Perfectly Patriotic Dessert

These sweet individual vanilla cake bowls make for a delicious and very special way to enjoy the perfect summer treat, ice cream. Mouthwatering cake bowls, fresh seasonal strawberries, creamy and refreshing ice cream and some fun holiday sprinkles make a perfectly patriotic dessert for the 4th of July.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.

For my birthday this past Spring, I received an ice cream maker. I have always wanted to make my own homemade ice cream and now that I have my own maker- I’m obsessed! I can’t believe I waited so long to get one!!

Ice cream in the Summer is always delicious, but there is something about homemade ice cream that is extra special. The first batch of ice cream I made in my new maker was Vanilla Bean. It was out of this world! Homemade ice cream is so much creamier and the fresh vanilla beans make it extraordinary. I have been having so much fun creating my own ice cream bases, I can’t wait to share some of them with you here… Stay tuned! Hint: My favorite creation so far is Peach Bourbon.

Elevate the ice cream.

After I discovered the magic of homemade ice cream, I came across this fabulous baking pan. The minute I saw it, all I could think about was the endless possibilities of using this pan with all my new ice cream creations. This pan creates individual-sized edible bowls that ice cream can be served in. What!?! I know, game-changer, right!? I have been having so much fun coming up with beautiful, easy, and absolutely delicious seasonal dessert recipes with this pan. You can bake cake batter or brownies in it. My next challenge is going to be trying to bake chocolate chip cookie dough in it. Can you imagine!? A chocolate chip cookie bowl that holds homemade vanilla ice cream. My mouth is watering already! I’ll keep you posted if it works. Fingers crossed!

Helpful hint:: The first time I used this bakery bowl pan, I overfilled the inverted bowls in the pan. After baking, my cake bowls looked more like icebergs. For the second batch I discovered that when baking cake batter in the bowls, the inverted bowls on the pan only need to be filled about halfway. When pouring the cake batter into the pan, only fill the bowls so the hump in the middle is just covered in batter. The cake bowls turned out perfectly when the pan was filled correctly.

Perfectly Patriotic Dessert.

Today I am sharing my favorite creation (so far) with you: the perfectly patriot dessert. The moist vanilla cake has a hint of white chocolate in it and it makes the perfect edible vessel for serving fresh sliced Summer strawberries and vanilla bean ice cream (homemade or store-bought). Add some fun red, white, and blue sprinkles and a strawberry or cherry on top and you have the most delicious all-American dessert for the 4th of July.  

BBQs + ice cream = Happy 4th of July 

One of my favorite things about Summer is barbecuing. With the 4th of July on the horizon, it’s time to start menu planning for the upcoming celebration. BBQs and the 4th of July are a Summer match made in heaven. Sometimes we host 4th of July festivities at the farm and other times we celebrate with friends and family at their homes. No matter where the celebration is, one or more of these delicious Summer dishes are on the menu or I bring them to share. If you are looking for some delicious additions to your Summer and 4th of July BBQ menu, you might like these:  

Pickled Red Onions

Peach Cobbler with Bourbon Cream

Grilled Corn Summer Salad with Pickled Blueberries

Summer Corn Pasta with Basil

Yield: 6 servings

Perfectly Patriotic Dessert

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

This moist vanilla cake with a hint of white chocolate in it makes the perfect edible vessel for serving fresh sliced Summer strawberries and vanilla bean ice cream (homemade or store-bought). Add some fun red, white, and blue sprinkles and a strawberry or cherry on top and you have the most delicious all-American dessert for the 4th of July or your next Summer BBQ.  

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Ingredients

• 1 box vanilla or butter cake mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 package instant vanilla or white chocolate pudding
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup white chocolate chips, melted
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, divided
• Vanilla bean ice cream, homemade or store-bought
• Red, white, and blue sprinkles

Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (for a 22 oz ice cream maker)

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
• Pinch sea salt
• 1 whole vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Thoroughly butter and flour the cake bowl pan making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies.
3. Beat all the ingredients together (up until the strawberries) in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake bowl pan. Do not overfill the bowls. The batter should just barely cover the lump in the middle of each bowl. Bake for 20 minutes until golden.
5. While the cake bowls bake, slice the strawberries. Set 6 small strawberries aside to use on top of each dessert when they are ready to serve.
6. When the cake bowls are done baking allow them to cool for about 10 minutes before removing them from the pan and then allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
7. Once they are cool, fill the cake bowls with sliced strawberries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Shake some sprinkles on the ice cream and garnish each dessert with a small strawberry on top.

For Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

1. In a medium saucepan whisk together milk, cream, half of the sugar, salt, and scraped vanilla bean (including the pod). Bring the mixture to a boil over medium/medium-low heat.
2. While the milk/cream mixture is heating, combine the yolks and remaining sugar in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat until the mixture is pale and thick.
3. Once the milk/cream mixture has come to a slight boil, whisk about 1/3 of the hot mixture into the yolk/sugar mixture. Add another 1/3 of the mixture, then return the combined mixture to the saucepan. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture constantly over low heat until it thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon. This mixture must NOT boil or the yolks will overcook - the process should take about 10 minutes, depending on the type of pan and stove being used.
4. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer (discard the vanilla pod) and bring it to room temperature. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, preferably overnight. Whisk the mixture together again before pouring into the ice cream maker.
5. Turn on the ice cream maker, pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place it in the freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from the
   freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

* Recipe from Cuisinart

Notes

Here is the baking pan I used: Bakery Bowls.

Helpful hint: The first time I used this bakery bowl pan, I overfilled the inverted bowls in the pan. After baking, my cake bowls looked more like icebergs. For the second batch I discovered that when baking cake batter in the bowls, the inverted bowls in the pan only need to be filled about halfway. When pouring the cake batter into the pan, only fill the bowls so the hump in the middle is just covered in batter. When I did that, they turned out perfectly.