When you think about presidential food preferences, you’d probably imagine fancy state dinners with complicated French dishes. But Trump’s dessert choices have always been pretty straightforward—until you actually learn what he ate with the Royal Family. And that’s when things get interesting.
The fancy-sounding royal dessert that’s basically ice cream cake
During Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom in September 2025, the Royal Family served something called vanilla ice cream bombe at the banquet. Sounds super elegant, right? I mean, anything with “bombe” in the name has to be complicated. But here’s the thing—it’s basically just layers of ice cream, sorbet, and fruit molded into a dome shape. That’s it. The royal version had vanilla ice cream, raspberry sorbet, and poached Victoria plums from Kent. Honestly, it’s like a fancier version of those ice cream cakes you get at grocery stores, just with a better presentation and ingredients that sound more expensive.
And the name makes it seem way more complex than it actually is. After trying to understand what makes this dessert “royal,” I’ve realized it’s pretty much all about the presentation. The ingredients aren’t that unusual. They just arrange everything in a dome mold and freeze it.
Why Trump actually liked this choice
Trump’s known for loving cherry and vanilla ice cream, so the vanilla ice cream bombe wasn’t a random pick by the Royal Family. They did their homework. But what’s kind of funny is that Trump’s usual dessert preferences are way simpler—he’s been documented eating regular vanilla and cherry ice cream at the White House. Not some elaborate molded creation with imported fruit. Just basic ice cream. So this bombe thing was definitely fancier than what he typically goes for, even if it’s not actually that complicated to make.
How presidents’ dessert tastes compare
Looking at other presidents’ favorite desserts, Trump’s choices are honestly pretty tame. George Washington loved cherry pie—at least that’s what the stories say, even if that whole cherry tree thing was basically made up. Thomas Jefferson missed his Monticello muffins so much he wrote letters home asking how to make them. And James K. Polk? He ate vinegar pie, which sounds absolutely terrible but apparently balances sweet and tangy flavors. I mean, vinegar in a dessert? That’s way stranger than ice cream shaped like a dome.
Abraham Lincoln’s wife made him white almond cake during their courtship, and he kept eating it throughout their marriage. Theodore Roosevelt ate fat rascals—which are basically just buttery biscuits with dried fruit. Not exactly exciting. And don’t even get me started on Ronald Reagan’s obsession with Jelly Belly jelly beans. The man had three and a half tons of them at his inauguration. Three and a half tons! That’s kind of excessive, don’t you think?
Making your own ice cream bombe at home
You don’t need fancy equipment to make this dessert. Basically, you just need bowls of different sizes and a freezer. Start with your largest bowl, press ice cream into it, cover with plastic wrap, then press a smaller bowl inside to create the mold. Freeze it until it’s solid. Then add another layer of ice cream or sorbet, press another smaller bowl, and freeze again. Keep doing this until you’ve got all your layers. The last time I tried explaining this to someone, they thought it sounded way too complicated. But it’s not. It’s just layering and freezing. That’s pretty much it.
Or you can skip the precise layering and just swirl different flavors together with a spatula, then mold everything into a chilled bowl. Both methods work fine. After it’s frozen solid, you flip it onto a serving plate, remove the mold, and you’ve got yourself a dessert that looks presidential. Does anyone actually prefer the layered version over the swirled one? I honestly can’t tell the difference once you start eating it.
The ingredients aren’t that special
What made the royal version fancy was the poached Victoria plums and the raspberry sorbet made from Kent berries. But you can use whatever fruit you want. Strawberries, peaches, regular plums from the grocery store—it all works. The vanilla ice cream part is straightforward. You don’t even need to make your own ice cream, though that might be a nice touch if you’ve got the time. Store-bought works just fine. I’ve noticed that people get intimidated by desserts with French names or fancy descriptions, but the actual ingredients are usually pretty basic.
Other presidents who loved simple desserts
Harry S. Truman’s wife Bess made Ozark pudding, which is sort of like a cross between pecan pie and apple crisp. Chopped nuts, raw apples, vanilla extract—nothing too complicated. Winston Churchill even ate it after giving his famous Iron Curtain speech. And Barack Obama’s favorite was Fran’s Smoked Salt Caramels in Milk Chocolate. He loved them so much his aide kept them stocked in the office. After Obama mentioned them publicly, the chocolate shop had to decrease production of other items just to keep up with demand for those caramels. They made over 18,000 pieces in January 2009 alone. That’s insane.
Joe Biden’s go-to is chocolate chip ice cream, which is probably the most relatable presidential dessert choice out there. No fancy names, no special preparation, just regular chocolate chip ice cream. At least that’s something most people can agree on. Though some presidents definitely had stranger tastes—vinegar pie still sounds awful no matter how you describe it.
Why the bombe worked for a state dinner
State dinners need desserts that look impressive but can be made ahead of time. An ice cream bombe checks both boxes. You make it days before, keep it frozen, then just unmold it and serve. Plus it feeds a lot of people if you make it big enough. The dome shape looks elegant on a serving platter, especially if you add some decoration on top. Fresh berries, mint leaves, edible flowers—whatever fits the theme. And honestly, guests at fancy dinners probably expect something that sounds complicated, even if it’s not actually that hard to make. The name does most of the work.
The presentation matters more than you’d think
I mean, you could serve regular ice cream with fruit on the side and it would taste basically the same. But molding it into a dome and calling it a bombe suddenly makes it suitable for serving to a president and the Royal Family. That’s the difference between everyday dessert and something that works for a state banquet. The ingredients are simple—ice cream, sorbet, fruit. But the presentation elevates it. Same concept as plating at expensive restaurants. The food isn’t always that different from what you’d make at home. It just looks better on the plate.
Final thoughts on presidential desserts
Trump’s ice cream bombe experience shows that even “fancy” presidential desserts aren’t always that complicated. Sure, it had a French name and British ingredients, but it’s still just frozen dessert molded into a shape. Compared to vinegar pie or three tons of jelly beans, it’s actually pretty normal. And way more appealing than fat rascals, whatever those actually taste like.
