Why Bake When You Can Bombe?

Tonight I discovered an adorable new ice cream parlor in Sacramento, La Bombe Ice Cream & More, and it reminded me of this incredibly simple but impressive dessert I used to make all the time! Sacramentans, I highly recommend you check this place out. They use Gunther’s ice cream (which is fabulous), have incredible flavor combinations, and the staff is delightful. Here are two of their finest combos…

The Italian Bombe

mocha almond fudge, bittersweet chocolate and vanilla ice cream layered with chocolate cookie wafers and topped with Italian amaretti cookie crumbles 

The Neapolitan Bombe

chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream layered with chocolate cookie wafers, French strawberry jam and an Italian Amarena wild cherry 

I know that summer has come and gone but I eat ice cream year round, and a bombe is as good as it gets. It can go toe-to-toe with any layer cake but takes a lot less time and effort. Here are the basics…

Mixing Bowl Prep:

You'll layer the ice cream inside a mixing bowl to create the dome look and there are a couple ways to prep it. You can line it with plastic wrap, which makes it really easy to get it out of the bowl, but it will create little lines in it. If you’re covering it with ganache or whipped cream later that won’t matter. If the ice cream will be seen brush the bowl with vegetable oil and freeze it for a while before filling.

Ice Cream:

Let the ice cream soften so you can use a spatula to spread it around your bowl. Cover the inside completely with your first flavor, then fill the middle with as many layers of different flavors and toppings as you like. Freeze it between layers for about 20 minutes.

Crust:

You don’t really need a “crust” but I like a little crunch at the bottom. Chopped nuts or cookies are simple, tasty options. Just press the toppings into the last layer of ice cream while it’s still soft or add chocolate fudge and sprinkle on top of that.

The best part is that much like cakes even if it doesn’t look amazing when it pops out of the bowl you can still dress it up. Graham cracker crumbs, finely chopped nuts or ganache will erase all imperfections, and no one’s ever complained about whipped cream with a cherry on top!