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Birthday Cake Homemade Ice Cream

Birthday cake ice cream made with a silky vanilla cake-batter base and rainbow sprinkles, churned for a creamy, scoopable texture. This easy birthday ice cream recipe includes a cooked custard (to 175°F) for a pale golden finish and festive confetti bursts in every bite.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Make the custard
  1. In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream and whole milk until steaming, not boiling, around 180°F. Keep it hot and ready while you prepare the yolks.
  2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until smooth and slightly thickened. This should look pale and glossy.
  3. Slowly whisk the steaming cream mixture into the egg yolks in a thin stream. Whisk constantly to prevent scrambling.
  4. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook to 175°F, stirring constantly. Stop when it coats the back of a spoon and the custard looks custardy, not curdled.
Flavor, chill, and churn
  1. Strain the custard into a clean container and stir in butter extract, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Make sure the mixture is evenly smooth.
  2. Cover and refrigerate the base for 4 hours until completely chilled. Chill until it is cold all the way through.
  3. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker until it thickens to soft-serve consistency. In the last 2 minutes, fold in the rainbow sprinkles so they stay suspended.
Freeze and serve
  1. Transfer the churned ice cream to a container and freeze until firm. It should hold shape when scooped.
  2. Serve immediately and top with additional rainbow sprinkles if desired. The visual cue is a pale golden base packed with confetti-like sprinkles.

Notes

Pro tip: when cooking to 175°F, stir continuously and remove from heat as soon as it coats the spoon—overheating can turn the base grainy. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days for best texture; freezing is yes—freeze up to 2 months. For a dairy swap, use lactose-free milk and lactose-free cream to keep the same creamy custard base (texture may vary slightly).