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How to Shape Ice Cream Into Figures

Ice cream may have become a favorite dessert at birthday parties all on its own, but from an artistic standpoint it can be made into an even more exciting treat. An ice cream sculpture is a reflection of your artistic ability; It can be sculpted into an icy landscape, an animal frozen in time or even an automobile on an icy roadway. Household tools are all that is needed for sculpting ice cream into a work of art.

Things You'll Need

  • Ice cream (purchase container size as close as possible to desired size of sculpture)
  • Cookie sheet or other flat stainless-steel surface
  • Sharp kitchen knife, 4 to 6 inches in length
  • Bowl of warm water
  • Sprinkle-on candies (in desired colors for project)
  • Gelatin powder (in desired colors for project)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fill your kitchen sink with lukewarm water and set the ice cream container in the water for 3 to 5 minutes to help loosen it in its container. Once loosened, turn the container upside down on top of a cookie sheet or other flat movable surface and allow the entire block of ice cream to slide out of the container onto the sheet.

    • 2

      Place the ice cream in the freezer overnight, allowing it to harden once again following the transfer onto the movable surface.

    • 3

      Carve the ice cream block into a preliminary rough shape. Use a sharp kitchen knife, dipping it in a bowl of warm water periodically to help ease the knife through the ice cream block when necessary. Begin by thinking of your final figure as a collection of triangles and squares. Triangles and squares can then be cut into the block of ice cream for further shaping at a later time. Work until the ice cream begins to become wet on the outside. Once melting begins, place the ice cream sculpture into the freezer overnight again to harden it.

    • 4

      Shape the ice cream sculpture further by using a sharp kitchen knife. Whittle away layers of ice cream to form cones out of triangles and to form ovals, octagons, hexagons and circles out of squares. Dip the knife in a bowl of warm water to assist in cutting away ice cream where highly detailed precision is necessary. Rotate the knife blade as needed to adjust the width of impressions in the ice cream.

    • 5

      Add small candies in the desired color to cuts designed to serve as windows. If you prefer the windows to appear have white frames, use white candy sprinkles to fill in these window frames while the ice cream is slightly softened. Use candies in desired colors to form doors, chimneys, tires, or other objects. For areas requiring solid coloring, sprinkle powdered gelatin over the area. This is useful for roofs, red ribbons on gift sculptures, or front lawn grass.

    • 6

      Place the candied and colored sculpture back in the freezer overnight to allow everything to harden into place.

Sculpture

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