Four Dang Soft-Serve Cones / Photo Courtesy of Dang Soft Serve
As fall weather starts setting in, my thoughts turn to…soft-serve ice cream. Yep, I firmly believe that just like iced coffee, ice cream should be enjoyed all year long.
Vanila-Chocolate Twist Cone from CVT Soft Serve / Photo Courtesy of CVT Soft Serve
Lately, it seems that soft-serve is the darling of the ice cream world. Why could that be? It’s a fun, tasty dessert. Check. It can make us feel like a kid again. Check. From the perspective of the ice cream purveyor, soft-serve is typically a high-profit margin dessert. Check again, and this is a big check.
Fritz’s Frozen Custard – Key Lime Flavor of the Day with Graham Crackers, Marshmallow, and Whipped Cream / Photo Courtesy of Fritz’s Frozen Custard
But before we go much further, what’s the difference between soft-serve, regular ice cream, and custard? Soft-serve is dispensed to order by a specialty machine that adds more air to the product during the freezing process, and with more overrun (air), it’s softer than regular ice cream, and has less fat. According to St. Louis Magazine, all custard is soft-serve, but not all soft-serve is custard. What turns soft-serve into custard are eggs (no less than 1.4% by weight).
A just dispensed Like No Udder Maple-Pumpkin Pie Twist Cone – Photo Courtesy of Like No Udder
Why is soft-serve more cost-effective than regular ice cream? Soft-serve doesn’t require expensive batch freezers, blast freezers, and display cases. Also, with more overrun (air), you wind up with more product. Plus, soft-serve is more space-efficient for a retail operation.
CVT Soft Serve’s Soft Serve to Go / Photo Courtesy of CVT Soft Serve
“It was easier to sell a script in this town [Los Angeles] than find good quality soft-serve ice cream.” That’s what the founders of CVT Soft Serve said and what led to the start of their mobile soft-serve venture. Out of its truck, CVT offers Vanilla, Chocolate, and Vanilla-Chocolate Twist flavors, and keeps its toppings to a minimum. It will also rent out its soft- serve machines for sporting events. CVT also offers soft-serve to-go, in pouches. (The to-go pouch option is appealing. Ice cream doesn’t travel well, and even with pints of regular ice cream, I find myself sprinting back home to prevent a meltdown, but I digress.)
A Bomb Cyclone from Dang Soft Serve / Photo Courtesy of Dang Soft Serve
Yes, a cyclone is a weather event. It’s also a Soft-Serve ice cream treat chock full of candies and other toppings. Dang Soft Serve’s Toasted Bomb Cyclone is an interesting-sounding concoction containing Torched Marshmallows, Campfire flavor Soft-Serve, Graham Cracker Dust, Oreos, and Fudge. For those seeking a bit less of a carb and sugar hit, Colorado-based Dang Soft Serve also offers cups or cones of its soft-serve. Vanilla, Chocolate, and Vegan options are always available, and additional flavors rotate monthly. Dang wants to be known for its artistic toppings, colorful flavors, dramatic modern setting, as well as its role as a community hub for entertainment, events, and gatherings.
Soft-Serve with Apple Pie Topping from Vaca’s Creamery / Photo Courtesy of Vaca’s Creamery
And speaking of Vegan options, Chicago-based Vaca’s Creamery uses oat milk, almond milk, or coconut milk as the base for most of its offerings. While vanilla and chocolate are standard flavors, be on the lookout for unusual seasonal flavors like Pumpkin Pie and Goth Serve.
A Banana Teddy Graham treat from Morgenstern’s BANANAS / Photo Courtesy of Morgenstern’s BANANAS
Nick Morgenstern (of Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream) created a soft-serve venture, Morgenstern’s Bananas, offering vegan and dairy soft-serve treats. The vegan options rely on bananas or nuts as the base. These are some of the intriguing sounding flavors (not all are vegan): Banana Teddy Graham (Banana Soft-Serve with coconut tapioca, coconut caramel, fresh banana slices and Teddy Graham cookies), Midnight Chocolate Salted Peanut Butter, and Banana Coffee Creamer.
How about White Chocolate Soft-Serve with Lemon Cheesecake Pieces and Lemon Curd Toppings? (Hey, I can dream.)
Dessert Surveillance 