The sundae's an ice cream dessert. It typically consists of a scoop of ice cream topped with sauce or syrup (often chocolate, caramel, butterscotch, or strawberry), and in some cases other toppings such as chopped nuts, whipped cream, or maraschino cherries. History and controversy According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the origin of the term sundae's obscure. Various American localities have claimed to be the birthplace of the ice cream sundae. These claimants include Ithaca, New York; Tw… (More on Sundae)