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| The Finished Product! |
Sorry I've been absent for a decent amount of time. I plan on being able to devote more time to blogging starting in June as our summers are a little less hectic than the spring.
To apologize for leaving you without delicious things to cook, I am making it up to you by sharing my recipe for homemade custard-style cake batter ice cream. Before I begin, you should know that to make ice cream, I use my KitchAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment. Regardless of how you make ice cream, the instructions (up until the ice cream goes in the maker) should be the same for you.
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My mother and I sometimes have differing views on cooking. She has a very scientific mind whereas I have a very creative mind, so where her recipes are exact, precisely measured, and perfectly executed, mine tend to be very loose, not so precisely measured, and executed well (but not perfectly by any means). Unfortunately for us creative souls who "dump" instead of measure, making custard is not something we are very well suited for. To make custard, you must be precise, you much watch it very carefully, and you must not over-cook it.
This is why I have no pictures of the custard making process--there just wasn't any time to take pictures, but don't worry, I'll provide exact step-by-step instructions for achieving perfect custard below. Right now, I'm going to show you some fun pictures of the rest of the process...
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| This is the custard ice cream mix after it had set-up in the refrigerator overnight |
To achieve the perfect ice cream consistency, you must make sure everything is as cold as possible. If an ice cream recipe says "Chill for 3 hours", you'd be better off allowing it to chill overnight before making ice cream. Words of wisdom--I promise!
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| This is my Ice Cream Maker Attachment once it was put in place |
If you have a KitchenAid Mixer and you plan on making ice cream a lot, you should seriously consider investing the $80 in this attachment. It really does make life so much easier. You freeze the bowl in the freezer for (the instructions say) 15 hours, but I let it freeze at least a full 24-36 hours before using.
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| I poured the ice cream batter into a pitcher to make it easier to get the batter into the ice cream bowl |
You have to have your KitchenAid mixer on the "Stir" speed in order to add the batter. That's why it's easier to place the batter into a pitcher rather than pour straight from the bowl. Wasting even a drop of this beautiful batter should be considered a sin.
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| After 20 minutes of stirring, the ice cream has doubled in size |
Again, the instructions say that your ice cream will be ready in 15-20 minutes, but I have found that the consistency is so much better if you let it keep going another 10 minutes. Also, after 30 minutes of churning, the ice cream has a very frozen yogurt consistency. To achieve the perfect "Marble Slab" ice cream consistency, you will want to allow the ice cream to set up in the freezer for about 3-5 hours before serving.
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| See... it's kinda melty straight out of the ice cream maker... still delicious though |
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| I placed the ice cream into freezer bowls, put the lids on and threw them in the freezer for 7 hours |
Okay... enough pictures. It's time to give you the recipe and instructions! You could be 48 hours away from eating this delicious ice cream! :) I promise--it's well worth the wait!
Homemade Custard-Style Cake Batter Ice Cream
(quite possibly better than Cold Stone)
- 1 Pint (2 cups) Half and Half
- 8 Egg Yolks
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 3 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp of Vanilla
(basically, take a shot glass and fill it to the absolute brim)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup Betty Crocker White Cake Mix (de-lumped and sifted)
*Warning: You can substitute the 5 cups of dairy product in any combination of milk, half and half, and heavy whipping cream to make it less rich, however, this is ice cream people. You want to lose weight? Don't eat ice cream. Sure you can substitute fat-free half and half or skim milk, but it will drastically alter the consistency and richness of the final product. I promise you, Cold Stone doesn't make their ice cream with Fat Free Milk. If you choose to do this and it doesn't turn out as amazing as I say it is, that's not my fault--that's your fault for expecting fat free ice cream to taste as good as the full-fat stuff. :) Another note, this is custard. Custard is made with cream and egg YOLKS. Your custard ice cream will not turn out properly if you use any of the egg whites. Now, you don't have to throw the egg whites out, you can mix in some egg whites with a full egg or two and make delicious, healthy egg white omelets--just keep them out of the custard! :) This warning may sound harsh, but it's tough love people. I'm doing this for your own good... and for your success. :)
Directions
- If using the KitchenAid Mixer Ice Cream Attachment, place the attachment in the freezer (if it's not already there)
- Take the 8 egg yolks and place them in a mixing bowl with the sugar. Mix on Speed 2 for about 5 minutes, until the eggs have thickened a bit and the mixture is properly combined.
- While the eggs/sugar are mixing, head the half and half (only) in a medium sauce pan over medium heat (like setting 4 or 5 on the stove) until very hot but not boiling, stirring often. You do not want to chance scalding the half and half.
- As soon as it reaches the almost boiling stage (steam will be rising and the half and half will have slightly reduced), remove it from the heat and (very gradually; don't just dump) pour it straight into the mixing bowl that has the egg mixture. I find that not turning off the mixer while I pour in the hot half and half allows the mixture to combine better.
- Let the half and half mix in with the eggs and sugar for about two minutes, then stop the mixer, remove it from the stand and mix it by hand for a minute or so to ensure that the eggs and sugar have properly combined with the half and half.
- Pour the custard mixture back into the medium sauce pan and cook over medium-ish heat (about 3-4 on the stove).
- This is important, NEVER stop stirring and NEVER boil this mixture. Stir the custard making sure it stays frothy throughout the cooking process, but do not boil or you'll end up with a very large pan of scrambled eggs.
- Once the mixture is steamy (but not boiling) and very hot, remove from heat and pour into a very large bowl.
- Slowly stir into the heated custard mixture, the heavy whipping cream and vanilla.
- In a small bowl, combine the cake mix and the salt, working out all of the lumps from the cake mix, then place the cake/salt mix into a sifter and sift over the bowl of custard.
- Once the cake mix is completely added, mix the custard well, cover, and place in the refrigerator overnight to set up and chill completely (minimum of 10-12 hours, if not a full 24 hours)
- The next day, set up your ice cream maker and follow the directions for making the ice cream. If you are using the KitchenAid attachment, follow these instructions below:
- Assemble and engage the freezer bowl, dasher, and drive assembly and turn to STIR.
- Transfer your custard into a pitcher or container with a spout and slowly pour the mixture into the freezer bowl.
- Continue on the STIR speed for 20-30 minutes.
- After the 20-30 minutes are up, stop the mixer, release the bowl, and transfer the ice cream into freezer containers and chill for 3-5 hours (if not longer) before serving.**
**As I mentioned above, you can immediately eat the ice cream after the 30 minutes are up, but it will be very soupy and not like the marble slab consistency.
To serve: I have served this ice cream with fresh fruit (strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries are my favorite fruit to mix into the cake batter ice cream), caramel and chocolate sauce, and Barnum's Animal Crackers, but this ice cream is amazing all on it's own.
It is possible to mix in fruit during the last 5 minutes of the mixing time and then freeze the ice cream with the fruit already mixed in, but I have found that doing so makes it very hard to scoop the ice cream once it has completely set up because the berries freeze harder than the ice cream, so I keep my fruit fresh and add it to the servings of ice cream.
I hope you enjoy this ice cream as much as the hubby and I have enjoyed it. This recipe will become a staple for my family and me! Enjoy and please feel free to post questions in the comments if there is something I haven't completely covered! :)
Happy Ice Cream Making!
