RECIPE / ONE REALIZATION

Clotted cream ice cream

Made the traditional way, this clotted cream ice cream delivers a velvety, old-fashioned richness you simply can’t get from shortcut recipes. A gently cooked custard and authentic Cornish clotted cream create a deeply smooth, indulgent dessert worthy of any summer table.

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Servings: 8
Preparation: 20 min
Cooking: 10 min
Total: 1 hr 20 min

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

400 ml double cream
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (150 ml) whole milk
4 egg yolks
3 oz (85 g) sugar
4 oz (115 g) Cornish clotted cream

METHOD

01
Combine the double cream and milk in a thick-bottomed pot and warm them on gentle heat.
02
Allow the mixture to slowly reach a light simmer, then take it off the stove.
03
In a separate bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar using an electric whisk until pale and creamy.
04
Stream the hot liquid into the egg mixture while whisking continuously.
05
Pour everything back into the cleaned saucepan.
06
Warm the custard very gradually until it coats the back of a wooden spoon lightly.
07
At once, set the pan into a basin of chilled water to halt further cooking.
08
Transfer the custard to a cool container, and once nearly cold, blend in the clotted cream.
09
Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and churn as directed.
10
Set the finished ice cream in the refrigerator for 15–20 minutes before serving.

OTHER REALIZATIONS

1 other variations

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No-churn clotted cream ice cream

4 hr 10 min

This no-churn clotted cream ice cream is a simplified adaptation of the classic custard-based Cornish recipe, created for cooks without an ice-cream maker. Instead of slowly cooking and churning a traditional egg-yolk custard, this version relies on whipped cream for aeration and sweetened condensed milk for body and smoothness. The condensed milk replaces the slow thickening and emulsifying that happen in the stovetop method, preventing ice crystals and giving the frozen mixture a naturally creamy texture. Although less rich and dense than the traditional churned custard, this streamlined approach preserves the distinctive flavor of clotted cream while offering an easy, reliable way to achieve a luxuriously silky ice cream at home.

USEFUL NOTES

What to pay attention to

double cream

Double cream is a uniquely British product with about 48% fat, giving clotted cream ice cream its signature richness. If you can't find it, you can enrich heavy cream by adding 1–2 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter per cup. To properly combine the two, warm the milk and butter together to about 194°F (90°C) for a few minutes, then emulsify until smooth. This creates a stable, higher-fat cream that behaves more like double cream. Note that without a strong blender or food processor to achieve full emulsification, this method may be less reliable. If that’s not an option, simply use the richest heavy whipping cream you can find—ideally one with 40% fat.

FLAVORS

You can add extra flavorings like berries, chocolate, nuts, or spices to clotted cream ice cream, but the way you incorporate them matters if you want to keep the texture smooth and the flavor balanced. The key rule is to fold in extras only after the custard is churned but still soft, never during cooking or before churning. Berries should be lightly mashed or turned into a quick compote rather than added raw and whole, which can create icy pockets. If using fresh fruit, toss it with a little sugar and let it macerate until it releases some juice; drain the excess liquid so you don’t dilute the creamy base, then swirl the fruit through the ice cream in loose ribbons. For chocolate, caramel, or jams, warm them just enough to make them pourable and gently ripple them in rather than fully mixing them. Nuts should be lightly toasted and completely cooled before folding in, which keeps them crisp instead of soggy. Spices and extracts are best added directly to the custard just after cooking, while it’s still warm enough to extract flavor but not hot enough to dull delicate notes. The goal is to keep the base silky while distributing flavor in a way that enhances the richness of the clotted cream without weighing it down.