An ice cream sundae bar can be a fun way for adults to loosen up after a stressful week at work. It can also be a wonderful way to celebrate a child’s birthday. Either way, this is one idea everyone seems to love. There are companies that can be hired to setup these types of parties, but why pay a company to do it when you can easily do it in your own home? Of course, the key is knowing a few tips and tricks that will make the bar quicker to setup and serve.
Pre-Scoop the Ice Cream
It can be a mess for everyone to scoop their ice cream at the bar, especially if you’re serving children. To make the process easier, take an hour or so the morning of the event to scoop a couple gallons of ice cream into large balls. You can then place the balls in a large bowl and pop them back in the freezer until right before the event begins. You will want to take the ice cream from the freezer about 10 minutes before servings so all the balls don’t stick together. If you like, you can then place a scoop of ice cream in each bowl to make it easier for guests to make their sundaes.
Who doesn’t love caramel and hot fudge on their ice cream? A great way to keep these items hot on an ice cream sundae bar is to use small slow cookers. These are usually used to keep gravy and other savory sauces warm, but also work well with ice cream toppings. To prevent scorching, you will want to stir the sauce ever so often. You’ll also want to keep the lids on the pots whenever possible. This will ensure your sauces stay hot without getting a skim on the top.
Offer Variety
Remember going to the ice cream shop when you were little and seeing all the great toppings that were available? It doesn’t matter how old you get, seeing all those choices can still be thrilling. In most grocery stores, you’ll find a large selection of toppings. A few ideas of what to include for a child’s ice cream sundae bar would be maraschino cherries, gummy bears, chocolate covered raisins, chopped nuts, crushed cookies, whipped cream, hot fudge, caramel sauce, strawberry sauce, pineapple sauce and sprinkles. If you’re serving adults, and want a more gourmet experience, try including items like chocolate covered espresso beans, dark chocolate sauce, rum soaked dried fruit, whiskey infused whipped cream and sea salt caramel sauce. Remember, this can be as decadent or kid friendly as you want.
Add Baked Goods for Larger Sundaes
If you want to really wow your guests, have fresh baked goods for them to build their sundaes on. It might be brownies straight from the oven, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies or even fresh made waffles. The combination of cold ice cream on a hot brownie or waffle is unbeatable. Of course, a fresh glazed doughnut comes very close. Regardless of what you use, this is an affordable way to add bulk to your sundaes. If you do want to cheat a little, don’t be afraid to use brownie mixes and refrigerated cookie dough. This will speed up the process and your guests will never know.
