The custard base for this double chocolate ice cream is made with cocoa powder and a little coffee. For some reason for which I have no scientific explanation, chocolate tastes more chocolate-y with the addition of coffee.
But I wanted my ice cream to be even more chocolate-y than that so I threw in chocolate shards. Not only did they heighten the chocolatiness of the ice cream, they also provided a good textural contrast. With every spoonful of creamy ice cream, you get bits of chocolate to grind with your teeth or leave to melt in your mouth.
Double Chocolate Ice Cream
Recipe byAdapted from a recipe by Alton Brown, I incorporated Ina Garten’s recommendation to add a little coffee when making chocolate-based dessert. My own contribution is to throw in dark chocolate shards during the last five minutes of processing in the ice cream maker.
Equipment
- Ice cream maker
Ingredients
- ½ cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup full -fat milk
- 8 egg yolks
- 1 ⅛ cups white sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- ¼ cup chocolate shards (available in baking supply stores)
Instructions
- Place the cocoa powder, coffee granules and two cups of cream in a sauce pan.
- Over medium heat, with constant stirring, bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Add the remaining cream and milk, stir and cook until simmering.
- In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks and sugar until light-colored and smooth.
- Temper the egg yolks. Pour about a third of the cream mixture slowly into the egg mixture, stirring briskly as you pour.
- Pour the tempered egg yolks into the saucepan and mix.
- Set the pan on the stove once more and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
- Pour the cooked custard into a bowl and place a sheet of cling film directly over the entire surface. This prevents the formation of skin.
- Cool the custard to room temperature then chill in the fridge for six hours.
- Scrape the custard into the ice cream machine and process according to manufacturer's direction until you reach the desired consistency.
- Add the chocolate shards and salt during the last five minutes of processing.
- Serve the double chocolate ice cream immediately (soft serve stage) or freeze for a couple of hours for a firmer ice cream.
Notes
Updated from a recipe originally published in February 1, 2017