Super creamy homemade cherry ice cream is the easiest ice cream you could make. You won’t need to use an ice cream machine to make this no-churn cherry ice cream. It is not just easy to make but is also exquisite. It has cherries, dark chocolate chips and ricotta cheese.
Yes, ricotta, you heard it right! I know you are thinking how strange is to use ricotta on ice cream. Although if you think about it, there are thousands of dessert made with it. Just think of Cannoli Siciliani. Where the ricotta is combined with chocolate chips and used for filling the crunchy shell. Pure heaven. Another ricotta dessert for you to try is this traditional Italian crostata dessert. So good, really!
Why you will love it
- no need to use ice cream machine
- easy to make, just 15 minutes of preparation
- no need to pastorize the eggs
- tastes so deliciuous
What does it means no-churn ice cream?
No-churn ice cream means no need to use an ice cream machine to make creamy ice cream. Let’s see the difference between the machine ice cream to no-churn ice cream:
- machine ice cream: the main step to achieve a soft ice cream is to dissolve the sugar, by pasteurizing the eggs, in order to avoid the formation of ice crystals, which would turn your ice cream into a rock-hard one. Again the air is another important element that helps to achieve a rich texture. In fact, the method of mixing the ingredients into the cold machine helps to trap the air.
- no-churn ice cream: it doesn’t require dissolving the sugar. Why so? Because it’s using the condensed milk. Condensed milk is made by letting the water evaporate, then it is heated with the sugar until it all dissolved. While the mixing process of incorporate the air is given by whipping the double cream with a stand mixer or by using a hand mixer. Super simple and quick, right?
I have an ice cream machine at home, hide it somewhere in my kitchen, but sometimes I use this method to make my life easier. So I can have my freezer loaded with different flavours of ice cream in no time. Not to mention that I make my husband happy. Yes, he is obsessed with ice cream.
Ingredients for no-churn cherry ice cream
To make this homemade cherry ice cream we’ll need:
Double cream– it gives the ice cream a buttery texture. Moreover, the air incorporated into the whipping method copies the process of the ice cream machine.
Sweetened condensed milk- it is the base ingredient to make no-churn ice cream. It provides a creamy and velvety texture to the ice cream. Here it replaces the fats and the sugar given by the sugar and the pasteurized eggs.
Ricotta– it is mixed with condensed milk. The ricotta has a delicate flavour and is somewhat sweet. Which makes it an ideal ingredient to use in combination with dark chocolate and roasted cherries.
Pitted cherries- they are mixed with sugar, vanilla seeds and lemon juice. Then roasted in the oven to release a superb cherries syrup.
Dark chocolate chips– the bitterness of the dark chocolate matches perfectly with the sweetness of the roasted cherries.
Step by step instruction*
*Note: this is just a quick introduction. Please read the recipe card for the full instructions.
As I said previously, the method is super easy and stress-free. It is literally done in four steps.
1. Prepare the cherries. Prehaets the fan oven at 200°C. Mix the cherries with sugar, vanilla seeds and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Roast them in the oven for 30 minutes, so it will create that juicy syrup.
2. Whip the double cream. Whip the double cream in a stand mixer until stiff peaks. Do not over whip or you will find yourself with butter.
3. Mix the creams. Add the condensed milk and the ricotta to a medium bowl and mix until is all combine.
4. Assembling the ingredients. Fold carefully the creams into the whipped cream. Add the cherries, the dark chocolate chips into it, very carefully. Pour 1/4 of the mixture into a rectangle loaf pan and add few spoons of cherries syrup. Swirl the syrup around with a toothpick and continue until is full. Freeze until firm, for around 5 hours. Before serving allow the ice cream to sit at room temperature.
Variations
The two bases ingredients here are condensed milk and double cream. From here you can use your imagination and create your perfect flavour of ice cream.
Here are some ideas:
- salted caramel and roasted banana
- pistachio butter and chopped pistachio.
- chopped fruits and honey
- chopped hazelnuts and coffee
- peanuts butter and chocolate chips cookies
- cheesecake biscuits and blended strawberry
- ricotta and candidate fruits
- brownies and salted caramel
Frequently asked questions
How to store the ice cream?
Store it in the freeze with some baking paper to cover the ice cream. It will keep for up to 3 months.
Homemade cherry ice cream
Equipment
- Baking paper
- Medium oven tray
- Stand Mixer
- Medium Bowl
- Balloon whisk
- Spatula
- Rectangle loaf bread tin
- Hand Electric Mixer or Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Roasted cherries
- 508 gr pitted cherries
- 51 gr caster sugar
- 1 lemon juice
- 1 vanilla pod seeds
Cream
- 400 gr double cream cold from the fridge
- 397 gr condensed milk
- 190 gr ricotta well drained
Assembling
- 100 gr dark chocolate chips
Instructions
Roasted cherries
- Preheat the oven at 200°c fan, 220°c conventional and 6 Gas Mark.
- Add the pitted cherries, previously cut it onto halves, the vanilla seeds and the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Mix well until well combined.
- Cover a medium oven tray with some baking paper and arrange the cherries with all the juices. Bake for 30 minutes and set aside.
Whipped cream
- Whip the double cream in a stand mixer until stiff peaks. Making sure to don't over whip, otherwise, it will turn into butter. Set aside.
- In a bowl mix the condensed milk and the ricotta. Mix until well combined.
Assembling
- Add little by little the creams into the whipped cream and fold carefully with a spatula. Making sure to don't break the air trap into the whipped cream. Keep doing until is all well combined.
- Add the cherries, but keep the syrup aside, the dark chocolate chips into the whipped cream. Fold gently from the bottom to the top.
- Pour 1/4 of the mixture into a rectangle loaf pan and add few spoons of cherries syrup. Swirl the syrup around with a toothpick and continue until is you have no left.
- Freeze until firm, for around 5 hours.
To serve
- Before serving keep the ice cream at room temperature for 5 minutes. Serve it with some fresh chopped cherries.
Notes
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