Cake Batter & Sprinkles Ice Cream

My niece recently celebrated her 9th birthday and sadly, I wasn't able to fly out to visit or celebrate with her. When I asked her how she would be celebrating, she eagerly told me that she would be going to a local ice cream parlor and ordering her favorite flavor - cake batter ice cream. This post is dedicated to my little "mini me" niece, Alana, who has great taste in food at such a young age and my sister who inspired me to make Cake Batter & Sprinkles Ice Cream from scratch!

Ever since I got my ice cream maker, I've been spoiled by the true and wholesome flavor of homemade ice cream and I rarely buy ice cream from the store. When my sister asked me about Cake Batter ice cream, I remembered it was one of those flavors I've been meaning to try making - and I'm so glad I did! This flavor tastes exactly as good as it sounds. The original recipe called for white cake mix but I substituted it with golden butter cake mix instead. I thought it added more color and flavor, keeping it as close to what I've had at ice cream parlors. The sprinkles swirled in just before freezing added just the right amount of nostalgia. When served on top of a warm chocolate brownie, it's just a heavenly dessert taking you back to those days when you enjoyed ice cream and cake...

Cake Batter Ice Cream
recipe adapted from AllRecipes

1 cup milk

1/2 cup white sugar

2 egg yolks, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup golden butter cake mix, sifted
2 tablespoons sprinkles

Whisk together milk, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, cream, and cake mix in a saucepan until well blended. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture reaches 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), stirring frequently. Remove from heat and place in the refrigerator or freezer until liquid is cold.

Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions until it reaches "soft-serve" consistency. Stir in sprinkles by hand into the mixture and transfer ice cream to a one- or two-quart lidded plastic container; cover surface with plastic wrap and seal. For best results, ice cream should ripen in the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight.