lemon ice cream with very berry swirl

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy

PhotobucketI have a thing for lemon and berries together. I can’t help myself. I love a good ol’ raspberry lemonade, die and go to heaven when I have this lemon cream cake with raspberry sauce…I could go on and on.

So, when Michael asked if we could have homemade ice cream for dessert this weekend, I was all in. I missed ice cream while I was off dairy. That is to say, I missed good ice cream–which to me means either gelato or homemade. The cravings were stronger than anything I had while pregnant. It was intense.

We brainstormed flavors for a while as we flipped through The Perfect Scoop, and since chocolate is still off the table, we focused on fruity flavors. We didn’t feel like we chose this ice cream. This ice cream chose us.


PhotobucketThe lemon flavor was perfect–creamy and light, definitely lemony without being too strong. Ahhh…

As for the very berry swirl, it was heavenly. And smooth. This is as good a time as any to tell you that I don’t mind seeds in fruit things. As in, I purposely buy the raspberry jam that DOES have seeds in it, because I like it better. Still, I know that where ice cream is concerned, I am likely in the seed-liking minority, and I was serving this to guests, so I wanted to be a crowd pleaser. So, I strained it.

And then, dear reader, I did something, well…weird. After refrigerating the strained berry sauce, instead of throwing away the pulp left over…I saved it. And I spread it on toast. Like jam. And it was really, really delicious. And jammy.

There, I said it. Fewf! Glad I got that off my chest. Are we still friends? I hope so.

Anyway, strained or not, the berry swirl was fantastic paired with the creamy, dreamy lemon ice cream. I think this would make a dynamite ice cream sandwich between two homemade cookies or graham crackers, and it was FABULOUS on its own.

Make it, dear reader, and soon. Fall is not far off in all its crisp, cool glory. And, before we know it, we’ll be hankering for warm, cozy desserts instead of light, cool ones.

Photobucket

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Lemon Ice Cream with Very Berry Swirl


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Ingredients

Scale

For the ice cream:

  • zest of 3 lemons
  • 3/4c sugar
  • 1 1/2c whole milk
  • 2 1/2c heavy cream
  • 1/4 tsp salt (trust me)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the berry swirl:

  • 1c raspberries (frozen is fine)
  • 1c blueberries (ditto)
  • 1c strawberries (ditto again)
  • 1/4c sugar
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Instructions

  1. In a large saucepan, combine lemon zest and sugar until very fragrant. This allows the lemon oils from the zest to get friendly with the sugar. Pour in milk, cream, and salt and stir over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in vanilla. Pour into a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate until completely chilled, 1-2 hours or overnight.
  2. To make the berry swirl, add berries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch to a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat, crushing berries with a spatula or potato masher. Heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil. As soon as the sauce begins to boil, remove it from the heat. If you want a smooth sauce (as pictured), strain through a seive and discard seeds/pulp. Refrigerate strained sauce until chilled.
  3. Pour lemon/cream mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s directions. (For my cuisinart, this means about 30 minutes). Pour ice cream into a container for freezing and pour berry sauce on top. Swirl with a knife to incorporate. Cover and freeze 2-3 hours before serving.
  4. Freeze 2-3 hours or until ready to serve.

Ice cream recipe adapted from The Perfect Scoop,*  very berry swirl recipe my own

* I combined/adapted the Philadelphia-style Vanilla & Lemon Speculoos recipes

Similar Posts

18 Comments

  1. This looks so good! My husband loves ice cream with fruit in it. I’d love to make it but I don’t have an ice cream maker! I want to get one though and am trying to decide which one, what kind do you have? Thanks!

    1. I have this Cuisinart ice cream maker. They come in lots of different colors now, and you can often get them for a good deal from Bed Bath & Beyond with either a $5 off coupon or a 20% off one item coupon. It’s VERY easy to use and I love it. I’d recommend it to anyone. You don’t have to use any ice or salt, you just freeze the mixing bowl!

  2. I have my two mixtures in the fridge for churning tomorrow. I have tried making swirled ice cream before but it never worked out; chunks of rather than swirls of. Any tricks?
    Thanks!
    Sam in a berry wonderland (picked 6 lbs. of berries today)

    1. Sam – Here’s my best tip: I used a rectangular plastic container to freeze my ice cream. I poured in the cream mixture, then spooned the berry sauce in small clumps across the surface. Then, take a knife and gently swirl the clumps. Freeze it, then, when it’s time to scoop it, it should come out with perfect lemon ice cream with berry swirl. I hope it turns out great for you!

  3. Can’t send you a picture and this was a hit; in my regular rotation now. Use dyour method of clumps and it did swirl for me; ever so pretty and the lemon divine; the infused with peel sugar is a great method; really really lovely; like heavily scented lemon ice cream. Served with saskatoon pie (berry indigenous to the Rocky Mountains) so the tartness set it off perfectly. I’ve been picking pounds of raspberries and saskatoons daily for a week and always looking for new ways to use them. Thank you!

  4. Hi there!
    I’m looking up for ice cream recipes, but i don’t have a Ice Cream Machine, is there any other way I can make my ice cream? Should I just wisk it by hand, or with a hand mixer… guve some guidance please!

  5. For the berry swirl, did you use just the raspberries and the other two were separate choices for the swirl?

    1. Hi! No, you actually use all the berries. So, you’ll use 1 cup raspberries, 1 cup blueberries AND 1 cup strawberries. Hope that helps!

  6. I did not see that the recipe told me how much it makes. That would be useful information as it sounds delicious. How are you stopping the lemon from souring the cream?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star