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Mocha Almond Fudge Ice Cream

Mocha almond fudge ice cream with an espresso-rich custard base, thick fudge ribbons, and crunchy toasted almonds. Churned ice cream is layered with warm fudge sauce and frozen until firm for clean, scoopable slices.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 9 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Mocha custard base
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 2 tbsp instant espresso powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 1 cup toasted whole almonds Add during the last 5 minutes of churning.
Fudge ribbon
  • 0.33 cup hot fudge sauce Warmed for drizzling between layers.

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Make the espresso custard
  1. Heat the heavy cream and whole milk in a saucepan until steaming, then whisk in the instant espresso powder until fully dissolved.
  2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar until smooth, then slowly whisk the hot cream mixture into the yolks to temper.
  3. Return everything to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens to 175F.
  4. Strain the custard into a clean container, then whisk in the vanilla extract and salt.
  5. Cool the custard completely at room temperature, then chill until very cold.
Churn and ribbon with fudge
  1. Refrigerate the custard for 4 hours, then churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  2. Add the toasted whole almonds during the last 5 minutes of churning so they stay crunchy.
  3. Layer the churned ice cream into a container, drizzle warm hot fudge sauce between layers, and swirl with a knife to create ribbons.
  4. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours, before serving.

Notes

For the smoothest custard, keep the heat gentle once you add the egg yolks and stir constantly until 175F. Chill time is 4 hours minimum; once layered, freeze until firm (about 4 hours). Refrigerate leftover ice cream up to 2 weeks; freeze leftovers up to 2 months. For a lighter version, use half-and-half in place of part of the heavy cream, but expect a softer texture.