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French Silk Ice Cream

French silk ice cream with an impossibly silky, mousse-like texture, made by cooking a chocolate custard to 175°F and folding in whipped cream. Churned and frozen until firm, it delivers intensely rich bittersweet chocolate depth.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chocolate base (custard)
  • 2 cup heavy cream divided
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 6 oz dark chocolate (70%), finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 double boiler
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Melt chocolate
  1. Melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler until smooth, then set aside off heat for later.
Cook the chocolate custard
  1. Heat 1-1/2 cups of the heavy cream, the whole milk, and the cocoa powder until steaming, about 3–5 minutes.
  2. Slowly whisk the steaming chocolate mixture into the egg yolks beaten with the granulated sugar to keep the eggs from scrambling.
  3. Return everything to a saucepan and cook while stirring until it reaches 175°F, about 8–12 minutes, until it lightly thickens.
  4. Remove from heat and whisk in the melted dark chocolate until fully smooth and glossy.
Finish and chill
  1. Whisk in the vanilla extract and salt, then strain and cool completely until no longer warm.
  2. Whip the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream to soft peaks, then fold it into the cooled chocolate custard gently to preserve the mousse texture.
  3. Refrigerate the mixture for 4 hours until thoroughly chilled.
Churn and freeze
  1. Churn the chilled mixture in an ice cream maker until it reaches a soft-frozen, scoopable consistency, about 20–25 minutes.
  2. Transfer to a container and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours, for clean scoops.

Notes

For the silkiest texture, cool the custard completely before folding in whipped cream so the mixture stays airy and doesn’t melt the peaks. Refrigerate leftover ice cream in a covered container for up to 5 days; freeze for up to 2 months. For a dairy-reduced option, use a cup-for-cup lactose-free heavy cream and whole milk substitute—texture may be slightly softer but still mousse-like.