This blackcurrant ice cream is a flavourful, creamy custard-based ice cream with the rich and tangy taste of tart blackcurrants. It’s what hot summer days cry out for.
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Blackcurrant ice cream practically screams of British summertime. The creamy yet tart and tangy flavour is both luxurious and refreshing. It’s a real treat on a hot summer’s day.
Despite blackcurrants being a very popular fruit in Britain during the summer months, this flavour ice cream is rarely found in supermarket freezers so making your own is a worthwhile endeavour.
If you are looking for more frozen blackcurrant recipes take a look at my blackcurrant sorbet.
Why This Ice Cream is Worth Making
- This blackcurrant ice cream recipe is a fantastic make-ahead dessert that easily feeds six people
- As it’s a custard based recipe, the ice cream produced is creamy and smooth
- There is no mistaking the flavour once tasted – it is intensely fruity and the colour reflects this – it’s bright and bold
- It’s possible to make this homemade ice cream without a dedicated ice cream churner. If you have space in your freezer, a large bowl and electric beaters then you’re in business
Ingredients for Blackcurrant Ice Cream
Blackcurrant, also known as black currant or cassis, is the star ingredient in this homemade ice cream recipe. Use fresh or frozen fruit, it really doesn’t matter.
For the best textured ice cream always use whole (full-fat milk) and double (heavy) cream. Low-fat products will lead to an inferior quality ice cream with this recipe.
Step by Step Instructions
There are two ways to make this blackcurrant ice cream – either using a churning machine or by hand. I’m giving both sets of instructions. Before the churning stage though, a fruit puree and a custard base need to be made. Here are the details:
Make the Blackcurrant Purée
- Cook the blackcurrants, sugar and lemon juice over a gentle heat to dissolve the sugar
- Turn up the heat and let boil until the fruit forms a thick sauce (when a wooden spoon is dragged through the sauce the bottom of the pan should be visible for 1-2 seconds before the sauce falls back in on itself)
- Allow to cool. Suspend a sieve over a bowl and pour the fruit sauce into the sieve. Use a metal spoon to crush and push the fruit through the sieve. Keep on turning and pushing until a thick residue of pulp remains in the sieve but very little liquid. Discard the pulp and cover the bowl of purée & refrigerate overnight (or for at least 4 hours)
Make the Custard Base
- Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla extract in a medium bowl for 2-3 minutes until thick and pale
- Put the milk into a medium-sized pan (heavy based) over a medium heat and warm through (do not boil) then pour onto the yolks, whisking continuously
- Pour the custard mix back into the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon
- Take off the heat. Pour the custard into a bowl or jug, cover with clingfilm (to stop a skin forming) and cool
- Once cold, transfer to the fridge to chill overnight (or for at least 4 hours)
Churning by Machine
- When ready to churn mix the custard, cream and blackcurrant puree together and pour into your ice cream maker
- Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions
- Once fully churned either serve straight away (soft-set) or transfer to a freezer-proof container, cover with parchment and freeze for several hours until firm
Churning by Hand
- Mix the custard, cream and blackcurrant puree together and pour into a large freezer-proof bowl. Cover and put it in the freezer for 1-1 ½ hours until beginning to freeze around the edge
- Remove from the freezer and use electric beaters to beat the ice cream until the ice crystals are uniform. Cover and place back in the freezer
- Repeat this process 6-8 more times at 1-hour intervals – the better the texture will be the more the process is repeated
- Once fully churned transfer to a freezer-proof container, cover with parchment and freeze for several more hours until firm
Expert Tips
- If using an ice cream maker that requires the bowl to be frozen prior to churning ensure it is fully frozen. I leave mine in the freezer for at least 24 hours
- Also, ensure the fruit purée and custard base are both sufficiently chilled (minimum 4 hours but preferably overnight). Adding warm/ room temperature mixtures to the churner will reduce the machine’s ability to freeze the mixture
- If churning by hand it’s best to make the purée and custard, let them chill overnight then start the churning process the next morning. This leaves plenty of time to fit in 6-8 churns with electric beaters. Set a timer between each churn to ensure it is not left too long (it will set too hard if it is)
- Put the container that you intend to store the churned ice cream in into the freezer before churning begins. It’s better to put freshly churned ice cream into a chilled container rather than one at room temperature as the ice cream will melt less
- Cover the top of the ice cream with parchment before transferring to the freezer to help stop ice crystals from forming in the top
- Ice cream sometimes needs to stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before it can be scooped. Always check how firm the set is when you take your ice cream out of the freezer (dig a spoon in) and use your own judgment as to whether it needs to sit for a few minutes to soften before serving
- Eat within 2 weeks to enjoy this iced treat at its prime. It’s still edible after this time but the flavour may begin to deteriorate
Frequently Asked Questions
Blackcurrants are notoriously tart and require ample sugar to turn them into an edible delight. For this reason, substituting an alternative fruit is not recommended – few fruits need quite so much sugar as blackcurrants do to make them enjoyable. You’d be better off hunting out a recipe designed specifically for the fruit you want to use.
