I’ve professed my love for ice cream (especially the homemade variety) several times recently so it’s probably not terribly shocking that I’m sharing yet another ice cream recipe today. This flavor, though, is WAY out of my comfort zone. About 99% of the times we go out for ice cream I order mint chocolate chip – it’s my go-to and I love it so much I don’t usually see any reason to try something else. I’m not sure if that makes me unadventurous or boring, but I’m ok with either when it comes to my ice cream. When I make ice cream at home, I usually stick to vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter or some combination of the three, mainly because those are the flavors Shane will help me eat. That said, there have been a few exceptions – most notably, this lemon curd ice cream which blew my mind the first time I made it and still remains a favorite.
I decided to make the tiramisu ice cream primarily because I had a container of mascarpone in the fridge that needed to be used and I wanted to make something simple and preferably sweet, not savory. This ice cream is made simply by combining mascarpone, half and half, sugar, salt and alcohol and whirring them in the food processor, so it’s the perfect recipe for those days when you want homemade ice cream but don’t feel like tempering eggs or making a custard. The only problem I ran into was that my ice cream froze (and I use that word loosely here) quite soft. In fact, I’d say it was barely soft serve texture when it was done churning. There’s a fair amount of alcohol (which doesn’t freeze) in the recipe so no doubt that played a role here. A bit of time in the freezer remedied the problem though the ice cream still melted more quickly than most I’ve made.
I didn’t expect to like the ice cream as much I did so it was a pleasant surprise! It was very reminiscent of the dessert itself. I found it quite rich and while the alcohol wasn’t overpowering it definitely made its presence known. I was glad I stepped out of my comfort zone for this one and can definitely see myself making it again this summer. So, now I’m curious – are you adventurous when it comes to ice cream or do you order the same thing every time you go out like me?
Tiramisu Ice Cream
from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
2 cups (450 g) mascarpone
1 cup (250 ml) half-and-half
2/3 cup (130 g) sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) coffee-flavored liqueur, such as Kahlua
3 tablespoons (45 ml) brandy or dark rum
mocha ripple (recipe below)
In the bowl of a food processor, puree the mascarpone, half-and-half, sugar, salt, liqueur, and brandy until smooth and the sugar is dissolved. Chill the mixture thoroughly in your refrigerator before churning in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. As you remove the ice cream from your machine, alternate layers of the mocha ripple with the ice cream in your storage container.
Mocha Ripple:
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) light corn syrup
1/2 cup strongly brewed espresso
6 tablespoons (50 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, espresso, and cocoa powder. Put the pan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges. Continue to whisk until the mixture just comes to a low boil, then cook for 1 minute more, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool. Chill the mocha ripple thoroughly in your refrigerator before using. It will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge if covered.
Tracey, this ice cream looks amazing! I know so many people who would go absolutely gaga for this flavor ice cream. I may have to pick up a container of mascarpone at the store soon.
Mint chocolate chip is a tasty ice cream. I have a hard time being adventurous with ice cream, too. It’s always so much easier to go with the favorite flavor.
I have never used my ice cream maker and not even all the salted caramel recipes out there made me want to. I LOVE salted caramel ice cream…it’s my mint chocolate chip 🙂 but this ice cream intrigues me…I might have to try it next weekend! Thanks for the inspiration!
That’s just plain sinful!
Tiramisu just happens to be my favorite dessert of all time! That ice cream maker I just got needs to be broken out. Pronto.
I LOVE homemade ice cream, you may have already known that! 😉 I love trying different kinds, but definitely have my favorites!
Oh, I have to make this after I make some mascarpone today. It looks amazing! I don’t like the regular tiramisù, but I would totally like this ice cream. And that mocha ripple add in looks fantastic. YUM!
I made coffee ice cream yesterday and I was sooo not happy with the texture. Your Tiramisu ice cream sounds interesting. I’m going to try it and see if it’s texture makes me happy.
Wow Tracey that one amazing bowl of ice cream. I love turning classic desserts into ice creams so this is right up my alley=)
I can’t wait to try this, it sounds amazing!
Oooh that looks very creamy and the swirls look very pretty. Makes me want to try a bite. That says a lot, because I’m not a fan of ice cream or coffee. Great job!!
ooo, yum, such a decadent ice cream! looks delicious!
Tracey, this is beyond wonderful!
I’m definitely not very adventurous with my ice cream choices. =) Funny that you mention mint chocolate chip. I’ve always liked it, but I wouldn’t say it was a favorite. Except when I was pregnant with Gillian–I literally ate gallons of it. As in, every single day for several months. I still like it, but don’t eat it very often. =)
Wow, this looks like a great ice cream! I’m pretty similar in my ice cream making habits (lots of vanilla-based, sometimes with mix-ins), but I like making fruit sorbets as well.
Have you seen the “Ciao Bella Book of Gelato?” I think it’s pretty new. I love “The Perfect Scoop,” but I’m looking forward to trying some new ice cream recipes this summer.
What a lovely idea for an ice cream flavor. It looks delicious.
This looks like amazing ice cream! When I saw this in my RSS reader, I immediately clicked on it thinking “If it has mascarpone cheese in it, I HAVE to try it.” Adding it to the must-make list right now.
That sounds fantastic! I really need to get The Perfect Scoop. I have a really hard time picking an ice cream flavor because I like so many. Mint chip is definitely at the top of the list, though.
Love making ice cream. This looks delicious. hard to pick a favorite these days, most home made is so good. Mint chocolate sounds great, tho.
Sounds simply heavenly on a hot humid summer day especially here in Hawaii 🙂
Hi Tracey,
I’m leaving this comment on yr wall because your email address didn’t work for me. I would like to ask you permission to use yr tiramisu ice cream foto on my blog for a posting titled “July Favorites”.
Please let me know if that would be okay with you, of course, all credit linking back to your blog.
Thank you,
Jackie Hale
Galexi Cupcakes & Sweets
@Jackie – Sorry you had trouble with the email address, I’ll definitely have to look into that. Thanks for asking, feel free to use the photo 🙂
Oh my heavens, your ice cream recipes are killing me. This sounds amazing. I can’t wait to make it.