This mulberry crumble ice cream has a tangy berry flavor complimented by a spiced cinnamon crumble that tastes like mulberry pie in frozen form.
Happy July everyone! Summer is always busy for us with the kids at home. Keeping them entertained is a challenge but it’s been a fun filled schedule with July 4th celebration, beach days, and many evenings at the park. Cooking wise we haven’t done much because it’s too hot to turn on the stove or oven. One thing we have been making a lot of is ice cream. With July being national ice cream month and my favorite food holiday, I have quite a few ice cream and sorbet recipes coming your way. The first is this delicious mulberry crumble ice cream that tastes like mulberry pie in frozen form.
I discovered mulberries a few years ago and have been figuring out more ways to incorporate them into recipes. With a distinctive sweet and tangy taste that’s unlike any other berries, mulberries make the most delicious desserts. Imagine pies, tarts, jams, and frozen desserts! This mulberry crumble ice cream recipe was inspired by a marionberry pie that I had while living in Washington State. With a sweet tart berry taste and crumble topping spiced with cinnamon, it was one of the most delicious pies I have ever devoured.
The mulberry was turned into a compote, pureed, strained, and then folded into the ice cream mixture prior to churning. To achieve that unforgettable tang from the pie, I added creme fraiche to the ice cream base. The natural tanginess of creme fraiche offers a neutral background that’s perfect for mulberries, other berries, and stone fruits. For the crumble, it’s a simple mixture of flour, butter, and sugar spiced with cinnamon. If you don’t like cinnamon, other spices like nutmeg and cardamom also work well.
We love this ice cream so much we have made it three times already. I also stocked up on mulberries and froze them so I can make it again when the current batch is gone. With its tangy flavor, berry undertone, and cinnamon spiced crumble, you’re in for a treat! This mulberry crumble ice cream is the perfect way to celebrate national ice cream month!
For more ice cream recipes, check out these recipes: roasted balsamic strawberry ice cream, Earl grey honey blossom ice cream, Vietnamese coffee ice cream, and rum raisin ice cream.
If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #beyondsweetandsavory on Instagram. We truly appreciate your feedback and incorporate them to continually improve our recipes.
Mulberry crumble ice cream
Equipment
- Ice cream machine
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup 2% milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup creme fraiche
Mulberry compote
- 1 lb fresh mulberries
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsps lemon juice
Crumble topping
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup turbinado sugar
- 4 tbsps unsalted butter
- pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a heavy non-reactive saucepan, combine mulberries, sugar, and lemon juice and stir well. Put the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently until the mulberries are soft and the liquid they release has reduced somewhat, about 10 minutes.
- Let it cool slightly then transfer the mulberries and their juice to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much puree as possible. Discard the solids and refrigerate the mulberry.
- In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks just to break them up and whisk in ¼ cup sugar. Set aside.
- In a heavy non-reactive saucepan, combine cream, milk, salt and ½ cup of sugar.
- Put the pan over medium heat and let the mixture boil gently to bubbling just around the edges (gentle simmer). Reduce the heat to low.
- Carefully measure out ½ cup of hot cream mixture. Whisk in the hot cream mixture while whisking the eggs constantly. Continue tempering the eggs by adding another ½ cup of hot cream to the bowl with the yolks.
- Pour the cream-egg mixture back to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it is thickened and coats the back of a spatula, about 5 minutes.
- Strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container.
- Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziplock freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in an ice bath until cold, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate the ice cream base for at least 2 hours or overnight. I like to refrigerate the base overnight for the most flavor.
- When ready to churn the ice cream, whisk the creme fraiche, then the mulberry puree into the ice cream base.
- Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister of your ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Spin until thick and creamy about 25-30 minutes.
- Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.
- To make the crumble, in a medium prep bowl, combine flour, sugar, butter, salt, and cinnamon. Use your fingers and rub the mixture together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Refrigerate the crumble for 15 minutes until chilled.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spread the chilled crumble mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let it cool completely before breaking it into small pieces. Store the crumble in a tight-lidded container until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, scoop the mulberry ice cream into a bowl and top with the crumble.
Charles Staniszewski
I am looking forward to trying this recipe this week as the mulberries are prime and ready in my area. Your ingredients do not mention lemon juice, yet it is mentioned in your instructions. Should it be included, and if so, how much? Thank you!
Vy Tran
Hi Charles! Thank you so much for catching my mistake. I've just updated the recipe card. You only need 2 tbsps of lemon juice. Hope you like it!
Charles Staniszewski
Vy! Thank you for the update and your response! Do you make your own creme fraiche? I need to get my hands stained and start picking! I can only imagine what a full pound of mulberries will look like!
Vy Tran
Hi Charles! I have made creme fraiche before. I used 1 tbsp of buttermilk with 1 cup of heavy cream. I mixed them in a sterilized glass container and let it rest at room temperature until thickened, about 10-12 hours. After that I put it in the fridge. Most of the time I can find my favorite brand Bellwether Farms at Trader's Joe so I usually buy a few. Our family was taking a walk yesterday and saw a magnificient mulberry tree in someone's backyard with berries everywhere. It made me want to grow our own since we can't get mulberries this season with most of the farmers markets closed. Enjoy your mulberry harvest!
Charles Staniszewski
Vy - this is one of the best ice cream recipes I have made. The creme fraiche with the crumbles makes it taste like a pie, but better! I cheated and added the crumbles to the custard/batter/whateveryoucallit while it churned. It was a good move. It is the right mix of sweet, rich and perfect. Thank you for sharing! I am going to make it with black berries, strawberries and potentially key limes instead of mulberries (as they are here and quickly gone) at some different points this summer. Thank you again!
Vy Tran
You're welcome! I'm so happy to hear it turned out delicious! The recipe works well with most berries and strawberries too. If you have extra mulberries, just freeze them and it will work just as well for the ice cream.
Madalein
Hi there. Any way I could still try this without ice cream maker? Please advise as this looks delicious.
Vy Tran
Hi Madalein! Someone tried this method and told me it came pretty close to using an ice cream machine. Once you have the chilled custard, use either a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or an electric handheld mixer fitted with two beaters or a whisk attachment, whip the mixture at high speed for about 3-5 minutes to incorporate air into it. The texture should look similar to fluffy whipped cream or frosting. Transfer to a container and freeze for 6 hours. I hope it works!
Moira
This is one of my favorite ice creams! I make it when mulberries are in season and substitute with other berries when I'm out of them. We make a few pints at a time because they run out so quickly.
Christina
This is hands down my favorite ice cream from your blog. We have a mulberry tree and this is my second year making your ice cream. It turns out fantastic every time!
Anna Haemer
AMAZING I have made this many times with both wild mulberries and blackberries and it always turns out rich and delicious. Depending on the ripeness of the fruit I sometimes add less sugar. That’s my only note.
Vy Tran
Hi Anna! I'm so happy to hear it turned out delicious! I haven't had wild mulberries. We have a Pakistan mulberry tree. I wonder if it tastes the same as the wild ones.
Prachi Sarin
How to get that deep purple in this gelaato. Mine was a very light purple colour.
Vy Tran
Hi Prachi! Unfortunately I don't have an answer for you. I haven't made gelato with mulberries before.