King Cone opens with Ponczka ice cream for Fat Tuesday
Plover shop creates donut-flavored treat with raspberry swirls for Lent
PLOVER, Wis. (WSAW) - Record-breaking warm winter weather has people getting excited for ice cream today.
King Cone in Plover has officially opened for the season, and it’s got a February flavor many might be interested in trying. Fat Tuesday has famous celebrations down in Louisiana and significance as the start of Lent, practiced all over. Up here in central Wisconsin, Ponczka donuts are a fan-favorite of the Lenten season.
One ice cream shop in Plover is giving some sugar to the holiday dessert, sprinkling in a Ponczka-flavored ice cream.
“We’re a big Polish community here in central Wisconsin, most of Wisconsin. And so we just, we make ice cream, and we’re like, hey, we could make a donut-flavored ice cream and throw some raspberry swirls in it. And then we’re like, what if we make the Ponczkas,” said Owner Ben Klosinski.
King Cone is known for making homemade ice cream and waffle cones. Now, they’re making homemade Ponczkas from an old family recipe.
On Fat Tuesday, people can buy Ponczka ice cream sandwiches individually or in packs of 4.
“Last year we did just over 300 Ponczka sandwiches, and I think this year we’re actually planning on doing a lot more with it’s just a unique twist on something that, everybody enjoys,” Klosinski said.
King Cone isn’t stopping the flavors at just Ponczka. They’re also coming out with some new flavors based on recent trends, including a Dubai chocolate flavor and an olive oil swirl.
King Cone gets ideas for new holiday and seasonal flavors through community suggestions, as well as ice cream conventions. As long as they start with their classic 40 flavors, the ice cream shop is open to new ideas.
“A lot of like the seasonal flavors, we’re just trying to keep, again, fresh things, local, all that kind of stuff. We just like to, again, give the community a huge variety, where we, flavors you can’t get anywhere else is always kind of what we’re shooting for,” Klosinski said.
This year King Cone’s opened with two special flavors. The Ponczka ice cream, as well as Black Cat Crunch for Friday the 13th - a dark chocolate flavor with raspberry and honeycombs mixed in.
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