Banana Bread Ice Cream? Oh yes you heard it right! A delicious twist on the most searched for recipe on the Internet. Chunks of toasted Banana Bread and lashings of caramel sauce are marbled through an ice cream made using blended banana bread. Get your spoons ready because this decadent dessert is the perfect summer day treat.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE RECIPE
It’s Banana Bread | It was the most baked and searched for recipe during the 2020 Lockdown, but I don’t think anyone is over Banana Bread yet. The best part of this recipe is that the ice cream mixture isn’t just bananas with banana bread chunks mixed through it, it actually has half a loaf of banana bread mixed into the custard so it really does taste of banana bread!
A great summer treat | Ice cream is the ultimate summer treat and this is a refreshing but incredibly decadent treat for a warm summers day. It would also make a brilliant party dessert brought out as the show stopper that leaves everyone making all those yummy noises.
Nothing tastes better than homemade | Of course shop brought ice cream is easier. To simplify this recipe you could just add banana bread to vanilla ice cream with Dulce de Leche. However, at the end of the day nothing tastes better than homemade ice cream, especially because you know exactly what you’re putting into it. Some would argue a scoop of this is one of your five a day (at a push).
TO CHURN OR NOT TO CHURN
The internet is currently full with no-churn ice cream recipes and they’re great for a couple of reasons.
- Perfect for those who don’t own, or don’t want to own an ice cream maker
- They take less time to pull together (which means your eating the ice cream quicker)
- Good for vegans or anyone else who doesn’t eat eggs.
Comparing the two together this is where the list of pros end because personally, I can’t resist a churned ice cream
What is no churn ice cream?
Put simply the main difference between churn and no churn ice cream is that no churn ice cream doesn’t contain eggs and includes the addition of sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream to get the creamy and light texture.
The double cream is lightly whipped together to thicken then mixed with the condensed milk and any additional flavouring then voila ice cream complete.
Nigella Lawson has a whole page of no churn recipes on her website and the flavours are amazing so if you’re on the no churn team then I definitely recommend giving one of these a try.
Why do we churn ice cream?
So if no churn ice cream is so tasty and so easy, why do we bother churning it? Flavour and texture is why. The issue with no churn recipes is that the sweetened condensed milk adds ALOT of sweetness to the mixture so if you’re thinking of adding more sweetness with vanilla or chocolate etc then it ends up making the whole thing taste of sugar. No churn ice creams include sugar but only a small amount meaning you have more flexibility when it comes to flavouring and the end result isn’t quite so sickly.
The texture of churned ice cream is also far more superior because it’s been whipped whilst it freezes. This whipping helps incorporate lots of air which makes the ice cream lovely and creamy. You can create air into no churned ice cream by whipping the cream but again the sweetened condensed milk comes through takes it a way a little when it’s mixed through and then it’s all frozen as opposed to being chilled as it mixes.
Sold on the churned ice cream yet? See below in my tools section some ice cream makers that I recommend
HOW TO MAKE BANANA BREAD ICECREAM
Before we get started on how to make this delicious ice cream, let’s take a look at the ingredients in this recipe and what you’ll need to make it.
- 2lb Banana Loaf
- 2 large ripe bananas (chilled)
- 5 large egg yolks
- 500ml double cream
- 250ml milk
- 150g soft brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- Dulce de Leche
- 1 shot vodka (optional)
Now that you know what you need to make this delicious ice cream, let’s see how it’s made.
Follow the steps to see how the Banana Bread Ice Cream is made but make sure to read the full recipe and method below.
- Slice the Banana Bread in half and cut half into chunks and tear the other half and place into a large bowl with the cream and milk. Leave to soak in the fridge for an hour.
2. Add the chilled bananas to the cream mixture then blitz it all in a food processor until completely smooth.
3. Add the blended mixture to a pan and heat it gently. Meanwhile whisk together the egg yolks, spices and sugar until smooth.
4. Carefully pour about 100ml of the hot banana cream mixture to the eggs whilst whisking, then continue adding more of the cream mixture until you have just under half left. This is now your banana ice cream custard.
