The details

I got an ice cream maker for my 30th birthday this year (thanks, Dad) and I am absolutely obsessed with it. There’s something about mixing up a milky custard, watching the cream churn, and swirling in yummy mix-ins that really makes me happy. Any one else?? I love all things birthday cake/funfetti/sprinkle (in case that’s not obvious) so birthday cake ice cream was at the top of my list. This Birthday Cake Ice Cream is super creamy thanks to half n half and heavy cream (we are not messing around here) and has that funfetti taste courtesy of clear vanilla extract. It’s got plenty of rainbow sprinkles throughout and ripples of birthday buttercream. Wow, it’s just so so good. I don’t even know how to explain how good it is.

I have this ice cream maker and love it. If you tend to eat a lot of ice cream, I’d really recommend investing in a good ice cream maker. It’s cost-effective and you can completely customize your flavors. Win-win. The blue vanilla buttercream I used in this birthday cake ice cream is left over from Hudson’s 2nd birthday cake. I always freeze leftover buttercream in an airtight container when I make cakes for this exact reason! You could use any American buttercream you please in this ice cream. For storage, I use this 2 1/2 quart ice cream tub.

The other VERY important thing I want you to know about this ice cream is that you MUST use clear vanilla extract. It is my secret to imparting that boxed birthday cake mix flavor to all my confetti bakes. If you use regular vanilla, then it’s just regular old vanilla ice cream. Clear vanilla makes it birthday cake. You can find clear vanilla extract at many grocery stores in the baking aisle or online.

The process

Freeze your ice cream bowl at least 24 hours ahead of making ice cream.
Make your ice cream custard by warming dairy + flavorings + sugar + salt.
Temper your egg yolks by mixing in warm dairy then adding it all back to the custard.
Heat custard until slightly thickened. Cover and store in fridge at least overnight.
Churn your ice cream.
Transfer quickly to freezing container, add any mix-ins. Freeze overnight.
Enjoy!

Ice cream 101

Now that I have an ice cream maker, I will never go back to late-night ice cream runs at the grocery store! I love knowing my ice cream has fresh ingredients and is just the way I want it. I’ve developed a nice little formula for making ice cream of almost any flavor, and here it is:

4 cups dairy (half n half, heavy cream)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
flavoring (e.g., 1 tsp vanilla bean paste)
Any mix-ins desired

I’ve also learned a few lessons the hard way. NUMBER 1: Transfer your ice cream immediately from the machine to your freezing container once it’s done churning. Hustle while you add any mix-ins. You want to avoid as much melting/defrosting as you can so you don’t end up with icey ice cream. No good.

Similar Recipes

If you are like me and love birthday cake flavor, check out my Birthday Sprinkle Shortbread Cookies & Confetti Layer Cake. They both utilize clear vanilla and lots of sprinkles just like this recipe.

Bake to this music

Birthday Cake Ice Cream

Print Recipe

The ultimate indulgence, this Birthday Cake Ice Cream is for all the sprinkle lovers out there! It’s utterly creamy and loaded with sprinkles, buttercream swirls, and sweet vanilla confetti flavor.

Yield: 2 quarts ice cream 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

3 cups half n half
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp clear vanilla extract
1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/4 tsp kosher salt
4 egg yolks
2/3 cups rainbow sprinkles
1/2 cup vanilla buttercream, at room temp

Instructions

Place the bowl of your ice cream machine in the freezer and allow to completely freeze for at least 24 hours.
In a large sauce pan, mix together half n half, heavy cream, clear vanilla, vanilla bean paste, salt, and granulated sugar. Heat, stirring frequently, on medium heat until warmed. In a small mixing bowl, add egg yolks and whisk to combine. Spoon 1/2 cup warmed mixture into your egg yolks and whisk thoroughly to combine. Dump egg yolk/custard mixture into the large pot of dairy etc. Mix together and continue to heat on medium/low until the mixture thickens slightly and just begins to coat the back of a spatula/spoon.
Remove custard from heat and pour through a fine mesh sieve into a heat proof container (bonus points if it has a pouring edge). Cover and refrigerate at least overnight and up to 3 days.
Pour your chilled custard mixture into your ice cream maker and churn for 25 minutes. 5 minutes before it is finished churning, add in your sprinkles. As soon as churning is done, promptly spoon ice cream into the container you will use to freeze. Add layers of spoonfuls of vanilla buttercream throughout. Once all the ice cream and buttercream are in your container, swirl with a knife or spatula to distribute buttercream. Smooth the top of the ice cream and quickly transfer to the freezer.
Freeze at least overnight. Enjoy the next day. Ice cream will be fresh in the freezer for about a week.

Notes

Ice cream can be stored in a 2-quart airtight glass or plastic container.
Work quickly when transferring your ice cream to the freezing container to minimize meltage. This is very important!
You can omit heavy cream and use half n half only, or sub some whole milk. Note that if you use less fatty dairy this ice cream will be less rich and creamy.

Author: Caroline Crockett