Ice cream

Ice cream

1 h
Homemade ice cream – is there anything more delicious? This is a real old-fashioned homemade ice cream with a deliciously creamy and smooth texture. It is made with a classic ice cream base of cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla. A scoop or slice of ice cream is always a wonderful frozen treat to enjoy as a dessert or sweet snack, served casually for the family or plated beautifully for guests.
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https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/recipes/ice-cream/

Instructions

  • Beat egg yolks and sugar for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Bring cream to a boil in a small thick-bottomed saucepan with the vanilla pod.
  • Remove pan from the heat and add the egg mix to the hot cream, whisking constantly.
  • Heat the ice cream to just below boiling point – this takes about 2 minutes over medium heat. Whisk constantly and watch for the ice cream to thicken. Do not let it boil.
  • Strain the ice cream and let it cool.
  • Pour the ice cream into a mould (about 1 litre) and place it, covered, in the freezer. Stir the ice cream 4-5 times during freezing.
Enjoy!
Tips

The key to ensuring a firm yet creamy and smooth texture in homemade ice cream is to get the right amount of air incorporated into it, whether you are using a machine or doing it manually. This means that you should remember to thoroughly whisk the cream and egg yolks, making delicious air bubbles and creating that light and airy texture. As such, it is important to make sure that the mixture of the two ingredients becomes light and fluffy. A thick custard base will make for an airier ice cream.

Tips

Secondly, stirring the ice cream quite vigorously about every 30-45 minutes 4-5 times during freezing incorporates even more air bubbles into the mixture. This helps ensure that the ice cream becomes airy and creamy. Make sure to scrape the edges of the mould every time you stir. This way the entire mixture is stirred every time, making the texture even.

Questions about ice cream

Making a delicious, ice-cold, and refreshing treat is simple, and below, you can learn much more about making the perfect homemade ice cream by reading our answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the frozen delight.

How to make homemade ice cream?
Making a delicious ice cream is easy. Start by making the ice cream base, let it cool, pour it into a mould, and place it in the freezer. For the next 3-4 hours as it freezes, stir well at regular intervals; about every 30 minutes. Enjoy the homemade ice cream as it is in a bowl or cone or serve it as a delicious cold side to a freshly baked cake or pie.
How long does it take to make homemade ice cream?
The time it takes to make ice cream greatly depends on whether you are using an ice cream maker or not. With an ice cream machine, churning the ice cream should take 20-30 minutes. Whereas it, without an ice cream maker, usually takes 3-4 hours for an ice cream to freeze. Preparing and cooling it before pouring into either a mould or an ice cream maker requires approx. 20-25 minutes to cook and 1 hour to cool.
How long does homemade ice cream last?
Homemade ice cream will keep for up to 2-3 weeks if kept in an airtight container. After this, the flavour and texture start to deteriorate. A way to tell if the ice cream is going bad is to look at its texture; it will begin to form tiny ice shards on the surface and under the lid. In the first stages of the process, you can remove these and still enjoy your ice cream. If the ice cream has large ice crystals or even chunks of ice in it, however, it is sadly time to throw it out.
How to store homemade ice cream?
Homemade ice cream should be placed in the freezer in an airtight container. Storing it in a shallow container rather than a deep tub is advisable. This makes it easier to serve as it is quicker to thaw. As such, you can enjoy it much quicker from the freezer. To secure your ice cream even further from freezer burn place a layer of plastic wrap between the ice cream and the lid of the container.
How to keep homemade ice cream soft?
It is worth noting that homemade ice cream is naturally harder than store-bought ice cream as it does not contain stabilisers and additives to keep it soft and scoopable. However, our ice cream recipe contains egg yolks, which are rich in protein and fat, making for a softer and creamier ice cream. Also, storing your homemade ice cream in a shallower container will make it easier to scoop. Allow for 10-15 minutes to let your ice cream soften before serving. 
Why is my homemade ice cream icy?
All types of ice cream become icy over time as ice crystal growth will occur naturally in any freezer environment. But your ice cream could also be icy because it has been churned for too long in an ice cream maker, creating larger ice crystals. Or because there is too much water in the base. This can happen more easily when making fruit ice cream as some fruits contain a lot of liquid.
Why is my homemade ice cream not thickening?
The ingredient that thickens the base in our recipe for ice cream is the egg yolks. Egg yolks make an almost custard-like base. However, to achieve this custard base, the mixture must be cooked to just below a boil. As such, the reason that your homemade ice cream is not thickening could be that the base was not heated for long. The cooking time may vary depending on your stove but start with the recommended 2 minutes and remember to whisk constantly and not let the mixture boil as you wait for it to thicken.
How to make homemade ice cream with ice cream maker?
It is easy and quick to make homemade ice cream with an ice cream maker, but there are some important things to remember. You need to cool the bowl for at least 12 hours before using the machine, cool the ice cream mixture for at least an hour before churning, and start the motor before pouring in the mixture. It is also important to remember not to overmix the ice cream as this may lead to an icy consistency.

