Last updated on March 24th, 2020 at 10:34 am
Never one to let the seasons get between me and my ice-cream, this Wonderfully Decadent Vegan Gingerbread Ice-cream is a deliciously creamy combination of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and maple. This treat is a taste of Autumn in a cone.
One of my little peeves since adopting a plant-based diet is the price of many of my favourite goodies. I understand there is quite a bit of development in creating food products for the market but some prices fall under the "things that make me go, hmmm" category.
Raw chocolate is one and perhaps that is because I can make it myself and ice-cream is most definitely another. Over ten dollars for a tub? And not even a big tub! I've seen fifteen dollar ice-cream at our organics store and I wonder what the prize is at the bottom of the tub. A pony? If it's a pony, I'll go back and buy some; I've always wanted a pony.
I know I don't have to eat these things but my belly wants what my belly wants and I am, after all, just a human girl navigating her way down an overpriced shopping aisle of delicious goodies. While I have to spend coin on fruit and vegetables and the like, I can save coin by making the extra goodies at home. This vegan gingerbread ice-cream is an extra goodie, goodie.
I've experimented with many vegan ice-cream formulas to varying degrees of success but after buying Aimee from Wallflower Kitchen's Coconut Ice-cream Book and experimenting, I've found her simple formula is a winner. I bought my copy for Kindle and if you love your ice-cream, it is a great resource.
While I've tweaked the original formula here and there, the results are always good. Aimee uses arrowroot to thicken her custard base but I deviated this time and tried kuzu (or Kudzu). Kuzu is a traditional Japanese root used for both its medicinal and culinary properties.
Kuzu’s awesome jelling power, texture and healing properties make it a great alternative to natural starches such as arrowroot and is a healthier alternative to corn and potato starches. Both corn and potato starch is highly processed and treated. Having said all this, kuzu is a little more expensive but you only use a little, so...
To use the more readily available arrowroot starch, substitute the two tablespoons of kuzu for arrowroot and bring the custard mixture to a soft boil; arrowroot requires high heat to activate.
If, like me, you love your ice-cream rich, creamy and decadent you are going to love this vegan gingerbread ice-cream. Combing all those wonderful gingerbread spices with creamy coconut milk, maple and a hint of brandy (this helps stop the ice-cream from crystallising, I swear) this treat is like a gorgeous gingerbread cake and the side of ice-cream all in one scoop. Making it extra special and creamy, I added a simple as you please coconut condensed milk to the custard base and let it work it's magic. Coconut condensed milk only requires a quarter of a cup of maple syrup so it is dreamy without being detrimental. Win.
While this vegan gingerbread ice-cream is my idea of Autumnal heaven, the beauty of homemade ice-cream is that you can tweak your flavours to your liking. The base custard remains the same with the flavours only limited by your imagination. Add to that, homemade ice-cream is much cheaper than the store-bought varieties, is fun to make and allows me control of what goes in to my treats, and I am a happy camper. With my ice-cream bowl already in the freezer for another day, I am ready for my next ice-cream adventure.
Enjoy.
Wonderfully Decadent Vegan Gingerbread Ice-cream
Ingredients
Coconut Condensed Milk
- 1 400 ml full-cream coconut milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup this will make 200ml condensed milk
Vegan Custard Base
- 1 400 ml full-cream coconut milk
- 150 ml soy milk
- 2 tablespoons ground zuku
- ¼ cup maple syrup Gingerbread Spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon alcohol - I used brandy
Instructions
- Put the ice-cream bowl from the ice-cream maker in the freezer the night before.
- To make the coconut condensed milk, combine the coconut milk and maple syrup in a saucepan and carefully bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook down for 30 minutes or until the mixture has reduced by half. Set aside.
- To make the custard base for the ice-cream, combine the soy milk and coconut milk in a large bowl.
- Grind the zuku to a powder.
- Take out 60ml of the milk mixture and combine it with the ground kuzu in a bowl. Stir well to create a slurry.
- Put the remaining milk mixture in a saucepan and add the maple syrup and the two whole cloves. Heat on low until mixture is warm.
- Add the kuzu slurry and whisk until the mixture becomes a custard consistency and the kuzu has dissolved.
- While still on low heat, slowly add the coconut condensed milk whisking as you go.
- Remove from the heat and pour the custard in to a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla, brandy and remaining spices and stir to combine.
- Place the ice-cream in the fridge until completely cold.
- Strain the custard to remove the cloves and any residual kuzu.
- Set up your ice-cream machine with the frozen bowl. Pour in the strained custard and churn until a soft ice-cream consistency.
- Spoon the ice-cream in to a freezer proof bowl or container until ready to serve.
- Coconut ice-cream hardens in the freezer so leave out on the counter for fifteen minutes before serving.
Notes
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