We love taking other desserts and figuring out how to turn them into ice cream. Not just putting the dessert itself into a basic ice cream base, but actually making the ice cream taste like the dessert. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with just chopping a slice of cheesecake and dumping the whole darn thing into a sweet cream base. But there is something special about taking a bite of ice cream and really feel like you are eating something familiar, but at the same time something new.

This Boston Cream Pie Ice Cream fits that bill perfectly! While we did just bake the cake of a Boston Cream Pie and break it up into chunks, we were very intentional about how we wanted the base to taste like that delicious cream in the middle. The cream layer in a Boston Cream Pie is a vanilla, buttery custard, so we decided to manipulate those flavors and textures. First, we added an extra egg to make the base even more custard-y. Then, to that base we added 1 Tbs of vanilla (which we always do in our vanilla base), AND 1/8 tsp butter extract. Ye be warned, a little butter extract goes a long way. We also added about 1/2 tsp sea salt, just to cut back on the sweetness a bit. Just swirl in a bit of chocolate and you have an ice cream that tastes EXACTLY like the dessert you love, just in a new form!

Boston Cream Pie

An old classic a new way!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cream

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • 3 eggs

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

  • 1 Tbs vanilla

  • 1/8 tsp butter extract

  • Boston Cream Pie Cake pieces (I made this cake recipe)

  • Chocolate Swirl
  • 6 Tbs cream

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar

  • 1 Tbs butter

  • 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

  • Dash salt

Directions

  • Boston Cream Base
  • Prep your cake and chocolate ahead of time. (If you need a cake recipe, click the link above. The chocolate swirl recipe is below.)
  • Heat the 1 cup heavy whipping cream and 1 cup milk on low in a medium saucepan until it reaches 140° F, stirring occasionally. While the custard heats, using an electric mixer to whisk the 3 large eggs in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  • While the cream is still heating, slowly add the 3/4 cup sugar into the eggs, whisking thoroughly to make sure the mixture doesn’t become grainy.
  • After the cream reaches the target temperature, gradually pour it into the egg and sugar mixture, again whisking each time the cream is added to avoid cooking the eggs.
  • Pour the entire mixture back into the medium saucepan and heat it to 170° F.
  • Now pour the mixture back into the mixing bowl. Cover and chill for 1 hour or up to 3 hours. 
  • Once it is chilled, add the vanilla extract, butter extract, and salt.
  • When ready, make in your ice cream maker based on the maker’s instructions.
  • During the last 5-10 minutes in the ice cream maker (the ice cream should basically have the consistency of soft-serve ice cream), add in your cake chunks.
  • Chocolate Swirl
  • Add the cream, butter, and sugars to a small saucepan. Heat and stir until it comes to a boil. Allow to boil for 2 minutes.
  • Pour the hot cream/sugar mixture over the chocolate chips and allow it to sit for about 3 minutes. After three minutes, stir until you have uniform consistency.
  • Add the vanilla and salt. Stir well. Set aside to cool until you are ready to use.
  • Assembling the ice cream
  • Pour a thin layer of chocolate sauce on the bottom of the container of your choice. Add a layer of ice cream on top of that.
  • Continue the layers until you reach the top. We topped ours with a layer of chocolate to make it really look like a Boston Cream Pie!
  • Move the ice cream to the freezer and freeze until hardened (at least 4 hours).