This past Labor Day, it was too hot in my neck of the woods to do any baking, so I celebrated with an ice cold root beer float and a batch of Root Beer Float Popsicles. I known I’m not the only one who likes root beer floats on hot summer days, because I saw lots of root beer float-inspired recipes on other blogs this week, too.
- Taste and Tell put together a Root Beer Float Ice Cream Cake that looks like it is perfect for a party. The cake is made with two layers of root beer chocolate cake that sandwich a thick layer of vanilla ice cream. It is frosted with lightly sweetened whipped cream to give it a party-ready look and can be frozen until you are ready to serve it. The best thing about ice cream cakes is that they have to be prepared in advance, so you never have to do much last-minute work if you are serving one when entertaining.
- Snixy Kitchen combined mixed up the root beer and ice cream together to make a Root Beer Float Ice Cream. To concentrate the flavor of the root beer for the recipe, you start with quite a lot of soda (use the real thing – not diet – for the best flavor) and reduce it down until it is syrupy and concentrated. The spicy sweet syrup is then incorporated into the ice cream base and the whole thing is churned in an ice cream maker. You could make a double root beer float by pouring root beer over a mug full of this ice cream!
- Sugar Kissed also made a root beer cake, but in cupcake form. These Root Beer Float Cupcakes have a chocolate root beer cake that gets its flavor from reduced root beer syrup and a little splash of root beer extract. They’re topped with a small amount of root beer glaze, to really ensure that you get that root beer flavor in every bite, and they’re finished with a creamy vanilla frosting that adds the same flavor vanilla ice cream would in a more traditional float.
- The most unusual root beer treats this week were the Deep Fried Root Beer Floats from Sugar Hero. This is a root beer-flavored funnel cake that is deep fried. There is root beer in the funnel cake batter, but to make sure you are getting enough root bee spice, the cakes are brushed with a root beer syrup after they come out of the fryer. They should be topped with vanilla bean ice cream and enjoyed when they are fresh – and it’ll be like having the county fair come right into your kitchen.