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French-Style Double Chocolate Ice Cream

French style chocolate ice cream with a deeply fudgy chocolate custard base, cooked to 175°F and finished until glossy and smooth. Dark chocolate and Dutch-process cocoa create a near-black, dense frozen texture with a ganache-like richness.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
4 hours chilling + freezing 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French-American
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chocolate custard base
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 6 oz dark chocolate (70-72%), finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 fine mesh sieve
  • 1 double boiler

Method
 

Melt chocolate
  1. Melt the dark chocolate with the unsalted butter over a double boiler, stirring until smooth, then set aside off the heat.
  2. Whisk the Dutch process cocoa powder into the heavy cream and whole milk, then heat until steaming, about 3–5 minutes.
Cook custard
  1. Whisk the hot cocoa-cream mixture slowly into the egg yolks beaten with the granulated sugar to temper, then return everything to a saucepan.
  2. Cook the custard over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 175°F on a thermometer.
Finish and chill
  1. Remove from the heat and immediately whisk in the melted dark chocolate until glossy and smooth.
  2. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt, then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve.
  3. Cool completely over ice, then refrigerate for 4 hours.
Churn and freeze
  1. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker until it has the texture of soft-serve.
  2. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, about 2–4 hours, then serve.

Notes

Pro tip: temper the egg yolks slowly with the hot cream mixture to prevent scrambling, and keep the custard at a steady 175°F for a thick, spoonable base. Refrigerate any leftovers in a sealed container for 3–4 days. Freeze up to 2 months (best texture within 1 month). For a dairy-light swap, use half-and-half in place of the whole milk and replace 1 cup of the heavy cream with additional half-and-half, knowing the chocolate set may be slightly softer.