La Gringa's Cappuccino Caramel Swirl Ice Cream

Cappuccino Caramel Swirl Ice Cream

Cappuccino Caramel Swirl is my dream ice cream. I don't mean that it is my favorite ice cream, though it could be really close. I mean that, literally, I dreamed this ice cream recipe! Isn't that the strangest thing you've ever heard? I rarely ever remember dreams at all (except scary ones), much less a detailed recipe. I woke up in the morning all excited about my new recipe!


LG's Dream Cappuccino Caramel Swirl Ice Cream
makes 1 1/2 quarts

3 tbsp. coffee, instant or regular
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk (divided use)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 to 1 tsp. cinnamon (to taste)
1 cup caramel topping

1. Prepare the coffee: Use instant or regular. I used instant granules, stirred into about 1/4 cup of the milk. I've also used regular coffee. Place 3 tbsp. coffee grounds into about a cup of warm milk. Let steep for 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, and then strain out the grounds with a very fine strainer or through a coffee filter. This can be prepared early in the day so the coffee-milk mixture has time to chill. I don't really have a preference of instant or regular coffee for ice cream. I keep a very small jar of instant coffee in the freezer just for ice cream in a hurry.

2. Pour the caramel topping into a bowl or measuring cup and place into the freezer.

3. Beat the eggs with a wire whisk for 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar continuing to beat for about a minute. Stir in the cream, milk, coffee-milk mixture, vanilla, and cinnamon (I used 1 tsp.). Or you can use the same ingredients in a cooked custard base if you don't like to use raw eggs in ice cream.

4. Chill the mix thoroughly in freezer until a frozen crust appears around the edges of the bowl (usually one to two hours in my freezer). Scrape the sides of the bowl, stirring in the frozen bits for a few seconds until melted.

5. Freeze according to your machine's directions. Remove the ice cream from the canister into a separate container and freeze for an hour or two or until firm but not frozen solid. Keep an eye on the caramel. If it starts to freeze solid, place it in the refrigerator. I don't think that it will freeze but a different brand might behave differently than Smuckers.

6. When the ice cream is firm but still stirable, dump some of the caramel on top and swirl with a wide spatula. (Do as I say, not as I do! Note the consistency of the ice cream in the photos. I didn't wait long enough.)

Don't stir too much or the caramel will disappear into the ice cream. Try to bring up the bottom portion, dump the rest of the caramel on top, and swirl again.

Depending upon the heat in your kitchen, after swirling in the caramel, the ice cream may benefit from a little more firming up in the freezer.

Enjoy!


See also my ice cream making tips, the raw egg controversy and alternatives, and, if you are in the market for a machine, my ice cream maker reviews.