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Cheesecake Ice Cream

Cheesecake Ice Cream by Wood and Spoon. This is Rose Levy Beranbaums's recipe for a churned cheesecake ice cream. The flavor is undeniably cheesecake and has a delicious mouthfeel. Learn how to make homemade ice cream with tons of great mix-in options here on the woodandspoon.com for all of your summer desserts and frozen treats!

5 from 1 reviews

This cheesecake ice cream is a creamy custard-based frozen treat from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s book! Try it topped with a fruit sauce!

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup (200 gm) cream cheese
  • 1 tablespoon (9 grams) cornstarch
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (261 gm) heavy cream, divided
  • ¾ cup (150 gm) sugar
  • 21/2 tablespoons (53 gm) glucose or reduced corn syrup
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¼ cup plus 2 teaspoons (74 gm) egg yolk (from about 46 yolks)
  • 11/2 cups (363 gm) sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon lemon oil

Instructions

  1. Cut the cream cheese into piece (1 inch) and allow it to soften at room temperature while mixing the rest of the base. Have a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a medium bowl. Prepare an ice water bath.
  2. In a custard cup or small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 29 grams/2 tablespoons of the cream until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap.
  3. In a medium saucepan, with a silicone spatula, stir together the remaining cream, sugar, glucose, and salt until well blended.
  4. In a medium bowl, place the egg yolks and whisk them lightly. Set it near the cooktop.
  5. Over medium heat, bring the cream and sugar mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and cook at a slow boil, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes to evaporate some of the water in the mixture. Remove the pan from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes.
  6. Stir the cornstarch mixture to make sure it is smooth and then whisk it into the hot mixture. Return the pan to the heat and bring the mixture to a slow boil. Cook for 1 minutes, whisking gently. It will thicken slightly.
  7. Remove the cornstarch mixture from the heat and gradually whisk about ½ cup of the mixture into the egg yolks to temper them. Then use a whisk to stir the egg yolk mixture back into the pot. Check the temperature. If an instant-read thermometer reads at least 170 degrees Fahrenheit, there is no need to heat it further. If it is lower, heat the mixture on low, stirring constantly until thickened a little further. When a finger is run across the back of the spatula, it will leave a well-defined track. An instant read thermometer should read 170 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. 
  8. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into the strainer, scraping up the thickened mixture that has settled on the bottom of the pan. Press it through the strainer into the bowl and scrape any mixture clinging to the underside of the bowl. Remove the residue and set the strainer over the medium bowl used for the egg yolks, for the second straining.
  9. Set the bowl containing the custard mixture in the ice water bath and allow it to cool until no longer warm to the touch, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon oil. It will be mostly smooth, but the cream cheese will be slightly lumpy. Scrape the mixture into a food processor and process until as smooth as possible, then press it through the strainer again. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours or until no warmer than 43 degrees Fahrenheit. Set a covered storage container in the freezer.
  10. Churn the cheesecake custard in a prechilled ice cream maker. Transfer the ice cream to the chilled container. Press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the ice cream, cover the container, and allow the ice cream to firm in the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.

Notes

  • I used regular corn syrup in place of the reduced corn syrup and was pleased with the results.
  • The lemon oil is optional!
  • I found it easy to whisk the cream cheese into the custard while it was still warm. There were no lumps at that point.
  • In lieu of chilling the mixture in the freezer, I poured the custard into a gallon-sized Ziploc and submerged it in an ice bath in the sink. The mixture was chilled in under an hour.
  • I store my ice creams in metal loaf pans topped with a sheet of aluminum foil.