5. Pour the banana custard back to the pan with the remaining cream and heat it gently over a low simmer whisking it always until the mixture begins to thicken. Add 1 shot of vodka to the mixture then cover and chill the custard overnight until completely cool.
MY KITCHEN TIP : Alcohol doesn’t freeze so the addition of vodka to the ice cream help the ice cream become more soft when it’s chilled.
6. Lay the banana chunks onto a baking tray and drizzle with some melted butter. Toast the bread in an oven at 200c for 20 minutes, turning it around every 5 minutes until all the pieces are golden and crispy. Leave a few to one side for decoration later.
7. Remove the banana custard from the fridge and churn in an ice cream maker according to instructions.
8. Once churned pour about 1/3 of the ice cream into a 2lb loaf tin, then top with 1/3 banana bread chunks and a generous layer of Dulce de Leche. Pour another 1/3 of the ice cream on top then repeat with the banana bread and Dulce de Leche. Continue until the loaf tin is full then cover with cling film and put it into the freeze to chill for about 4 hours.
9. Serve in waffle cones with a sprinkle of banana bread chunks and a drizzle of Dulce de Leche.
TOOLS YOU WLL NEED
Ice cream maker | There are so many different brands of ice cream maker on the market. Personally I have only used my Kitchen Aid Ice Cream maker attachment so this is what I can recommend. However if you don’t have a Kitchen Aid then check out this list of 9 Best Ice Cream Makers of 2021
Mixing bowls | A kitchen staple and you’ll need a few for this recipe. I love large Ceramic bowls for this recipe as they hold a lot of liquid and are really heavy duty.
Blender | My blender is fast become one of my most used tools in the kitchen and I’m so pleased with my Kitchen Aid K400. It’s fast, efficient and self cleaning.
Ice cream cone stand (optional) | This is a totally optional suggestion but it really does make serving ice cream SO much easier. Especially if you’re serving for a crowd.
Ice cream containers (optional) | These are also optional as you could leave the ice cream in a loaf tin. The risk with though is that it’ll get freezer burn as the loaf tin will get super cold. So if you want to store ice cream without risking ruining the texture then these ice cream tubs are brilliant.
Shop these Tools
OTHER ICE CREAM BAKES TO TRY
I would love it if you tagged me @mykitchendrawer on Instagram if you make this Banana Bread Ice Cream. It’s the biggest honour to see my recipes come to life in your kitchen and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to drop me a message. Happy baking!
Banana Bread Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 lb Banana Loaf cut in half
- 2 large ripe bananas chilled
- 5 large egg yolks
- 500 ml double cream
- 250 ml milk
- 150 g soft brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- Dulce de Leche
- waffle Ice cream cones
Instructions
- Slice the banana and let it chill in the freezer for 10 minutes
- Combine the milk and cream into a large bowl and add half of the banana bread to soak for an hour in the fridge.
- Add the chilled bananas to the cream mixture then pour it into a blender and blitz until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the cream mixture to a large saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Let it simmer while you whisk the egg yolks with sugar and cinnamon.
- Slowly add about 100ml of the hot cream to the egg mixture being sure to continue mixing it all the time. Continue adding the hot cream slowly until more than half of the cream has been combined. This is your banana custard. Transfer the egg custard to the remaining cream in the saucepan and heat it gently until the custard is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Pour in shot of of vodka and stir it through. The additon of vodka helps make the ice cream more soft serve.
- Cover and chill the custard until completely cold (ideally overnight) then when cold pour it into an icecream maker and churn according to manufactures' instructions. It's usually about 40 minutes of churning.
- With the remaining half a banana bread loaf, cut it into chunks and lay it onto a baking tray. Drizzle over some melted butter and then bake for 20 minutes at 200°C flipping them around every 5 minutes until all pieces are golden brown and crispy. Leave a handful to one side for decorations.
- When the ice cream has churned. Pour about 1/3 into an ice cream container and top with some crispy banana bread chunks and a generous drizzle of dulce de leche. Repeat with more layers of ice cream, banana bread chunks and dulce de leche until it's all gone, then leave the mixture to chill further in the fridge for about 4 hours.
- Serve in a waffle cone with more chunky banana bread crumbled over the top and a final drizzle of dulce de leche. This ice cream will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
