I have an affinity for marzipan stollen, a traditional German fruit cake, and have discovered that the only thing better than marzipan stollen during the Christmas season is marzipan stollen with almond ice cream.  What better way to celebrate than with cake and ice cream?

All joking aside, if you’re like most of my extended family, and aren’t big fans of stollen, then almond ice cream may be the answer to your woes.  The common complaint in my family is that most stollen is too dry.  Almond ice cream can take care of that!  Why almond?  Well, the creamy almond flavor pairs beautifully with the fruit and nuts in the cake, and even better with the ribbon of marzipan that runs the length of my favorite version.

During a recent trip to the grocery store, I picked up a marzipan stollen, and thinking about marzipan reminded me of my recent annin dofu blended crème creation, which then inspired me to create an ice cream version of the crème to complement the cake.  I made a simple custard, with the help of Bug, one of my trusty sous chefs, then stirred in almond extract before freezing the custard in my ice cream maker.

I even used C&H Light Sugar & Stevia Blend to cut down on the calories and sugar.  The results?  Success!!  Almond ice cream is going to be a part of my Christmas traditions from now on.

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Almond Ice Cream

Makes approximately 1 quart

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/3 cup C&H Light Sugar & Stevia Blend (or 2/3 cup granulated sugar)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon almond extract

1. Whisk the heavy cream, milk, sugar, and eggs together in a heavy medium saucepan, then cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spin, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and measures 175 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant-read thermometer.

2. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cool the custard completely, stirring frequently (helps prevent a thick skin forming on the top of the custard), then chill, covered, for at least 8 hours.

3. Stir in the almond extract, then freeze the custard in an ice cream maker, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the finished ice cream to an airtight container and put in the freezer to harden.

Tagged as: almond, Christmas, ice cream, stollen