Coffee Ice Cream
In Italian gelaterias coffee ice cream is a point of pride, and the secret to its depth is simple: infuse the cream and milk with whole coffee beans, then add a little instant coffee for punch. The beans give aroma without bitterness, and the egg-yolk custard base brings body and richness. We like it to taste like a really good cappuccino.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Rest
- 8 h 55 min
- Total
- 9 h 45 min
- Servings
- 8
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 300 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: about 1 litre, 8 servings
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Infuse the coffee
Lightly crush the coffee beans with a rolling pin in a bag — don’t grind them. Heat the milk and 200 ml of the cream with the beans until steaming with small bubbles at the edge, about 80 °C. Take off the heat, cover and leave for 30 minutes.
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Step 2: Strain
Strain the milk through a sieve, pressing the beans with a spoon, return it to the pan and heat until hot again. Pour the remaining 200 ml cold cream into a bowl and set a sieve over it.
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Step 3: Whisk the yolks
Whisk the yolks with the sugar and salt for 2 minutes, until pale and thick.
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Step 4: Temper the yolks
Pour half the hot milk into the yolks in a thin stream, whisking constantly so they warm gradually. Pour the mixture back into the pan.
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Step 5: Cook the custard to 82 °C
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula and scraping the bottom, for 5–7 minutes. It’s ready at 82–84 °C: it coats the spatula and a line drawn with your finger stays clear. Don’t let it boil.
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Step 6: Chill
Strain the custard straight into the cold cream and stir in the instant coffee until dissolved. Set the bowl in iced water for 15 minutes, press cling film onto the surface and chill for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
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Step 7: Freeze
Churn the cold base in an ice-cream maker for 20–30 minutes, until it looks like thick soft-serve. Transfer to a container, press cling film onto the surface and freeze for another 4 hours.
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Step 8: Serve
Move the ice cream to the fridge 10–15 minutes before serving so it softens enough to scoop neatly.
Tips & variations
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Tip
No machine? Pour the cold base into a metal container 4–5 cm deep and freeze. After 45 minutes, beat it hard with a fork or hand mixer, scraping in the frozen edges, and repeat every 30 minutes 4–5 times, then leave for 3–4 hours. The texture is slightly denser but still smooth.
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Tip
A thermometer really helps: below 80 °C the custard stays thin, above 86 °C the yolks start to scramble. If small lumps appear, blitz immediately with a stick blender and strain.
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Variation
Add 50 g finely chopped dark chocolate in the last minute of churning for coffee chocolate-chip ice cream.
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Storage
Keep in an airtight container with cling film on the surface for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 8 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 300 kcal | 2,400 kcal |
| Protein | 4 g | 32 g |
| Fat | 21 g | 168 g |
| Carbohydrates | 23 g | 184 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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