Cake Batter Ice Cream and visits to Cold Stone Creamery

My first time trying this little delicacy was at Cold Stone Creamery.  They started invading Salt Lake around the turn of the millennium with all the mix-ins you could ever want.  Now when I first saw this flavor, I thought, "How can you mix anything into that?  It already taste like cake."  Like I said, that was almost 12 years ago.  I've learned a lot since then.

Cake Batter is now the foundation of most of my creations over there.  Be it fruit, chocolate, candies, almost anything goes well with it.

But since I have a family of five and don't necessarily have $25 to throw down each time I get the craving, I need to make it at home.  And you can do the same!  The recipe is extremely easy and you can make a batch for about $2.25.  

Whipping Cream:  $1.25 per cup

Milk:  $0.25 per cup

Sugar:  $0.25 per cup

Cake Mix: $0.40 per half-cup (three cups in a box that costs $2.40 when it's not on sale)

Vanilla:  $0.10 per teaspoon

Total: $2.25

Make a double batch and you're out $5.00...

Yes, I am a cheapskate, I openly admit it.  But if you let the kids select a few candies from the bulk section of your local grocery store, you could make your own ice cream with specialty toppings for two adults and 3 little kids for about $8.00.  And you're not waiting in line for 20 minutes, trying to corral a 5 and 3 year old while balancing the new one on your hip.  

The other advantage of making this ice cream at home is you can make it as rich or as subtle as you'd like.  Use 1/4 cup for a lighter taste.  You can go all the way to 3/4 cup of cake mix for a richer taste.  But I'd avoid going any higher.  Using a cup or more adds too much flour and other coagulants to the mix and it starts turning into real cake batter.  And trying to freeze that properly is EXTREMELY hard.

Cake Batter Ice Cream

Makes a little over a quart.

1 1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup white cake mix

Pour the milk, whipping cream and sugar into a medium sized saucepan and stir until the sugar dissolves.  Place over medium heat and cook to a simmer.  Remove from the heat and let it set for 10-15 minute until it reaches around 110 degrees or less.  At that point, add the cake batter and whisk it into the ice cream mix.  Pour the mixture into an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  It needs to be completely chilled before entering the ice cream machine.

Once it's completely chilled, pour the mixture into the running ice cream machine and freeze it according to your particular machine's instructions.  Mine says to run it on the hard serve setting for 30-35 minutes.  Once the process is complete, return the mixture to the to a chilled airtight bowl and place it in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

Garnish it with any type of topping you'd like.  Chocolate, candies, caramel, marshmallows, etc... They're all good!

So make a batch at home to beat the heat, and the long lines at the frozen marble ice cream stores.