I've been trying out some new ice cream flavors lately and came across one for Cheesecake Ice Cream in the cookbook "The Perfect Scoop" by David Lebovitz. I love cheesecake so I had to try this recipe out! I made a few changes to it though so the below recipe is adapted from his, but I'm including the original recipe from his cookbook as well, at the very bottom of this post.
I used lemon zest this time but I didn't use all of the the zest from the lemon because I read a review that it was too tangy, and it still was pretty tangy. Next time I'll just use a little bit of lemon juice instead of the zest because I didn't love the zest being in the ice cream, but that's just my personal preference. I changed the recipe below to reflect that change.
I also increased the amount of half-and-half from the original recipe to 1 cup because I wanted 3 cups total of liquid and I thought it might help the ice cream not taste so rich. This ice cream base is very thick, so I'm glad I added the extra liquid to help thin it out a little bit.
I added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to the original recipe, which had none, because my cheesecake recipes always have vanilla in them, but next time I will increase the vanilla to 1 teaspoon, as is reflected in the recipe below.
After blending the ingredients together, I refrigerated the mixture for 4 hours (in a quart-sized mason jar - it fits perfectly) and then it was in my ice cream maker for 15 minutes before I heard it struggling to churn and turned it off. I usually churn my ice cream for 20-25 minutes, so that should tell you how thick this is! I put it in the freezer and tried it about 3 hours later. It was delicious! It's thick, rich, lemony, cream-cheesy and just so, so good!
I love putting cherries on top of homemade cheesecake, so I also made a cherry topping using a 12-ounce bag of frozen cherries. The final topping is crushed graham crackers reminiscent of a graham cracker crumb crust, which makes this cheesecake ice cream really taste like homemade cheesecake!
As much as I liked this, I might make a few more changes next time to try to thin out the mixture a little bit - maybe use 2 cups of half-and-half (or a mixture of whole milk and heavy cream) and no sour cream. I think first I'll try the recipe as it is written below and see how that comes out with substituting the lemon zest for lemon juice and increasing the vanilla and then make additional changes another time if need be.
If you love cheesecake and ice cream, you should definitely give this a try and adjust it according to your preferences!
Cheesecake Ice Cream
Recipe adapted from “The Perfect Scoop” by David Lebovitz
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup half-and-half or light cream
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cut the cream cheese into small pieces. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, half-and-half or cream, sugar, salt, lemon juice and vanilla directly into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (at least 4-6 hours or overnight), then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The mixture is very thick and may stop churning after about 15 minutes.
Top the ice cream with cherry topping and crushed graham crackers.
After mixing and before putting in the fridge for 4 hours. It is very thick! |
The perfect size jar for the amount of mixture that fits in my 1.5-qt. ice cream maker |
Ready to churn! |
15 minutes later, it's done! |
Ready for the freezer |
Cherry Topping
Recipe adapted from “Vintage Kitchen” Website
This easy cherry sauce recipe takes minutes on the stove and keeps for days in the refrigerator and frozen for at least a month. Use fresh cherries when in season, but frozen ones also work. It's great as a topping for waffles and cheesecake, and as a sauce over ice cream.
12 ounces whole cherries (fresh or frozen)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
If using fresh cherries, wash and pit the cherries. You'll have about 1½ cups of cherries. Alternatively, use a 12-ounce bag of frozen cherries.
Put the cherries in a medium saucepan and add the sugar and lemon juice. Mix.
Cook fresh cherries over medium heat (or frozen cherries over low heat) until it breaks a boil, stirring gently once in a while.
Dissolve the cornstarch in the water until no lumps remain and drizzle over the berries.
Stir constantly and cook for 1 more minute.
Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and let cool down.
Store in the refrigerator for up to a week in a glass mason jar with a tight-fitting lid or another type of airtight container. It can also be frozen for up to a month in a plastic container. Defrost at room temperature.
Frozen cherries with brown sugar and lemon juice |
Boiling and ready for the water and cornstarch |
Finished and cooling down |
In a mason jar and ready for the fridge |
Cheesecake Ice Cream
Recipe from “The Perfect Scoop” by David Lebovitz
8 ounces cream cheese
1 lemon, preferably unsprayed
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup half-and-half
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of kosher or sea salt
Cut the cream cheese into small pieces. Zest the lemon directly into a blender or food processor. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, half-and-half, sugar, and salt, and puree until smooth.
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Makes about 3 cups.