Trump's Dessert With The Royal Family Sounds Fancy, But Really Wasn't

President Donald Trump made his way to the United Kingdom September 16 through September 18, 2025. This trip marks his second State visit to the nation, one which has featured numerous lavish displays of hospitality from the British Royals. The event has been marked by a visit to the Royal Collection Display to view a variety of artifacts that commemorate the unique history that the United States and the United Kingdom share. Among the many events was a banquet held in Donald Trump's honor. No frill or fuss was spared for this evening, and this extended to the event's menu, which included such high-brow dishes as a quail egg salad and chicken ballotine made from poultry sourced from Norfolk, showcasing the many culinary offerings of the island nation.

Perhaps the crowning item on the night's menu was the dessert — a fancy-sounding dish called vanilla ice cream bombe. The sweet treat included poached Victoria plums and a filling of raspberry sorbet made of berries from Kent. Though the dessert was surely presented with quite a bit of pomp, don't let the fancy title deceive you. The ice cream bombe is actually fairly simple. Essentially, it is a layering of ice cream, fruit, jellies, sorbet, cake, and other sweet ingredients into a dome-shaped mold. This dessert can take many forms and include different ingredient and flavor combinations. Think of it as the chic older sibling to ice cream cake, a dessert that also requires precise layering. 

Making your own bombe is easier than you might expect. An ice cream bombe is a layering of frozen desserts and fillings placed into a mold and refrozen until it forms a solid dome. You can either swirl or layer your fillings, depending on your aesthetic and flavor preferences. (The choice of vanilla ice cream for the Royals' bombe was an apt one, considering the president's favorite dessert of cherry and vanilla ice cream, but you can use whichever flavors appeal to you.)

To make a layered version, freeze several similarly shaped bowls in varying sizes. Starting with the largest bowl, press your ice cream of choice into it, place plastic wrap over the layer, and press the second largest bowl inside to form a mold. Freeze until solid, then add your next layer, pressing with plastic wrap and a smaller bowl (and so forth, and so on, until you have your preferred number of layers. 

There is no need to make your own ice cream, though it might make a nice touch (and, no, you don't need an ice cream maker to make yourself a batch). if you're not in a layering mood, you can also swirl together your various flavors and fillings with a rubber spatula, then mold this thickly ribboned concoction to a chilled bowl. Both methods work beautifully. Once assembled, simply re-freeze until solid. Then remove from the freezer, flip onto a serving tray, de-mold, decorate, and serve.  And there you have it: a dessert worthy of both a President and a King.