We tend to like our ice cream to be a little less sweet than most of the store-bought brands, and this recipe is plenty sweet for us without being overly sweet. Fortunately, this recipe is extremely adaptable. If you like your ice cream to be sweeter, you can absolutely add more sweetened condensed milk or sugar to your base. After making dozens of batches using different combinations of cream and condensed milk, I decided to use a bit of powdered sugar to give the cream a bit of structure as I whipped it into medium peaks. I knew from making Chantilly Cream that I preferred powdered sugar to granulated sugar when making sweetened whipped cream and it didn’t disappoint in this recipe. You could also use granulated sugar in an equal amount or completely omit the additional sugar altogether if you prefer. While I like to whip the cream by hand, you certainly don’t need to. You can use whatever method and helpful appliance you use when whipping cream for other recipes. The end result will be equally delicious and smooth.
6ounces(approximately half a can) sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
Place the cream, espresso powder, salt, and powdered sugar in a large, deep mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Using a whisk or the whisk attachment on your mixer, begin beating the cream until you reach medium peaks.
Medium peaks have a similar appearance to cool whip. The cream should be glossy and puffy and cling to the whisk if you invert it. The peak of the cream will fall over as gravity pulls on it. This is the point you are attempting to reach before continuing. This stage takes about 3 to 4 minutes to reach when whipping by hand. It may require less time if using a mixer at high speed.
Add the sweetened condensed milk to the bowl, reserving any unused portion to flavor the next batch and storing in the refrigerator until needed. Using the whisk or mixer, continue whipping the cream until you have arrived at the stiff peak stage.
Stiff peaks are a bit sturdier (hence stiffer) than the medium peak stage. The cream should be glossy and fluffy. When you invert the whisk from the bowl of cream upwards, the cream should adhere to the whisk and the peak should stand up without falling. I usually reach this stage after about 2 minutes of whipping. A mixer may reach this stage in less time.
I find that this recipe is very forgiving. So, if you are anywhere past soft medium peaks, it freezes well into a delicious batch of ice cream. If you are unsure, simply stop when your ice cream base looks like whipped cream that could be spooned on top of dessert and hold its shape.
Transfer the ice cream base to an ice cream freezing container or a loaf pan lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Allow the base to freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight if possible. Depending on the temperature in your kitchen and freezer, you’ll have a delicious soft serve version of the ice cream to taste test after about 4 to 6 hours in the freezer.
Notes
Homemade ice cream can be frozen in any food safe and freezer safe container. I purchased a few Tovolo 1.5 quart freezer containersa few years ago. The size is perfect for my homemade ice cream recipes and the lid fits well while being easy to remove. They have held up well and show no signs of wear all these batches later.