Black Forest Ice Cream Sundae

Brown sugar cherries, vanilla ice cream with sea salt, and a generous dollop (or two) of chocolate meringue, these Black Forest Ice Cream Sundaes are perfect for summer.

Prep Time30

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, German

Keyword: cherries, ice cream, meringue

Servings:

Calories: 370kcal

Equipment

Electric Mixer
Sauce pan

Ingredients

Cherries

300 grams cherries weight is with stems and pits
50 grams brown sugar
25 grams kirsch

Chocolate Merinuge

4 egg whites
200 grams granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
30 grams cocoa powder

Assembly

426 grams vanilla ice cream
2 tablespoons flaky sea salt divided between the glasses

Instructions

Brown Sugar Kirsch Cherries

Rinse, de-stem, and pit the cherries. Add the cherries into a small sauce pot along with the brown sugar and kirsch.
Cook on medium heat until the liquid becomes syrupy and the cherries have just softened.
Remove from the heat and pour the cherries into a separate bowl to cool.
If making in advance, cover the cherries and store in the fridge until ready to use. You can always warm them slightly in a microwave before serving.

Chocolate Meringue

In a large metal mixing bowl (or the bowl portion of a double boiler) add in the egg whites, a pinch of salt, and white granulated sugar.
In a separate pot (or the bottom of a double boiler) add in two inches of water. Bring the water to a gentle simmer and then turn the heat to low to keep it simmering.
Place the mixing bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved into the egg whites. Check to make sure that the mixture is done cooking by rubbing some of it between your fingers and feeling if the sugar has fully dissolved. If it is fully dissolved, turn off the heat and remove the bowl from the pot.
Allow the mixture to cool for 5-10 minutes. Use an electric mixer to whip the meringue on high speed until almost stiff peaks form. We're going for a s'mores marshmallowy kind of texture.
Sift the cocoa powder into the meringue and then use a rubber spatula to fold the cocoa into the meringue.

Assemble

Divide the cherries into the glasses or bowls you plan to serve the sundaes in.
Add one scoop of ice cream on top of the cherries followed by a sprinkle of sea salt.
Top each one off with a generous dollop (or more) of the chocolate meringue.
Optionally torch the meringue with a kitchen blow torch for a baked alaska vibe.

Notes

Tips for making a Black Forest Ice Cream Sundae

Fresh or frozen cherries will work for the bottom of the sundae but I prefer fresh if they're in season. Don't stress if you don't have kirsch you can replace it with bourbon or just replace it with a splash of water.
When making meringue, the most important tip tis to make sure the bowl and whisk are clean and that no egg yolk or shell gets into the egg white. These will all ensure the egg whites whip into stiff peaks.
Eggs are easiest to separate when they are cold and unlike other meringue, the egg whites don't need to come to room temperature before whipping because they will get heated up with a double boiler.
If you don't have a double boiler, no stress. Simply place a metal mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water. The bowl should be a bit bigger than the top of the pot so that it sits above the simmering water and not in it.
The easiest way to check and see if the meringue is finished cooking, is to rub the egg whites between your fingers and feel if the sugar has fully dissolved. If you can still feel sugar granules keep cooking, if its smooth you can take it off the heat.
The easiest way to get a clean scoop of ice cream is to run the ice cream scoop under hot water between each scoop.
Have all elements of the ice cream sundae ready before you start to assemble.

Nutrition