Homemade Blackcurrant Ice Cream Recipe

You may think making ice cream from scratch is difficult, but it’s really not! Following this non-churn method will leave you with a gorgeously smooth ice cream without the faff of investing in an ice cream maker.

We make a delicious blackcurrant coulis to act as the ripple for the ice cream. All you need for the coulis is berries, sugar and lemon, in which you heat up on the stove to gain a consistency similar to jam. This is perfect to drizzle on top of the ice cream. Make sure to include the sweetness of the condensed milk and double cream to balance out the sharp tang of the blackcurrants.

Please note, if you can’t get hold of fresh blackcurrants then frozen will do, you will just have to simmer the coulis for a little longer to thicken. You can also use any other seasonal berries if you are making this at another time of year!

You can serve this ice cream with a delicious slice of chocolate cake, or even incorporated as one of the layers within our classic within our classic Knickerbocker Glory, which is perfect to be enjoyed in the sun.

1. Start by making the blackcurrant coulis for the ripple. In a saucepan add the blackcurrants, sugar and lemon juice.
2. Heat up the mixture and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes so it thickens and resembles jam.
3. Tip the blackcurrant coulis into a bowl and place in the fridge to cool it.
4. Whilst it cools, make the ice cream base. In a large bowl add the double cream and use electric beaters (or you can do by hand) to beat the cream until it forms stiff peaks.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the ricotta, condensed milk, vanilla bean paste and pinch of Maldon Salt. Add the double cream into the ricotta mix and fold the mixture through so it is smooth.
6. Tip this mixture into a freezer safe container and place into the freezer.
7. Once the coulis mixture has cooled, take the ice cream out the freezer and then dollop some of it across the top, then use a cutlery knife to ripple this throughout the ice cream. You won’t need to use all the coulis, and if you have some leftover then it is delicious drizzled over the ice cream when serving!
8. Once the blackcurrant has been rippled through then place the container back in the freezer and freeze overnight.

Does it matter if I use fresh or frozen berries?

If you are blending your berries for a coulis, you can use either fresh or frozen. However, it is known that frozen fruit is often softer and sweeter in taste than fresh fruit. This is because the water in the fruit expands when frozen, releasing delicious, natural sugars as they slowly begin to melt.

Can this recipe be made in an ice cream maker?

Absolutely! Brands like Magimix and Ninja have wonderful appliances that can transform homemade ice cream and sorbets in less than 40 minutes. However, the non-churn method works just as well…you will just need to have a little more patience. We recommend freezing the ice cream overnight for best results.

Can I use clotted cream instead of double cream?

To make sure your homemade ice cream will come out deliciously creamy, we recommend using heavy cream. A heavy cream, also known as heavy whipping cream, is a thicker part of milk that rises to the top because of it’s high fat content. Although clotted cream has a very high fat contents, when frozen, the cream becomes dry and crumbly when defrosted and it’s looses it’s iconic creamy texture. As a result, we recommend double cream, as it is easy to whip and when frozen it still retains is silky, rich texture.