The Easy British Ice Cream Parlor Treat I'm Submerging Myself in All Summer

Featuring layers of vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries, swirls of whipped cream, and a fan wafer, the knickerbocker glory is a summer staple at ice cream parlors and seaside cafés across the United Kingdom. I first encountered the knickerbocker glory back in 2019 when I moved to London to attend pastry school and began an ongoing quest to eat my way through the repertoire of classic British desserts. Even though I discovered this sundae on the British side of the Atlantic, its name immediately reminded me of home. Turns out, there was a good reason for that mental connection, as this dessert almost certainly traces its roots to New York.

A Brief History of the Knickerbocker Glory

In his 1809 History of New York, former US ambassador Washington Irving—writing under the pen name Diedrich Knickerbocker—referred to descendants of the city’s early Dutch settlers as “knickerbockers.” This may be why countless New York buildings, businesses, and landmarks, including a Brooklyn subway station, a hotel, a housing development, and of course, the city's famous basketball team, have adopted this peculiar name. As a New Yorker, I wasn’t surprised to learn that a sundae called the “knickerbocker glory” originated not in Britain but in the Big Apple.

Although the exact history of the knickerbocker glory remains hazy, it likely dates back to the early 20th century. A recipe for a similar dessert named "The Knickerbocker" appears in The Dispenser's Formulary or Soda Water Guide, a manual for soda fountain operators published in New York in 1915. With ice cream, chocolate syrup, raspberries, cherries, whipped cream, and rose essence “served in a tall, narrow, 10 ounce, thin glass,” the dish may very well have been the blueprint for the knickerbocker glory that eventually made its way across the pond.

The London department store Fortnum & Mason claims it introduced the sundae to the country in the 1950s; the knickerbocker glory is so synonymous with the store today that it even sells sundae-shaped souvenirs. British newspaper advertisements from the 1920s and 1930s, however, reveal that the knickerbocker was around before Fortnum & Mason put it on its menu. Writing for the Scottish newspaper The Press & Journal, editor Brian Stormont notes that it’s likely the dessert “first came to prominence” in 1920s London, but wasn’t popularized until it appeared on the menu of American burger chain Wimpy’s, which opened its first British location in 1954 and sold the knickerbocker glory until 2011. 

Today, the London restaurant Dovetale offers an £18 ($23) “luxury sundae” from a high-tech tableside trolley designed by rocket engineers and equipped with carbon dioxide jets. You certainly don’t need a fancy trolley to make your own knickerbocker glory at home, though.

5 Tips for Making a Stellar Knickerbocker Glory

Like most easily customizable desserts, there’s no definitive recipe for the knickerbocker glory, but a classic one typically includes vanilla ice cream; a fruit purée, syrup, or coulis; fresh fruit; swirls of whipped cream; and a fan wafer, all served in a tall glass with a long metal spoon.

Traditional versions, including the iconic Fortnum & Mason offering, usually feature strawberries, raspberries, or a combination of the two. The white ice cream and bright red berries create a striped pattern thought to mimic the facade of the historic Knickerbocker Hotel in New York, or perhaps the long socks worn with another US export, knickerbocker breeches. 

There's plenty of room for creativity, though, and it’s not uncommon to see chefs layer in additional components, like meringue, cake, marshmallows, or fruit jelly. Other more modern takes may include poached rhubarb, roasted peaches, caramel sauce, brownie chunks, nut brittle, or honeycomb. There are even boozy variations with alcohol-infused fruit syrups and fudgy versions for chocolate lovers. With the tips below, you’ll be able to make a spectacular knickerbocker glory to suit your tastes.

Gather your mise en place. Because we’re working with ice cream, time is of the essence; the first key to success when making a knickerbocker glory is to have all the components ready to go. Once the ice cream is softened, the fruit is diced and puréed, and the cream is whipped, you can start assembling your knickerbocker glory immediately.

Soften the ice cream. For ice cream that blends easily with the berries and syrup for a swirly, striped look, you want it to be just soft enough to work with—not the firm scoops of ice cream you’d get straight out of the freezer. Aim for scoopable but not quite soft serve consistency, and definitely not runny. Any brand or flavor of ice cream will work, but traditional vanilla will likely complement the fresh berries best—and help create the sundae’s signature red-and-white pattern.

Make your own fruit purée. You can substitute store-bought strawberry sauce if you’re short on time, but it's worth taking a few minutes to make your own, which will allow you to adjust the sweetness of the purée as desired. We've written the sauce into the recipe below, and while it's quick to prep at the last minute, you can also make it up to two days in advance. 

Alternate your layers. For the prettiest sundae, alternate the syrup, fruit, and ice cream in a tall glass and use the long parfait spoon to push the fruit and ice cream outward to the edges. A sundae glass is nice and will allow you to admire your dessert, but if you don’t have one, a tall drinking glass or jar will work too. 

Get creative. Feel free to experiment with different fruits, sauces, and nuts or cookies for extra crunch. But if you’d like to stick with the classic version below, that’s perfectly fine, too. After all, you really can’t go wrong with the summery combo of vanilla ice cream, berries, and whipped cream.

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