Dark Chocolate Caramel Custard Ice Cream
Inspired by techniques from Bon Appétit.
A rich egg-yolk custard loaded with melted dark chocolate and cocoa powder gets a swirl of dark caramel whisked in before churning, giving the finished ice cream extra depth and a faint bittersweet edge. Chilling the base for two days and freezing the churned ice cream for several more lets the flavour round out and the texture turn properly scoopable.
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Method
- 1
Melt the chocolate. Put the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl and set it over a saucepan of barely simmering water, without letting the bowl touch the water. Stir until melted and smooth, then set aside to cool slightly.
- 2
Heat the milk and cocoa. Whisk the milk and cocoa powder together in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat until the mixture just begins to boil; set aside.
- 3
Make the custard base. Beat the egg yolks and 88 g of the sugar with an electric mixer until very thick ribbons form, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually pour in the hot milk mixture, then return everything to the saucepan, add the melted chocolate and whisk to blend.
- 4
Cook the custard. Cook over low heat, stirring, until slightly thickened and an instant-read thermometer reads 79°C, about 5 minutes; don't let it go much above that or the egg yolks will scramble. Pour the custard into a large bowl set over a bowl of ice water and stir until cool.
- 5
Make the caramel. Bring the remaining 75 g sugar and the water to a boil in a small, deep heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Boil without stirring, occasionally swirling the pan and brushing down the sides with a wet pastry brush, until a dark amber caramel forms, about 5 minutes.
- 6
Finish the base. Off the heat, gradually whisk in the cream; it will bubble up vigorously. Whisk the caramel into the cooled chocolate custard, then strain into a container. Cover and chill for 2 days.
- 7
Churn and freeze. Churn the custard in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container and freeze for at least 3 days before eating for the best texture.
Storage
Chill the strained custard for up to 2 days before churning, then keep the churned ice cream frozen in an airtight container; it's best after at least 3 days in the freezer to firm up, and can be made up to 3 days ahead. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Low salt: 0.16 g salt per 100 g (limit ≤ 0.3 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 62 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
20.3 g per serving
40.6 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 81.2 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- medium heatproof bowl
- saucepan (for a double boiler)
- medium heavy saucepan
- electric mixer
- instant-read thermometer
- fine strainer
- large bowl and ice bath
- small, deep heavy saucepan
- pastry brush
- ice cream machine
- airtight container
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 342 kcal |
| Protein | 6.9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 37.3 g |
| of which sugars | 29.8 g |
| of which free sugars | 20.3 g |
| Fat | 19.3 g |
| of which saturates | 10.5 g |
| Fibre | 3.9 g |
| Salt | 0.1 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
