Cheesecake Ice Cream
by Nigella. Featured in NIGELLA SUMMERIntroduction
This started off as something of a culinary conceit: I wanted to recreate the flavour of cheesecake in ice-cream form. I don't claim it's an original idea — I'd once eaten cheesecake ice cream in a restaurant in LA, scooped into a lozenge-shaped ball and served alongside a mini blueberry pie — but striving for originality is frankly a grievous culinary crime.
Anyway, this works exceptionally well, and is in some respects easier to make than regular cheesecake. I love to fold crushed digestive biscuits into the smooth, familiarly sharp-sweet mixture once it comes out of the ice-cream maker but isn't yet frozen solid, but you can leave the ice cream palely pure and sandwich it between two intact digestives as you eat.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
This started off as something of a culinary conceit: I wanted to recreate the flavour of cheesecake in ice-cream form. I don't claim it's an original idea — I'd once eaten cheesecake ice cream in a restaurant in LA, scooped into a lozenge-shaped ball and served alongside a mini blueberry pie — but striving for originality is frankly a grievous culinary crime.
Anyway, this works exceptionally well, and is in some respects easier to make than regular cheesecake. I love to fold crushed digestive biscuits into the smooth, familiarly sharp-sweet mixture once it comes out of the ice-cream maker but isn't yet frozen solid, but you can leave the ice cream palely pure and sandwich it between two intact digestives as you eat.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
(UK only)
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Ingredients
Serves: 6-8
- 175 millilitres full fat milk
- 200 grams caster sugar
- 125 grams cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- juice of ½ lemon
- 350 millilitres double cream
- 50 grams crumbled digestive biscuits (optional)
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 cup superfine sugar
- ½ cup cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 3 sheets crumbled graham crackers (optional)
Method
- Heat the milk in a pan, and while it's getting warm, beat together the sugar, Philadelphia, vanilla and egg in a bowl. Still whisking, pour the hot milk into the cream cheese mixture and pour this back into the cleaned-out pan and cook till a velvety custard. I don't bother with a double boiler, and actually don't even keep the heat very low, but you will need to stir it constantly, and if you think there's any trouble ahead, plunge the pan into a sink half filled with cold water and whisk like mad. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes, this way, for the custard to cook. And when it has thickened, take it off the heat, pour into a bowl and let it cool, at which time add the lemon juice and then the double cream, lightly whipped.
- Freeze in an ice cream maker or place into a covered container, stick it in the freezer and whip it out every hour for 3 hours as it freezes and give it a good beating, folding in the crushed digestives — if using — before the ice cream is set solid.
- Heat the milk in a pan, and while it's getting warm, beat together the sugar, Philadelphia, vanilla and egg in a bowl. Still whisking, pour the hot milk into the cream cheese mixture and pour this back into the cleaned-out pan and cook till a velvety custard. I don't bother with a double boiler, and actually don't even keep the heat very low, but you will need to stir it constantly, and if you think there's any trouble ahead, plunge the pan into a sink half filled with cold water and whisk like mad. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes, this way, for the custard to cook. And when it has thickened, take it off the heat, pour into a bowl and let it cool, at which time add the lemon juice and then the heavy cream, lightly whipped.
- Freeze in an ice cream maker or place into a covered container, stick it in the freezer and whip it out every hour for 3 hours as it freezes and give it a good beating, folding in the crushed digestives — if using — before the ice cream is set solid.
Additional Information
For vegetarians make sure the cream cheese is a brand suitable for vegetarians.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
Best eaten within 1 week but will keep for up to 1 month in the freezer.
For vegetarians make sure the cream cheese is a brand suitable for vegetarians.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
Best eaten within 1 week but will keep for up to 1 month in the freezer.
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What 3 Others have said
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Posted by Bakingqueen64 on 24th August 2022
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Posted by Sandra_H on 14th May 2020
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Posted by joshv41680 on 1st March 2020
Show more commentsThis was one of the best ice creams I’ve ever had. I urge you all to make it
This came out absolutely beautiful!! It’s the first time I’ve ever made ice cream and with such tasty results, I’ll definitely be doing it again!
This is the best ice cream in the world! It really does taste like cheesecake. Pair it with fresh fruit or a fruit sauce for an incredible after dinner treat. It's also the easiest method for a custard based ice cream that I have ever used. Make this once and you'll never look back!