Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop by “David Lebovitz”

Last week I shared a vanilla ice cream recipe from David Lebovitz’s book The Perfect Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop. This week I give you another recipe from the same book: Chocolate ice cream.

Since these two recipes were my first attempt at making homemade ice cream, I decided not to get too fancy when it comes to complicated ingredient lists.

I think if I can bring the basics like chocolate and vanilla ice cream it’s an easy way to spice it up later.

Just like vanilla ice cream, this chocolate ice cream is simple. I recommend using high quality chocolate as it brings out the flavor wonderfully.

The ice cream itself is decadently rich and high quality chocolate only adds to the intensity of the chocolate flavor in the finished ice cream.

I started joking that my KitchenAid Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop was a bad gift request because its convenience made it easy and not at all time consuming to make homemade ice cream.

I guess there are worse things I could be doing – or consuming…

Makes about a quart of ice cream.

Ingredients:

2 dl cream

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (that’s what I used)

5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used this dark chocolate)

2/3 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1 dl whole milk

5 large egg yolks

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Heat half of the cream and cocoa powder over medium heat and stir until the cocoa is mixed into the cream. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.

Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate and stir until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the remaining cream and pour the mixture into a large bowl (I prefer steel). Be sure to scrape the sides clean.

Place a strainer over the bowl. Heat whole milk, sugar and salt in the same pot you just used over medium heat. Beat the egg yolks until creamy in a separate bowl.

Slowly pour the heated milk into the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Scrape the egg and milk mixture back into the pan. Over medium heat, stir the mixture constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan.

Continue to cook the custard until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of your spoon or spatula. Pour the vanilla pudding through the sieve into the chocolate-cream mixture.

Stir in the vanilla extract. Continue stirring the cream over an ice bath until the cream has cooled. Put the cream in the fridge until it has cooled completely.

The ice cream does not freeze hard in the machine but has a soft ice cream consistency. You can serve it plain (it’s delicious) or place the mixture in a container with a lid and let it set in the freezer for 2 to 4 hours to get a spoonable consistency.

About chocolate ice cream

I have long received recipe requests about adding ice cream. So I worked on a few of them and to be honest, this chocolate ice cream recipe was my personal favorite. Not only that, everyone loves it at home too.

This chocolate ice cream does not require a special ice cream maker and is prepared without whisking it two or three times. Just prepare once, freeze and enjoy.

Expert tips

You need to whip the cream until it becomes stiff. The cream should increase in volume and not fall out of the bowl when it is turned upside down. Another way to check this is: take the whipped cream in a spatula or spoon. When you rotate it, it should not fall down.

This recipe uses 30% fat cream that is whipped until stiff. If you use cream with a fat content of 25%, you can whip it to soft peaks. If you add granulated sugar to this cream, you can beat it until stiff.

For the whipped cream, you can use homemade clotted cream (Malai) made from milk. Take the clotted cream out of the freezer and let it thaw for a few hours.

Put everything in the mixing jug and mix with a whisk until a smooth cream forms.

If necessary, you can add a little water while stirring. To use immediately, continue beating until stiff peaks form. If not, store the smooth, runny cream in the refrigerator, whip it later and use as needed.

The whipped cream made from homemade clotted cream is extremely economical due to its high fat content. This creates whipped cream in just minutes.

The same recipe can also be made in an ice cream maker and can also be made with regular sugar instead of brown sugar.

You need to gently mix the chocolate mixture with the whipped cream. Do not mix it as this can cause the cream to become flat after losing its peaks.

common questions

Why don’t I get stiff peaks after whipping the whipped cream?

The cream needs to be cooled during whipping and you can continue whipping for a while to achieve the desired result. Soft hints are also good.

Are vanilla extract and vanilla powder the same thing?

NO. Both are different. Vanilla extract is a liquid and the other is a powder.

What is the substitute for condensed milk in this recipe?

You can use sweetened liquid condensed milk. If you don’t have a sweet option, you can add sugar.

Can I use the collected milk malai to make the cream?

Yes, it is quite possible. Check out the expert tips above to learn how.

The whipped cream becomes liquid after whipping.

It simply means that the cream does not contain enough fat to form stiff peaks. Alternatively, you can leave the mixing bowl in the fridge for about 30 to 40 minutes and then start mixing again.

If you see any liquid or buttermilk in the whipped cream, continue beating until the water (whey) and butter separate. Remove the butter with a slotted spoon and store covered in the fridge. Use this as homemade butter.

What alternatives are there instead of an electric whisk or food processor?

Instead of a food processor or electric mixer, you can also use a food processor with a mixer or a blender/mixer/grinder with a round, fuzzy whisk blade. more detail