Sweetly Spiced Pumpkin Ice Cream

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Its cold outside. Autumns here. Most people would NOT be thinking about ice cream, but my obsessed mind always is. I thought I’d attempt a sweetened pumpkin ice cream which would be perfect with a slice of warm, wintery pie on a chilly evening.

Its not a common one, but I like it as I haven’t got a huge sweet tooth. Its wholesome, homemade, pleasing and not too sweet. My mum, who never seems open to the concept of anything alternative in the kitchen, gave me a fearful and timorous glare when I presented it, adding- ‘Is this an invention?’. But don’t fear, its delicious!

  • 250g pumpkin butter (see previous recipe)
  • 375ml whole milk
  • 250ml double cream
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • grating of nutmeg
  • pinch cinnamon
  • pinch ground ginger
  • 80g granulated sugar
  • 40g dark brown sugar
  • pumpkin seeds
  1. First, put some ice in a large bowl with some water. Place an empty bowl inside with a sieve in it for later.
  2. Mix the milk, cream, granulated sugar, cinnamon stick, spices and nutmeg in a saucepan and heat gently, until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges
  3. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl and when the milk is hot, slowly pour the hot mixture over the yolks, while continuously whisking in order to prevent it going lumpy.
  4. Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat very gently on a low temperature. Cook gently, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon until thickened and the mixture coats the back of a spoon and leaves a marked trail when you run your finger through it:image
  5. Now, tip the mixture through the sieve into the chilled bowl to remove any lumps and stir in the dark brown sugar.
  6. Allow the mixture to cool completely in the fridge.
  7. Once cold, add the pumpkin butter and a splash of vanilla if you like (or booze) and churn in an ice cream maker for about 30 minutes.

I topped mine with pumpkin seed praline! To make this, I heated some caster sugar in a dry pan until it began to melt and turn a pale golden and then immediately removed from the heat, tipped onto some parchment and scattered with pumpkin seeds!