Ice Cream Cake Ball Bombes

A couple of weeks ago, I had repetitive dreams about a dessert idea that I couldn’t get out of my head. Personally, dreaming about food is not particularly unusual, but thinking up the same type of dish over and over is, so I knew I had to give it a shot. I initially starting thinking of the idea around the time I posted my first cake ball/truffles, and it was when I spotted a recipe for ice cream bombes that the idea really hit me. Could I make this work?

It appears we all like individual servings of food – cupcakes, cake truffles, cookies, desserts in ramekins – so why not try to make a version of an individual ice cream cake? Instead of an ice cream-only “bombe”, insert a cake ball or truffle into the center and roll the whole dessert in a topping of choice and waa-laa! Ice Cream Cake Ball Bombes are born! The possibilities and flavor combinations are endless. Think of how many ice cream types and flavors they are in addition to cake flavors? You can make over-the-top decadent varieties, lightened up versions or varieties geared toward food allergies (gluten free, dairy free etc). Adults and kids can enjoy these frozen treats!

Although I haven’t tried these with homemade ice cream yet (I plan to!), I’ve made two varieties so far with yummy results:

1.  The base or center was my vanilla cake truffle, strawberry Rice Dream as the ice cream layer and then I rolled the “bombe” in chopped peanuts although any type of chopped nut would work wonderfully here! These were my favorite out of the two!

Chris said this looks like dessert sushi!

2. The base or center was my no-bake oatmeal “raisin” dough bites dipped in chocolate, SO Delicious coconut milk ice cream as the outside layer and rolled in finely carob chips (used a food processor) but mini chocolate chips or toasted coconut flakes would have been great too!

Ice Cream Cake Ball Bombes

Ingredients

1 prepared small batch of your favorite cake balls/truffles (or you can always have leftover cake balls if you cannot half the recipe)
Your favorite ice cream (you will need about 1/4 cup per bombe) – 1 quart of ice cream will yield approximately 16 bombes
Toppings for rolling (chocolate chips, coconut, chopped nuts, sprinkles, chocolate shavings, cookie crumbles, graham cracker crumbles, chopped dried fruit, etc)

Other Items:
Plastic gloves (will avoid transfer of heat from hands to ice cream while forming so it doesn’t melt as quickly)
Baking sheet covered in parchment or foil

Directions

1. Place a baking sheet covered in parchment or foil in the freezer. Freeze already prepared cake truffles for 30 minutes or chill in fridge for a couple hours. Meanwhile, take ice cream out of the freezer. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of ice cream into balls (using scoop, doesn’t have to be perfect). Do not pack tightly. Return ice cream to freezer for 10 minutes.
2. While both cake and ice cream are chilling, place topping in a shallow and small dish. The dish or bowl needs to be shallow enough to allow the bombes to roll around fully for good coverage.
3. Put on plastic gloves. Working quickly, take a couple cake truffles out of the freezer along with a couple ice cream scoops/balls. Work one at a time; flatten ice cream ball in the center creating a well or hole. Place a cake truffle in the center and carefully, form the ice cream around the cake truffle. Roll in topping and immediately return to freezer and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. Repeat until all cake bombes are created! Store covered in a sealable freezer-safe container in the freezer.

Ice Cream Cake Ball Bombe after rolling in chopped nut topping

Recipe Tips: From the times I made these, it is even easier to have chilled bowls for the ingredients to rest in while outside of the freezer in order to make the bombes easier to work with and avoid too much melting.

Also, I am not sure how long these will save in your freezer because they didn’t last long in ours! We made smaller batches though!

Other variations I would like to try:

1. Vanilla Cake Truffle with Luna and Larry’s Cherry Amaretto Ice Cream rolled in chopped almonds or graham cracker crumbs
2. Vanilla or Chocolate Cake Truffles (recipe to come!) with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream  rolled in chopped peanuts (if you know me, PB and chocolate are a must!)
3. Chocolate Cake Truffles with Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream rolled in chocolate or carob shavings
4. Oatmeal Dough Bites with Cinnamon Ice Cream rolled in toasted shredded coconut

What ideas come to your mind?

This recipe is featured at “Get Grillin’ with Family Fresh Cooking and Cookin’ Canuck, sponsored by Ile de France Cheese, Rösle, Emile Henry, Rouxbe and ManPans” this week!