If you like black forest cake, you will love this black forest ice cream. This smooth and creamy chocolate based ice cream is filled with yummy homemade cherry coulis and topped with chocolate shavings for dessert not to be missed!
This is a fairly easy ice cream to make and is churned with an ice cream machine.
To make this black forest ice cream (or you can also call it chocolate cherry ice cream), I prepared my cherry coulis in advance. Cherry coulis is simply cherries cooked in sugar and lemon juice and then pureed to a smooth sauce. It is also often referred to as cherry sauce.
The chocolate ice cream base is prepared and churned separately. It is then assembled into a black forest ice cream by alternating layers of swirled cherry coulis between layers of chocolate ice cream, similar to alternating cherries and cream in between layers of chocolate sponge cake in a traditional black forest cake. The shaved chocolate is added to the ice cream as a topping right before serving. If you prefer, you can serve the ice cream with fresh cherries or more cherry coulis topping.
Check out the full details on how to make the black forest ice cream right below!
How to Make
Ingredients
Ice Cream base
- Whole milk
- Heavy whipping cream
- Brown sugar
- Dark Chocolate
- Pure vanilla extract
- Salt
Cherry coulis
- Black cherries (sweet cherries)
- Sugar
- Lemon Juice
- Cornstarch
- Water
Garnish
- Dark chocolate shavings (or chopped dark chocolate)
Making the cherry coulis
- Wash and pat the cherries dry. Remove the stems and pit them. You can pit the cherries by cutting them into half all around the seed and then twisting both sides of the fruit to separate the 2 sections. Use a small knife or spoon to remove the seed from the fruit section it is attached to. Add the halved and pitted cherries into a small pot.
- Add sugar, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of water into the pot.
- Turn on the heat to low and cook the cherries until the cherries turn soft. Keep stirring the fruits constantly to avoid the bottom from burning. As you stir, try breaking them with the spoon by pressing them. This should take about 10 minutes.
- Let the cooked cherries cool down and then add the cherry mixture into a blender. Add 2 tablespoons of water and process them for about 10 to 15 seconds. Processing the cherries will make it easier to strain and squeeze the sauce out of the fruits.
- Pour the blended cherries puree into a strainer.
- Use the back of a spoon to press out as much extract and sauce as possible from the cooked fruits, leaving on the skin pulp behind. Discard the pulp. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the strainer constantly as you press the fruits with the back of your spoon. Much of the thick cherry extract will be sticking to the strainer.
Cooking the cherry coulis
- Return the strained cherry coulis into the pot.
- In a small plate, mix the cornstarch with the remaining water. Make sure it is smooth and there are no lumps of the cornstarch.
- Add the cornstarch mix into the coulis.
- Turn on the heat and stir the cornstarch quickly to ensure the cornstarch does not cook into gooey lumps in the cherry coulis.
- Continue cooking over low heat until the coulis thickens to your desired consistency.
- Turn off the heat and let the cherry coulis cool down to room temperature before pouring it into a clean container. Keep the coulis refrigerated (in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap) until ready to use.
Making the chocolate ice cream base
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces. If you are using chocolate chips or buttons, there is no need to chop them further. Place the chocolate in a heat-proof medium to large bowl.
- Add the heavy cream into the chocolate.
- Melt the chocolate and cream in a microwave or in a double boiler (over medium heat). Don’t have both? Here’s how you can double boil your chocolate with the pots you have at home. If you are using the microwave, heat the chocolate in 10 to 20 seconds intervals. Mix the chocolate to see if it has fully melted. If you are using the double boiling method, stir the chocolate and cream to expedite the melting process.
- Once the chocolate is completely melted, remove it from heat (or the microwave). Add the sugar and salt and stir until both are dissolved. If you do not feel anything grainy at the bottom of your bowl or jug as you stir, that is an indication that the sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Measure milk into the melted chocolate.
- Add vanilla extract and mix well.
