Traditional ice cream recipes start with a rich, silky custard base, which gives a thick and luxurious ice cream, exactly because of the cream and egg yolks. Many homemade ice cream recipes require a machine, as it needs to be frozen as it churns, because that way, air is incorporated into the ice cream, the ice crystals are broken up quickly, making the finished product creamy and light, instead of being one large ice block.
This ice cream recipe, however, requires no machine, no custard, and no egg yolks. Only a couple of ingredients, and a few hours of freezing time. No-churn ice creams have become more and more popular over the years, simply because they are so easy to make, yet they still have a non-icy texture. The magic ingredient is, of course, the sweetened condensed milk. It replaces the cooked custard base, and when combined with the lush whipped cream, it will not solidify in the freezer, which is a problem lots of homemade ice creams face.
This ice cream is just like a frozen chocolate cheesecake, with rich Mascarpone, lots of cream, and a fantastic dark chocolate flavour. Mascarpone, because of its high fat content, will also help the ice cream not solidify in the freezer. Remember to use a really good, dark chocolate bar, at least 70%, because the bitterness of the dark chocolate is there to balance the sweetness of the condensed milk, and the richness of the whipped cream.
Ingredients
200 grams sweetened condensed milk
250 ml double cream
100 grams Mascarpone, softened
100 grams dark chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Preparation
Start by melting the chocolate over low heat, or in the microwave, and setting it aside so it can cool down slightly. Take the Mascarpone out of the refrigerator, and place it into a large bowl so it can soften up just a tad, then pour in the sweetened condensed milk, and the vanilla, and gently fold everything through. You do not need to whisk this mixture, just a fold will do. In a separate, large bowl, whip the double cream until stiff peaks form. Add the cooled melted chocolate to the Mascarpone and sweetened condensed milk, and again fold it through. Finally, add in the whipped cream in a few additions.
Gently fold in about a third of the whipped cream into the condensed milk and chocolate. This will lighten the condensed milk batter, and make it easier to fold in the rest of the cream. Add in the rest of the whipped cream, and keep lightly folding it through until blended. If it at all looks odd, maybe with a few lumps or streaks, just keep softly folding, and it will transform into a smooth, silky, uniform batter. If only a few streaks of the cream remain, it is best to leave it at that moment, so you don’t deflate the ice cream batter. Pour everything into a freezer-safe container, cover tightly with a lid, and place it in the freezer for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. Serve with some additional chocolate flakes, or more melted chocolate. Yields 600 ml of ice cream.
Author’s note: Keep the ice cream in the freezer until serving, and use it within two weeks.