4. Rolled ice cream
Rolled ice cream, first made popular in Thailand, is a newer trend that’s making waves all over the place. This unique treat offers up an experience like those offered at create your own ice cream shops known for mashing mix-ins into an ice cream base to produce signature sundaes.
With this new method, an unfrozen ice cream base is poured onto an ice-cold (-31 degrees Fahrenheit) steel surface that looks like a pizza pan. Metal spatulas (rather than ice cream spades) are used to chop toppings into the base, and the whole mixture is spread around on the slab to ensure quick freezing. After just about a minute or so, the ice cream is spread thin and scraped off the slab at an angle, creating those unique and instantly-Instagrammable scrolls of ice cream. They’re placed in a cup and topped off with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, fruit, caramel or other toppings.
It's easy to see why these types of desserts are a hit: 42% of consumers say that when they order dessert, it’s important for the item they choose to be something they can’t easily make at home, while 40% say it’s important for it to be a signature item they can’t get elsewhere, according to Technomic’s Dessert report. Rolled ice cream fits the bill for both of those. Offering something that’s unique and not too easy to find makes this frozen treat one that’s guaranteed to have people lining up.