Ingredients

Egg yolks
4
Sugar (approx. 1 dl)
85 g
Double cream
½ l
Split vanilla pod
1
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Homemade ice cream – the old-fashioned way

A delicious and creamy homemade ice cream does not contain many ingredients – just cream, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla. Beaten egg yolks ensure the soft and creamy texture as well as the rich flavour of an old-fashioned ice cream. They do so by leveraging the butterfat in the cream and giving the mixture a fuller texture less likely to become icy. This is why most artisan and old-fashioned ice cream recipes include eggs. Using egg in an ice cream base also improves its stability after it has been frozen which makes the cold dessert less likely to melt before you have a chance to enjoy it.

If you are looking for other homemade ice cream-based desserts to impress friends and family, try having a look at our recipes for vanilla ice cream with plums and buckwheat brittle or a classic French parfait ice cream.

Impress everyone with a creamy frozen dessert

Whether or not it is hot outside, delighting in an ice cream dessert is something that most people across generations can get behind. Making your own creamy ice cream from scratch is sure to impress everyone. Plus, when they are homemade, they taste fresher and more flavourful store-bought ice creams. In addition, the frozen delicacy can either be enjoyed as it is or paired with other homemade treats like our plum pie, pancakes, or Belgian waffles.

Ice cream with or without machine

Whether or not you have an ice cream maker at home, you can make delicious homemade ice cream. Using machine can make the process quite quick and easy. Letting the cooled mixture churn away in an ice cream maker for 20-45 minutes means that you do not have to continually stir it while it freezes over several hours.

Without a machine, simply follow our ice cream recipe and remember to stir at regular intervals as it freezes for about 3-4 hours. This is very important to remember as it will help make your ice cream's texture creamy and airy.

Experiment with different flavours

There is no limit to the kind of flavour combinations you can add to our recipe for ice cream. This means that you can vary and customise it in a multitude of ways to suit your preferences. Below, we have included a curated selection of options for ice cream recipes with popular flavours.

Chocolate ice cream

There is a reason why chocolate ice cream is a favourite with many. The complex, rich flavours that a dark chocolate adds to a creamy old-fashioned ice cream are nothing short of mouth-watering. If dark chocolate is a tad too bitter for your taste, using a lighter variety like milk chocolate is, of course, also possible. Experiment with adding 150 grams of chopped chocolate to discover which kind might create your favourite chocolate ice cream flavour.

Coffee ice cream

A more adult take on a classic homemade ice cream is to add 100 ml of espresso to the ice cream base to make a coffee ice cream. Coffee has a natural sweetness and a deep, intense flavour. Its earthy aroma has a slight bitterness and a refreshing acidity that pairs well with the richness of an old-fashioned ice cream with cream and egg yolks. Coffee may range in flavour from nutty to fruity so just like chocolate variations, you can experiment with finding your perfect coffee type.

Fruit ice cream

Using fresh fruit for ice cream is also an option with a lot of different possibilities to explore. Making fruit-flavoured ice cream may be a great way to use super-ripe, sweet fruits like banana or peach. For a more tart and fresh fruit ice cream, experiment with adding lemon or orange juice or using exotic fruits like pineapple or mango that may add a bit more tanginess. Adding 400 grams of fruit purée to your ice cream base will make for a flavourful, fruity treat.

A classic ice cream combination is cookie dough ice cream. Simply add some cookie dough pieces to the mixture before putting it in the mould. You can use our recipe for chocolate chip cookies to make the dough. This will give you some beautiful chewy bits of cookie dough in the ice cream.

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