Freezing the ice cream mix
- Cover and place the chocolate mixture in the fridge (not the freezer) to chill it completely. You can even leave it there overnight. When completely chilled, pour the solution into the ice cream maker or ice cream churner and churn ice cream as per your ice cream machine manual or manufacturer's instructions.
- At the end of the churning process, your homemade ice cream should be well formed, smooth and creamy.
Assembling the black forest ice cream
- Transfer one third of the churned chocolate ice cream into an ice cream tub or a loaf pan (any freezer safe container). Level it.
- Spoon one third of the cherry coulis on the ice cream.
- Use a jam knife or a palette knife to cut through the cherry sauce on the ice cream in circular motion to create cherry coulis swirls.
- Top with the next one third of the ice cream portion. Level it. Spoon another one third of the cherry sauce and form the swirls again.
- Add the last one third of the ice cream portion (all the remaining ice cream) and top it with the remaining cherry coulis.
- Again, form swirls in the black forest ice cream to complete the assembly. Place the ice cream in the freeze until it is completely frozen before serving.
Serving the ice cream
- Scoop the black forest ice cream into a serving cup. If the ice cream is too hard, leave it at room temperature for about 2 to 3 minutes before scooping again.
- Top the ice cream with chocolate shavings. Add more cherry coulis if you like or cherry compote and serve. You can also add hot fudge sauce if you like.
Notes
Can you adjust the ratio of milk and cream in the recipe?
- This ice cream is best made with a higher ratio of cream to milk and the milk should be full fat. This will make you a rich and creamy ice cream.
- You can adjust the ratio if you like, but that will also change the creaminess of your ice cream.
Can you make the coulis without pureeing the cherries?
- Yes, you can. However, it will no longer be called coulis (pureed fruit sauce). Instead, it will be called a cherry compote (cherry sauce with fruit chunks).
- Both coulis and compote will work for this ice cream, and it is a matter of personal preference.
Will it be ok to add the cherry sauce into the chocolate ice cream while churning it?
- If you add the cherry coulis into the ice cream while churning, it will blend into the chocolate ice cream and you will not be able to see the cherry sauce swirls.
- For this black forest ice cream, it is better to add the cherry sauce into the ice cream in swirls after churning so that you get to taste the sauce as you enjoy the ice cream.
Can you increase or decrease the amount of cherry sauce in the ice cream?
- Yes, you certainly can.
- You can make more coulis and add more to your ice cream if you like, or you can even reduce it.
- And if you prefer, you can add half of the cherry coulis into the ice cream as you assemble it, and keep the other half for the topping.
Like this ice cream recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out:
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream - A Simple Homemade Recipe
- Homemade Chocolate Ice cream - Perfectly Smooth & Creamy (2 Methods)
- Churned Ice Cream - With and Without Ice Cream Maker
- Kinder Bueno Ice Cream
- Matcha Ice Cream (Green Tea Ice Cream)
- Ube Ice Cream (Purple Yam Ice Cream)
- Easy Lotus Biscoff Ice Cream
- Mint Oreo Ice Cream
Recipe (Printable)
Here is the full printable version of my easy black forest ice cream recipe card.
📖Recipe
Black Forest Ice Cream with Cherry Coulis
This easy black forest ice cream recipe makes a rich and creamy chocolate ice cream filled generously with swirls of homemade cherry sauce.
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Yield: 1 quartz
For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.
Ingredients
Cherry Coulis
- 175 g fresh cherries (approximately 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 20 g sugar
- 5 tablespoon water
- ½ tablespoon corn starch
Ice Cream Base
- 150 ml full fat milk
- 275 ml cream (at least 35% fat)
- 50 g sugar
- 75 g dark chocolate
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla
- a pinch salt
Topping
- chocolate shavings (or chopped chocolate)
Instructions
Making the cherry coulis
- Wash and pat the cherries dry. Remove the stems and pit them. You can pit the cherries by cutting them into half all round the seed and then twisting both sides of the fruit to separate the 2 sections. Use a small knife or spoon to remove the seed from the fruit section it is attached to. Add the halved and pitted cherries into a small pot.
