The Critical Step You Can't Miss When Making Red Velvet Ice Cream

If you're looking for a luxurious dessert option then there might be nothing better than a red velvet cake. Its striking contrast of red and white layers along with its rich, tangy flavors make it feel like something special, even if making it didn't take much longer than any other cake. Even just the name sounds decadent and exciting. Red velvet conjures up images of luxury and style.

While NYC's Waldorf-Astoria often gets all the credit for creating the red velvet cake, its origin actually predates the luxury hotel icon. Red velvet cake likely originated sometime during the English Victorian era. At the time, only cocoa powders had a higher acidity, and there was no cake flour available either. That meant that vinegar was used to make cakes tender instead. The vinegar then reacted with the acidic cocoa powder and produced a red hue.

In America, around the early 20th century, the recipe started floating around Southern kitchens, and buttermilk was incorporated as well. This is the same recipe that would make its way North to the Waldorf-Astoria, and become a legend.

If you're planning for a red velvet cake, but it's too hot to turn on the oven, then there's no reason to change your plans too much. You can always make a red velvet ice cream instead, just don't skip one crucial step. 

According to Delish, no red velvet ice cream would be complete without two special add-ins: red velvet crumbles and a cream cheese swirl. While the ice cream itself will have that fantastic crimson coloring that folks would expect from such ice cream, it will also pay off to add a few bites of red velvet crumbles as well. This will give that delicate, tenderized cake texture amid the creamy richness of your ice cream. Also, that means that while making your own is an option, you can also buy some from the store without feeling like you aren't putting any effort into your dessert. One thing that might be good to keep in mind is that freshly churned ice cream is highly sensitive to temperature. It might help your final consistency to freeze, or at least chill, your cake crumbles before adding them to the ice cream.

The other necessity is the cream cheese swirl. One of the defining characteristics of a red velvet cake is its cream cheese frosting. That tangy cream cheese will also play off the sour elements of the buttermilk as well, and enhance the overall flavor of your ice cream. It should also be said that the white swirls (when done correctly) will create a beautiful contrast against the bright red ice cream.

Adding a beautiful swirl to homemade ice cream might seem like a daunting challenge, but it doesn't take much skill to pull off. The most important thing is to not add the swirl until the end. If you try adding a swirl while your ice cream is still mixing, it will just muddy up the color, and become too mixed into the rest of the ice cream. Instead, it's best to wait till the very end as you transfer the ice cream into its container to layer the swirl into the ice cream. This way with each scoop you'll have a gorgeous, even swirl to enjoy.

In the case of this red velvet ice cream, you'll save your crumbles till the end as well. Have your container ready, and scoop in a layer of ice cream, then add a layer of the cream cheese swirl and red velvet crumble. Then repeat those layers two more times, and transfer it all to the freezer to come together. when it's time for dessert you'll have a showstopper of decadent dessert ready to enjoy.