Pineapple baked alaska

Most children love the surprise of this dessert — hot meringue with ice-cold ice cream inside. Do use a good firm ice cream, not a soft scoop, to make sure the center doesn’t soften too quickly.

* Serves 6–8

• 1 6 to 8-oz. piece store-bought ginger cake
• 6 slices ripe, peeled pineapple
• 3 cups tutti-frutti gelato, softening
• 3 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup superfine sugar
• few pieces of fresh pineapple, to decorate

Crunchy yogurt shapes

Greek yogurt and honey make the simplest, most delicious, and healthy ice cream. Make it into animal shapes for a bit of fun, then coat with sprinkles.

* Makes about 6 to 10 shapes depending on molds

• 1 cup good thick honey
• 3 cups thick Greek yogurt
• 1 cup heavy cream, lightly whipped
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• candy sprinkles

Ice cream cupcakes

These cute ice cream cupcakes can be topped with whipped cream, fruit, or sprinkles.

Little girls will love them. Serve them in multicolored paper baking cups or remove the paper before serving.

* Serves 6

• 2 cups strawberry ice cream
• 6 tbsp. heavy cream, whipped
• 12 fresh raspberries
• candy sprinkles

Iced fruit pops

Freshly crushed fruit and juice frozen in popsicle containers make refreshing summer ice pops — and you know they are not full of sugar and colorings!

* Makes 4 to 6 (depending on size of molds)

• 1 1/2 cups grated or puréed fresh fruit (pineapple, peach, mango)
• sugar to taste
• 1/2 cup (4 fl oz) orange juice concentrate

Fruity ice cubes

Healthy frozen yogurt cubes make a quick and really easy dessert for a very young audience. In fact, youngsters can help you make them, which will add to the fun.

* Makes 10 to 12 large cubes

• 1 cup puréed raspberries
• 1 cup plain or fruit yogurt

Sticky toffee treats

Toffee and vanilla ice cream is always going to be a winner. Serve this in cones for the perfect summer dessert.

* Serves 4

• 1 cup toffee sauce
• 3 cups vanilla ice cream
• 4 sugar cones

Icy fruit dippers

Almost the reverse of a fondue, this will make a great end to a summer family barbecue. Be sure you have a good choice of sweet dips ready.

* Serves 6

• 3 to 4 cups (1 1/2 to 2 lbs.) good-quality firm fresh fruits (strawberries, cherries, cape gooseberries)
• 1 cup heavy cream, sweetened and whipped
• 3/4 cup raspberry sauce
• 3/4 cup mango sauce
• candy sprinkles

Ice cream cookie sandwich

The ultimate sandwich — your favorite cookies sandwiched with your favorite ice cream. Vary the flavor combination as you wish and use cookie cutters to make different shapes.

* Serves 6

• 12 chocolate cookies
• 2 cups vanilla (or other flavor) ice cream, softened

Frozen chocolate bananas

Frozen bananas offer the perfect contrast between crunchy chocolate and soft, melting banana.

* Serves 4

• 4 firm but ripe small bananas
• 6 oz. milk chocolate, broken into chunks
• 6 tbsp. heavy cream
• 4 tbsp. orange juice