Again, since blackcurrants are much tastier once their tartness has been tempered with sugar I do not recommend stirring uncooked fruit through this ice cream.
Several issues could be the problem here. Either the churner bowl was not sufficiently frozen at the time the ingredients were added or the custard and puree were insufficiently chilled at the time they were added to the bowl. I’d suggest transferring the mixture back to the fridge and refreezing the ice-cream churner bowl, then trying again 24 hours later.
Large ice crystals are to blame for an icy texture. The most likely reason for this problem in this recipe is that the fruit puree was insufficiently cooked. Ensure that the blackurrants are cooked until they are thick and jammy, by which time a lot of liquid has evapourated from the puree.
I’m afraid not. This will result in a rock-solid lump of ice cream with a very unpleasant texture. This is not a no-churn ice cream recipe.
More Blackcurrant Recipes
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Blackcurrant Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the Blackcurrant Puree
- 400 g Blackcurrants fresh or frozen
- 100 g White sugar
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
For the Custard Base
- 5 Egg yolks large, free range
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 100 g Caster sugar
- 350 ml Whole milk (full-fat)
- 250 ml Double cream (heavy cream)
Instructions
Make the Blackcurrant Puree
- Put the blackcurrants, sugar and lemon juice into a medium-sized saucepan. Cook everything over a gentle heat to dissolve the sugar
- Once the sugar has dissolved, turn up the heat and let boil for 5-10 minutes until the fruit forms a thick sauce (when a wooden spoon is dragged through the sauce the bottom of the pan should be visible for 1-2 seconds before falling back in on itself
- Allow to cool, then pass through a sieve suspended over a bowl. Use a metal spoon to crush and push the fruit through the sieve. Keep on turning and pushing until a thick residue of pulp remains in the sieve but very little liquid. Discard the pulp
- Use the spoon to wipe the purée clinging to the back of the sieve into the bowl. Give the contents of the bowl a good stir – it will look like a thick syrup. Cover and refrigerate
Make the Custard Base
- Put the milk into a medium-sized pan (heavy based) over a medium heat and warm through
- Whisk the egg yolks with the sugars and vanilla extract in a medium bowl for 2-3 minutes until thick and pale
- Pour the warm milk onto the yolks, whisking continuously
- Pour the custard mix back into the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon
- Take off the heat. Pour the custard into a bowl or jug, cover with clingfilm (to stop a skin forming) and cool.
- Once cold, transfer to the fridge to chill overnight (or for at least 4 hours)
Churning Using An Ice Cream Maker
- When ready to churn remove the clingfilm from the custard, pour in the cream and blackcurrant purée and stir until thoroughly combined
- Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions
- Once fully churned either serve straight away (soft-set) or transfer to a freezer-proof container, cover with parchment and freeze for several hours until firm
Making the Ice Cream by Hand
- Remove the clingfilm from the custard, pour in the cream and blackcurrant purée and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour this mixture into a large freezer-proof bowl, cover and put it in the freezer for 1-1 ½ hours. Aft this time the sides should be beginning to freeze, but the centre will be soft and slushy
- Remove from the freezer and, working quickly, use electric beaters to beat the ice cream until the ice crystals are uniform. Cover and place back in the freezer
- Repeat this process 6-8 more times at 1-hour intervals – the better the texture will be the more the process is repeated
- Once fully churned either serve straight away or transfer to a freezer-proof container, cover with parchment and freeze for several hours until firm
Notes
- If using an ice cream maker that requires the bowl to be frozen prior to churning ensure it is fully frozen. I leave mine in the freezer for at least 24 hours
- Also, ensure the fruit puree and custard base are both sufficiently chilled (minimum 4 hours but preferably overnight) – adding warm/ room temperature mixtures to the churner will reduce the machine’s ability to freeze the mixture
- If churning by hand it’s best to make the puree and custard, let them chill overnight then start the churning process the next morning. This leaves plenty of time to fit in 6-8 churns with electric beaters. Set a timer between each churn to ensure it is not left too long (it will set too hard if it is)
- Put the container that you intend to store this blackcurrant ice cream in into the freezer before churning begins. It helps to keep the freshly churned ice cream in top condition
- Cover the top with parchment before transferring to the freezer to help stop ice crystals from forming in the top
- Ice cream sometimes needs to stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before it can be scooped. Always check how firm the set is when you take your ice cream out of the freezer (dig a spoon in) and use your own judgment as to whether it needs to sit for a few minutes to soften before serving
- Eat within 2 weeks to enjoy this iced treat at its prime. It’s still edible after this time but the flavour may begin to deteriorate
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