Mascarpone Ice Cream

Ice Cream in a dessert cup inside a small white dish with striped napkin in the background.

No ratings yet

This churned Mascarpone Ice Cream is rich, silky, and packed with fresh vanilla bean. The use of mascarpone brings a luscious creaminess to a classic homemade vanilla ice cream.

Prep Time30

Cook Time5

Chilling Time1

Total Time1 35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 231kcal

Author: Sylvie

Equipment

Ice Cream Machine

Ingredients

240 ml Full Cream / Whole Milk
180 ml Heavy / Thickened Cream 30% fat content min.
1 Vanilla Bean or 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
4 large Egg Yolks at room temperature
60 gr Caster Sugar (*)
240 gr Mascarpone Cheese

Instructions

If required with the type of ice cream maker you use, place the churning bowl in the freezer 12 to 24 hours before the ice cream is ready to churn.
Place the milk and cream in a small to medium saucepan.
If using fresh vanilla bean: slice the bean in half and scrape off the seeds with a small parring knife. Put in the saucepan along with the remaining pod and turn on medium heat. When it starts to simmer, turn off the heat and cover the saucepan with a lid. Leave to infuse for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod. If the liquid is cold by then, bring it back to a simmer.
If using vanilla paste / vanilla extract: simply add the paste / extract to the cream and milk and bring to a simmer.
While the liquids are heating up, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a medium heat-proof bowl until smooth.
Pour the warm liquid over the egg yolk mixture while stirring. Whisk well so all the eggs are incorporated into the milk (see note 1) then pour it all back into the saucepan over low heat.
Cook over low heat while constantly stirring with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon (see note 2) until it reaches 82 degrees Celsius / 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Without a thermometer: the custard should coat the back of a spoon, and you should be able to draw a clear line through it with a finger.
Remove from the heat and stir in the mascarpone until it has been completely incorporated into the custard.
Transfer into a clean large bowl and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the custard. Place in the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
Pour the cold mascarpone custard into the bowl of your ice cream machine and churn for 15 to 20 minutes (see note 3), or until it has a stiff peak whipped cream consistency.
Transfer the ice cream into a freezer-friendly container such as a metal loaf pan (see note 4), cover with plastic wrap pressed onto its surface and freeze for at least 2 hours, depending on the consistency you are looking for.

Notes

(*) I only used caster sugar for ease, but it is highly recommended to substitute part of it with glucose syrup. Glucose syrup will help prevent formation of large ice crystals and lower the freezing point of the ice cream, creating an ice cream that is creamier and softer. Replace about 15% of the sugar with glucose, but note that glucose tastes less sweet than sugar so you might want to slightly increase the quantity of caster sugar as well.

This step is called "tempering" and it allows to slowly rise the temperature of the eggs. A sudden change of temperature could make the egg curdles or burn.
Don't let the mixture boil or it will overcook the eggs and you will get a lumpy custard.
The exact churning time will vary based on the brand / model of ice cream machine you use and how cold it all got. Always rely on texture rather than time.
You can freeze the container you will store the mascarpone ice cream in before transferring it into it. If too warm, the container will make the freshly churned ice cream melt.

Nutrition