This definitely goes on the “great success” list of the apartment kitchen, though I have to confess I discovered it long before this blog was started. This is for any sad cooks out there trying to stifle their desire to make homemade ice cream during the heat of summer whilst lamenting the fact that they have no ice cream maker. (I will admit that there are products out there that make it a worthy purchase – an old fashioned, hand cranked machine will only set you back $10-$15.) But never fear my foodie friends – your lack of a machine won’t stop you any more!

When I first found this recipe, it was labeled as a semifreddo. After a few tweaks, I’ve found that its texture is dense, smooth, and creamy – just like real ice cream! There are a few key tricks to making this a success. Use a large, shallow dish to freeze the ice cream base – it will freeze faster and more evenly. Don’t mix in any inclusions (cake crumbs, candy, coconut, chocolate chips, etc.) until the mixture is at soft-serve consistency, then they will stay suspended in the ice cream. Last but not least, be patient – this method is super simple, but it does take longer than a well-working machine. Try to avoid checking on your ice cream every few minutes, as it will only make it take longer to set up!

Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Devil’s Food Cake Crumbs

Makes about 1 quart

Leftover Potential: I used leftover peanut butter milk chocolate frosting for the swirl and cake crumbs as an inclusion. Use your imagination or whatever’s in your pantry that needs to be used up!

3 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup leftover peanut butter frosting

1/2 cup leftover devil’s food cake crumbs

1. In a medium heat proof bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla together. Place the bowl over a waterbath, and whisk vigorously until the mixture is thick and pale (by hand this will take 5-7 minutes, with a hand mixer it would be easier).

2. Remove the eggs from the waterbath, and let cool slightly. Whip the cream to medium peaks.

3. Add about 1/4 of the whipped cream to the egg mixture and mix thoroughly to combine. Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream, making sure the mixture is very well combined – but not overmixing (the mixture will start to look watery if it’s overmixed).

4. If using, add the leftover peanut butter milk chocolate frosting and gently fold into the mixture. Less mixing will lead to more of a swirl like appearance, more mixing will make for a peanut butter-colored ice cream.

5. Gently pour the mixture into a shallow baking dish. Freeze, covered in foil, undisturbed until beginning to set (about 1 1/2-2 hours). When the mixture is almost entirely set, feel free to mix in any inclusions (like the devil’s food crumbs). Continue to freeze until the mixture has a thick, ice cream like texture (another 1 1/2-2 hours. Total freezing time will really depend on how large a pan you use and how cold your freezer is.

Note:

I find that it’s sometimes good to gently fold the mixture once during the freezing process, just to make sure it’s combined. This would also fix the mixture if it had begun to separate.