Go Back

Birthday Cake Homemade Ice Cream

Birthday cake homemade ice cream with a creamy vanilla cake-batter base and rainbow sprinkles in every bite. Cook the custard until it coats a spoon at 175°F, then chill and churn for a festive, confetti-studded scoop.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling + freezing (4 hours) 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ice cream base
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 tbsp butter extract
  • 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp almond extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup rainbow sprinkles Fold in during the last 2 minutes of churning.

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Make the custard
  1. Heat the heavy cream and whole milk in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming, then immediately reduce heat to low. Visual cue: small steam wisps should rise from the surface, not a rolling boil.
  2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until thick and pale, then slowly whisk in the hot cream mixture in a thin stream. Visual cue: the mixture should loosen but stay smooth with no scrambled bits.
  3. Return everything to the saucepan and cook to 175°F, stirring constantly with a steady motion. Time range: 6 to 10 minutes; visual cue: the custard should visibly thicken and coat the back of a spoon.
Flavor, chill, and prepare to churn
  1. Strain the custard, then stir in the butter extract, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt until fully combined. Visual cue: the custard will look glossy and uniform.
  2. Cool completely, then refrigerate for 4 hours until cold through. Visual cue: the custard should feel chilled when you spoon a little and it holds shape slightly; cover to prevent a skin from forming.
Churn and finish
  1. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions. Visual cue: it will thicken from pourable to soft-serve consistency.
  2. Fold in the rainbow sprinkles in the last 2 minutes of churning. Visual cue: sprinkles should distribute evenly without overmixing.
  3. Transfer to a container and freeze until firm, then serve with more sprinkles. Visual cue: the ice cream should scoop cleanly and hold its shape after a brief sit.

Notes

For the smoothest custard, keep the heat at a gentle simmer and stir constantly so the eggs emulsify without scrambling. Refrigerate leftovers up to 2 weeks; freeze up to 2 months (texture may soften after thawing). For a dairy-light swap, substitute half-and-half for the whole milk and use a plant-based heavy-cream alternative, but expect slightly softer results after freezing.