Cherry Bakewell Ice Cream

Cherry Bakewell Ice Cream with Almond Brittle

I can’t get enough of cherries when they’re in season, which in the UK is typically June and July. Cherries are a good source of vitamin C, potassium, and fiber, and they contain antioxidants like anthocyanins and quercetin, which may help reduce inflammation and protect against cell damage.

How to make it:

What you will need:

2 cups of double cream

1 cup of almond milk or goats milk

1 cup of caster sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of almond extract

3 medium egg yolks

For the cherry compote:

200g cherries stoned

1/2 cup of water

For the brittle:

100g flaked almonds

1 tablespoon of honey

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Almond Brittle

1. First make the almond brittle (and this can be done in advance), spread the flaked almonds out on parchment paper, spoon over the honey and cinnamon and bake for 15 minutes in a low heat oven, turning half way through. When this cools it will become lovely and crispy and you can break it up and store in an air tight container.

2. Now turn the ice cream, heat the milk and sugar over a low heat till warm but not boiling. 

3. Meanwhile beat the vanilla and eggs.

4. Pour a little of the warm milk over the eggs and keep whisking.

5. Pour back into the milk saucepan and keep stirring over a medium heat until it thickens into a custard (you will know when its ready as it will coat the back of a spoon). Note - if the egg cooks and you get scrambled egg in your custard don’t panic! Two solutions: take it off the heat and sieve it or pour it into a blender and pulse blend it. It has happened to me occasionally and the latter always fixes it.

6. Let it chill in the fridge for a few hours.

7. Meanwhile make a Cherry compote by gently warming the stoned cherries in a saucepan with the water until they fall apart. 

8. Add the almond extract and stir before letting this cool.

9. When cool, blend into a puree and refrigerate until needed.

10. Churn the cooled custard (usually 20-30 minutes) pouring in the cherry compote as it churns

11. When the ice cream is ready, put 1/3 of the almond brittle on the bottom of your tub, gently fold 1/3 into the ice cream before filling the tub and sprinkle the final 1/3 over the top of the tub.

12. Freeze until you’re ready to eat it. The ice cream will firm up in the freezer so let it sit out of the freezer to loosen up before devouring!