Coffee and Banana Bread Ice Cream
breakfast ice cream if you will
I took a little poll over on my Instagram the other week asking about your favorite ice cream flavors and coffee ice cream was an overwhelming favorite. A little secret: It’s my mom’s favorite too.
So that’s where we’re starting! A simple, creamy, coffee ice cream base with chunks of banana bread folded in—it’s simple, delicious, and can definitely pass as breakfast.
the coffee ice cream base
When I started playing with the recipe, I began by cold steeping whole coffee beans into heavy cream overnight. In the morning, there was a very subtle coffee flavor and aroma, but I knew I wanted to pump it up a bit—plus I wanted that tan/beige coffee color to come through a bit. In order to achieve this, I decided to dissolve instant coffee into the cream as it simmered, resulting in a stronger espresso flavor.
Making the ice cream base takes a bit of pre-planning due to freezing time, but is pretty easy.
Bring cream and instant coffee to a simmer to dissolve the coffee granules.
Whisk together sugar, egg yolks, and a pinch of salt.
Temper the hot cream in to the sugar mixture and then return it to the saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring continually with a wooden spoon, until thickened. (See last week’s créme anglaise deep dive for more on this.)
Strain the mixture through a sieve and chill completely, ideally overnight or in an ice bath.
When the mixture is cold, whip it to stiff peaks.
Gently fold in the mix-ins (aka banana bread chunks), transfer to a loaf pan, and freeze overnight. Viola! You’ve made ice cream!
the banana bread mix-ins
You could definitely mix anything you want into this ice cream base and take it any direction you desire. Leftover brownie pieces? YES. Toasted coconut or nuts. For sure.
But I went the banana bread route. I made a batch of my Earl Grey and Cardamom Banana Bread (but left out the earl grey and cardamom for simplicity’s sake). I ate most of the banana bread throughout the week, but saved 2-3 slices for the ice cream. Just dice them into bite-size pieces and fold them into the ice cream base.
Coffee and Banana Bread Ice Cream
makes one quart of ice cream
Ingredients:
2 cups (460 g) heavy cream
1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee
4 egg yolks
pinch of salt
3/4 cups (150 g) granulated sugar
2-3 slices banana bread
Procedure:
Combine heavy cream and instant coffee in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer to dissolve coffee.
While the cream is heating, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
While whisking continually, gradually stream the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture until it’s completely combined. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and return to the heat.
Cook over medium heat, stirring continually with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon.
Pour through a sieve into a clean bowl and then chill completely, either by pressing a piece of plastic wrap over the surface and refrigerating or by placing the bowl into an ice bath and stirring frequently until cold.
When the ice cream base is cold, use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer to whip to soft beaks.
Dice the banana bread into 1/2” pieces and sprinkle into the whipped ice cream base. Fold to distribute and then pour the mixture into a loaf pan.
Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream and freeze overnight, or for at least 12 hours.