pint on top of the previous layer and use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for four hours or overnight.

Make whipped cream frosting prior to removing the cake from your springform pan. Separate 1 1/2 cups of the frosting and tint it blue with 2 drops sky blue food coloring gel. Set aside in a star-tipped pastry bag and leave in the refrigerator until ready to use. Create violet frosting with remainder of the frosting with 5 drops blue food coloring gel and 2 drops of red food coloring gel. Be careful not to over whip. Remove the cake from the springform pan and spread the violet frosting over the frozen cake with a frosting spatula (or butter knife). Don't worry about it being perfect, the goal is to get it covered before the ice cream starts to melt. Return the frosting covered cake to the freezer for thirty minutes. Remove from freezer and gently press sprinkles onto the bottom inch of the cake as well as the top. Take blue whipped cream frosting and pipe small "bursts" onto the top of the cake. Serve immediately or store in the freezer up to one week.