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French Silk Ice Cream

French silk ice cream is a mousse-like, ultra-smooth chocolate frozen dessert with a custard base inspired by French silk pie. Cooked to 175°F, chilled for hours, then churned until it freezes silky and rich.
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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 custard base
  • 1.5 cup heavy cream
  • 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
Whipped cream fold-in
  • 0.5 cup heavy cream for whipping

Equipment

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

Method
 

Melt the chocolate
  1. Melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler, stirring just until smooth. Set aside to keep it glossy and fully melted.
Make the custard
  1. Heat 1-1/2 cups heavy cream, whole milk, and unsweetened cocoa powder until steaming. Whisk slowly into the egg yolks beaten with granulated sugar.
  2. Return the mixture to a saucepan and cook until it reaches 175°F. Remove from heat and whisk in the melted dark chocolate until completely smooth and dark.
  3. Stir in vanilla extract and salt, then strain for the silkiest texture. Cool completely, letting it reach room temperature before chilling.
Churn and freeze
  1. Whip the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold it into the cooled chocolate custard gently to preserve the airy mousse-like body.
  2. Refrigerate the mixture for 4 hours, then churn in an ice cream maker. Freeze until firm so the texture holds a scoopable consistency.

Notes

For the smoothest French silk texture, strain the custard after cooking and cool it completely before folding in whipped cream. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 2 days for the creamiest scoop, or freeze up to 2 weeks for firmer servings. This freezes well (freeze yes). For a dairy-light swap, use full-fat coconut milk and cream as a 1:1 substitute, but expect a slightly different flavor and texture.