- Add the sugar, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of water.
- Turn on the heat to low and cook the cherries until the cherries turn soft. Keep stirring the fruits constantly to avoid the bottom from burning. As you stir, try breaking them with the spoon. This should take about 10 minutes, depending on the heat you use. If the mixture turns too dry and the cherries are still not soft, you can more water and continue to cook them until the cherries are soft.
- Let the cooked cherries cool down and then add them into a blender. Add two and half tablespoons of water and process them for about 10 to 15 seconds. Processing the cherries will make it easier to strain and squeeze the sauce out of the cooked cherries.
- Pour the blended cherries puree into a strainer.
- Use the back of a spoon to press out as much extract and sauce as possible from the cooked fruits, leaving on the skin pulp behind. Discard the pulp. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the strainer constantly as you press the fruits with the back of your spoon. Much of the thick cherry extract will be sticking to the strainer.
Cooking the cherry coulis
- Return the strained cherry coulis into the pot.
- In a small plate, mix the cornstarch with the remaining half tablespoon of water. Make sure it is smooth and there are no lumps of the cornstarch.
- Add the cornstarch mix into the coulis.
- Turn on the heat and stir the cornstarch quickly to ensure the cornstarch does not cook into gooey lumps in the cherry coulis.
- Continue cooking over low heat until the coulis thickens to your desired consistency.
- Turn off the heat and the the cherry coulis cool down to room temperature before pouring it into a clean container. Keep the coulis refrigerated until ready to use.
Making the ice cream base
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces. If you are using chocolate chips or buttons, there is no need to chop them further. Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.
- Add the heavy whipping cream into the chocolate.
- Melt the chocolate and cream in a microwave or in a double boiler. Stir the chocolate and cream to expedite the melting.
- Once the chocolate is completely melted, remove it from heat (or the microwave). Add the sugar and salt and stir until both are dissolved. If you do not feel anything grainy at the bottom of your bowl or jug as you stir, that is an indication that the sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Measure milk into the melted chocolate.
- Add vanilla essence and mix well.
Churning the ice cream
- Cover and place the ice cream base prepared above in the fridge (not the freezer) to chill it completely. You can even leave it overnight. When completely chilled, pour the solution into the ice cream maker and churn it as per your ice cream machine manual.
- At the end of the churning process, your homemade ice cream should be well formed, smooth and creamy.
Assembling the black forest ice cream
- Transfer one third of the black forest ice cream base into an ice cream tub.
- Spoon one third of the cherry coulis on the ice cream.
- Use a jam knife or a palette knife to cut through the cherry sauce on the ice cream in circular motion to create cherry coulis swirls.
- Top with second layer of ice cream (another one third of the ice cream). Repeat with another one third of the cherry sauce and form the swirls again.
- Spoon the remaining one third of the ice cream and top it with the remaining cherry coulis.
- Again, form swirls on the black forest ice cream to complete the assembly. Place the ice cream in the freezer until it is completely frozen before serving.
Serving the ice cream
- Scoop the black forest ice cream into a serving cup. If the ice cream is too hard, leave it at room temperature for about 2 to 3 minutes before scooping again.
- Top the ice cream with chocolate shavings. Add more cherry coulis if you like and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 1875.2kcal | Carbohydrates: 148.8g | Protein: 20.6g | Fat: 137.4g | Saturated Fat: 85g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 35.9g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 333.4mg | Sodium: 153.3mg | Potassium: 1430.6mg | Fiber: 11.9g | Sugar: 126.3g | Vitamin A: 4458.8IU | Vitamin C: 15.8mg | Calcium: 454mg | Iron: 9.9mg
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And that's my super yummy black forest ice cream, a churn ice cream recipe.
Enjoy!
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