Shoney’s Hot Fudge Cake is a dessert that has ice cream sandwiched between devil food cake. Shoney’s and Bob’s Big Boy aren’t around as much as they used to be, but you can make this menu item at home.



When I was growing up, I would spend large parts of my summer in Jefferson City, Missouri. My grandparents loved eating at Shoney’s and I did too. They had two dessert items you had to try. One was the Strawberry Pie and the other must-try dessert was the Hot Fudge Cake.

Who doesn’t remember this glorious dessert from Shoney’s Big Boy (or Bob’s Big Boy)? The iconic hot fudge cake was many a suburban kid’s birthday dessert. It’s a retro vibe and the irresistible combination of moist devil’s food cake, creamy vanilla ice cream, thick and rich hot fudge sauce, and billowy whipped cream is not to be missed, even if you’ve never tried it before. And don’t forget the cherry on top!

And don’t forget National FREE Hot Fudge Cake Day at Shoney’s! Last year, it was December 6th, so keep your eye on the calendar for when you can enjoy this treat free. Until then, make and enjoy this CopyKat version whenever the mood strikes!

Note: This recipe only uses half the sheet cake, so either make 2 hot fudge cakes to use all the cake or save the other half for another use. Regardless, it will be easier to assemble the cake if you work with half at a time. If you decide to make the whole cake into fudge cake, you will have enough fudge sauce for all the slices, but you will need to get 2 containers of ice cream, of which you will probably use about 1 1/2.

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Be sure to check out more of my copycat cake recipes and easy homemade desserts.

This recipe is from Jenni Field from the Online Pastry Chef, be sure to check out more of her recipes on her blog.