This Sour Cherry Affogato Is Served in a Waffle Bowl, and It’s Our 2025 Dessert of Summer

In late 2023, we predicted that “newstalgia,” or fresh spins on old-school favorites, would be one of the major food trends of 2024. A year and a half later, the take-me-back-to-childhood train is showing no signs of slowing. What’s old is new in terms of home trends, happy hour menus (Pink Squirrel, anyone?), and desserts.

When we polled 26 culinary experts from coast to coast on a quest to declare the dessert of summer 2025, we heard time and time again that “summer 2025 is all about remixing the classics,” according to Richard Sandoval, a Denver, Colorado-based chef and restaurateur. That’s because “we love to be brought back to a time or place that helps us remember a happy past experience,” adds Devin Pinto, executive chef at The Westin La Paloma. This is particularly true during stressful seasons. (Surveys suggest that we’re feeling more anxious and stressed than in 2023 and 2022, especially related to the economy, gun violence, the climate, and our health.)  

Katie Fair, pastry chef at Fancypants, confirms that this moment is prime time to lean into nostalgia—especially related to ice cream—because it harkens back to childhood, summertime and pool days. “One taste of an ice cream cone can transport you back to a specific time and feeling, like a Polaroid from a pool day during summer vacation,” Fair says.

With all of this in mind, we hopped into our Test Kitchen and perfected our dessert of summer. After hosting multiple team taste tests to dial-in the perfect recipe, we can confirm that this easy Sour Cherry Affogato will transport you back to childhood and make you feel like you’re strolling through a quiet Italian neighborhood as the sun sets on a beautiful summer day.

What Is a Sour Cherry Affogato, and Why Is it the Dessert of Summer?

Multiple experts on our dessert of summer panel chimed in to verify that they’re seeing soft serve, gelato, and ice cream sundaes surging in popularity.

“Soft serve, hard-pack ice cream, and gelato offer that ideal mix of texture and temperature: creamy, cold, and just indulgent enough. They’re versatile, too, which allows chefs to get playful,” Sandoval says. “It’s a canvas for creativity and a moment of indulgence all in one.”

We’ve already reported on the fact that cherry is the flavor of summer, so we knew that sweet and seasonal stone fruit needed to make an appearance. Here, instead of putting the cherry on top of the sundae, we swirl fruit preserves into vanilla ice cream. 

We couldn’t resist layering in the affogato element due to what we’re calling the “Espresso Martini effect.” Ever since that buzzy vodka cocktail fell back into favor in 2021—and flew onto cocktail menus around the world—java is popping up all over menus in classic and unexpected ways. 

“Coffee-flavored desserts have timeless appeal, but we’re seeing a resurgence because younger consumers are embracing coffee in all its forms,” Sandoval says. After asking him how he feels about serving cherry-swirled ice cream topped with a shot of espresso as a nod to Italian affogato, he adds, “a dessert that’s both energizing and satisfying? It’s hard to beat.” (We agree.)

But we have one final touch that makes our dessert of summer playful, portable, and very “now.” Inspired by a waffle cone latte that Pinto’s team serves at La Luz inside The Westin La Paloma, as well as Salt & Straw’s waffle cone affogato, we couldn’t resist dishing up this dessert in a waffle cone bowl. This means you can take your cool dessert of summer to go.

“Frozen, creamy ice cream cradling a piping hot shot of espresso all wrapped up in a crunchy, buttery waffle bowl sounds like a dream come true” Fair says. “I would definitely want to enjoy this after dinner on a moonlit stroll on a hot summer night.”

Waffle Cone Affogato Ingredients

So you can enjoy this easy dessert recipe any day this summer (and hopefully beyond), you need just 6 ingredients: 

• Sour cherry preserves: We adore the chunky quality of preserves, but feel free to use cherry jam or a homemade cherry compote instead if you like. Canned cherry pie filling also works.
• Vanilla ice cream: Ben & Jerry’s, Häagen-Dazs, Jeni’s Splendid; visit the freezer aisle of your supermarket and reach for any ice cream brand you like. Traditional affogato is made with gelato, so if your store stocks Talenti or another gelato brand, that’s a great choice, too. Or swing by your local parlor for a pint. 
• Waffle ice cream bowls: We tested this recipe originally in waffle cones, but found that it was tough to keep the pointy bottom from dripping all over our hands (and the floor). So our Sour Cherry Affogato shape-shifted into an equally-delicious, drip-containing waffle bowl. You can find these in the supermarket next to the ice cream and sundae toppings.
• Espresso: Brew 4 to 6 shots of espresso. (If you’re new to home brewing, our guide for how to make espresso using an espresso machine or French press will coach you through it.) Store-bought cold brew coffee is a suitable substitute. Not into coffee? Try hot chocolate instead.
• Chopped toasted almonds: Cherry and almond flavors play extremely nicely together, so we suggest this crunchy component as a topping. Look for toasted almonds at your grocery store, or start with raw almonds and toast them yourself. Simply place almonds in a skillet over medium heat, and toast then for 5 to 7 minutes. Toasting accentuates the nutty flavor of the almonds and makes them even crunchier.
• Dark chocolate shavings: Unwrap your favorite dark chocolate bar and run a vegetable peeler along the edge to make curls or shards to sprinkle over your ice cream.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sour cherry preserves

• 1 quart vanilla ice cream or gelato

• 6 waffle ice cream bowls

• 2 Tbsp. chopped toasted almonds

• 1 Tbsp. dark chocolate shavings

• 4 to 6 fl. oz. espresso

Directions