Go Back

French-Style Double Chocolate Ice Cream

French style chocolate ice cream with a double chocolate custard base for a glossy, ganache-like richness. Dark chocolate and cocoa are blended into a cooked egg-yolk custard, then churned and frozen until dense and fudge-like.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French-American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chocolate custard base
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 6 oz dark chocolate (70-72%) finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Melt the chocolate and warm the dairy
  1. Melt dark chocolate with butter over a double boiler, then set aside until needed. Stop when smooth and glossy with no visible lumps.
  2. Whisk Dutch process cocoa powder into the cream and milk, then heat until steaming. Look for small bubbles around the edges and a cocoa-rich aroma.
Cook the custard and add chocolate
  1. Whisk egg yolks with granulated sugar until thick and smooth, then slowly whisk in the hot cream mixture. Keep the stream steady so the yolks don’t scramble.
  2. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook until it reaches 175F. Stir constantly until it coats the back of a spoon and holds a clear line.
  3. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the melted chocolate until glossy and smooth. The texture should look like a pourable ganache with no streaks.
  4. Stir in vanilla extract and salt, then strain through a fine mesh sieve. Chill-ready custard should be silky with any cocoa solids removed.
Chill, churn, and freeze
  1. Cool the custard completely over ice, then refrigerate for 4 hours. It should be fully cold before churning for best set.
  2. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Stop when it looks like soft-serve and holds shape.
  3. Freeze until firm. The ice cream should scoop cleanly with a dense, fudgy texture.

Notes

For the glossiest, ganache-like texture, make sure the custard is strained and the chocolate is added immediately off the heat, then whisk until fully smooth. Refrigerate covered up to 3 days, and freeze up to 2 months. If you want a non-dairy option, use a high-fat coconut cream and substitute the milk 1:1, but the custard will be less custard-like and may set slightly softer.