King Cake Ice Cream Recipe

The seasons of Louisiana are known not by the weather, but by which foods and events are in abundance. Sometimes it's crawfish, sometimes it's football — and for those with a sweet tooth, their favorite season might just be Mardi Gras, when they get to eat all the king cake they want.

What is a King Cake?

King cakes are somewhere between coffee cake and cinnamon rolls, and are usually topped with yellow, green and purple icing or sugar crystals representing the colors of Mardi Gras. Some bakeries add cream cheese or fruit for extra flavor, but the king cake's most important “filling” is the plastic baby tucked inside, which symbolizes luck and prosperity. As tradition goes, the person who finds the baby has to bring a king cake to the next gathering.

In the recipe below, we take two of the best sweet treats — king cake and ice cream — to create a distinctly Louisiana dessert that's sure to cool you off on a hot summer day.

Ingredients for King Cake Ice Cream

• 2 cups milk
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1¼ cup half-and-half (or heavy cream for an extra-rich mixture)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
• 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon, depending on taste
• 1 large slice of king cake (make your own using this traditional king cake recipe or use store-bought)

Method of Preparation

1. In a bowl, stir together ¼ cup of milk and the cornstarch; set slurry aside.
2. In a 4-quart saucepan, whisk together remaining milk and the half-and-half (or cream), sugar, sweetened condensed milk and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 4 minutes; stir in slurry and cinnamon. Return to a boil and cook, stirring until thickened, about 2 minutes.
3. Place cream cheese in a bowl and pour in ¼ cup hot milk mixture; whisk until smooth.
4. Whisk in remaining milk mixture until smooth.
5. Pour mixture into plastic bag; seal and submerge in a bowl of ice water until chilled, or — if you have the time — pour it into a container and chill it in the refrigerator.
6. Once milk mixture is cooled, pour into ice-cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
7. While the milk mixture is churning, cut king cake (including the icing and sugar crystals) into bite-size pieces.
8. Halfway through the churning process, add the bite-size king cake pieces to the mixture.
9. Once the mixture is fully churned and mostly frozen, transfer to storage container and freeze until completely set.

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