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Two scoops of creamy ice cream with a swirl of chocolate in a white bowl, placed on a white saucer with a silver spoon beside it.
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I woke up the other morning wanting nothing but a nice slice of Tiramisù. Cream, coffee, and chocolate–mmm, a great way to start the day. Funny how those urges come over you at 4:30 in the morning. Unfortunately, I did not have one made and I did not have the time to make one–sigh.

Later in the day, I was running errands with my children and we passed a local ice cream stand. Inside, there was a gentleman standing at the counter. My son turned to me and said, “Who buys ice cream this time of year?” My first reaction was, “Have I taught you nothing about sugar and sweets? Ice cream is a year- round treat even if it is still 35° F outside.” I needed to make this boy some ice cream, STAT.  Then my thoughts went immediately to the Tiramisù I was craving–problem solved.

The first time I made this recipe, I told my children that I needed them to taste test something.There was an immediate stampede into the kitchen with shouts of joy in anticipation of a sugary treat (that actually happens about once a day). I filled three silver teaspoons with this concoction, handed them over, and waited for a response. I will spare you all the mmms and ohhhs that went on in “the galley” and just tell you that this is an unbelievable and complex scoop of ice cream. My husband says he could survive on just this ice cream for a week. It is smooth and creamy, tangy and sweet, with hints of coffee and chocolate rippled throughout–it is some kind of good.

This is a mascarpone based ice cream layered with a mocha ripple syrup. As good as the original sounded, I had to make adaptations to suit my own taste. If you remember my post on Tiramisù, I don’t care for ones that have rum, brandy or marsala. That is just too much hard liquor for me. Not that booze is a bad thing, but I feel those flavors overpower the tangy mascarpone, the coffee, and the bit of cocoa. So, I omitted the liquor, slightly increased the amount of Kahlúa, and added some espresso powder to the chocolate ripple syrup (of which I only used half the amount originally called for) for a mocha taste.  Because of the liqueur, the ice cream does not freeze rock hard. It stays smooth like frozen yogurt–a perfect texture, and the taste– Heaven!

Tiramisù Ice Cream
makes about 1 1/4 quarts

For the Ice Cream Base
2 cups mascarpone
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup Kahlúa, or other coffee-flavored liqueur

For the Mocha Ripple
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 heaping teaspoon espresso powder
3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, purée the mascarpone, half-and-half, sugar, salt, and liqueur until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight in the refrigerator.

To make the Mocha Ripple, whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, water, espresso powder, and cocoa powder in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a low boil; cook for one minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover and chill completely in the refrigerator before using.

Freeze the mascarpone ice cream base in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. As you remove it from the ice cream maker, alternate several layers of the ripple with the frozen ice cream, beginning and ending with the ice cream, in a 1 1/2 quart freezer-safe storage container. Do not stir the ice cream with the ripple, otherwise you will lose the swirled effect. Place the ice cream in the freezer for several hours to set. Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from The Perfect Scoop











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Tiramisù Ice Cream

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Refrigeration Time: 4 hours
Total: 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 1.5 quarts
All of the flavors and layers of Tiramisù in one creamy, dreamy, frozen spoonful!

Equipment

Ingredients 

For the Ice Cream Base

  • 2 cups mascarpone
  • 1 ½ cups half-and-half
  • cups granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • cup Kahlúa, or other coffee-flavored liqueur

For the Mocha Ripple

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 heaping teaspoon espresso powder
  • 3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions 

  • In the bowl of a food processor or blender, purée the mascarpone, half-and-half, sugar, salt, and liqueur until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
  • To make the Mocha Ripple, whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, water, espresso powder, and cocoa powder in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a low boil; cook for one minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover and chill completely in the refrigerator before using.
  • Freeze the mascarpone ice cream base in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. As you remove it from the ice cream maker, alternate several layers of the ripple with the frozen ice cream, beginning and ending with the ice cream, in a 1 1/2 quart freezer-safe storage container. Do not stir the ice cream with the ripple, otherwise you will lose the swirled effect. Place the ice cream in the freezer for several hours to set. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 2428kcal, Carbohydrates: 192g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 165g, Saturated Fat: 102g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 385mg, Sodium: 728mg, Potassium: 499mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 179g, Vitamin A: 5057IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 699mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @thegalleygourmet or tag #thegalleygourmet!

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16 Comments

  1. The Food Hunter says:

    So I'm not the only one that gets crazy 4:00am food cravings. Sounds yummy!

  2. Kristen says:

    I can imagine this is about as good as ice cream can get. Mmmmm!

  3. Mary @Delightful Bitefuls says:

    Oh heavens, this sounds divine!

    Mary xx
    Delightful Bitefuls

  4. kirbie says:

    This sounds amazing! I'm definitely going to try out this recipe.

  5. Anonymous says:

    I've been dying to make this recipe. We, like you, have the ice cream bug year-round, and "The Perfect Scoop" staring at us from the bookshelf doesn't help quell that itch. I'm so happy you gave it rave reviews; I think I'll borrow your adaptations.

    Cheers,

    *Heather*

  6. The Galley Gourmet says:

    Heather-
    I hope you give this a try. It is so so (did I say so?) good! As a matter of fact, I am making another batch tonight to freeze for tomorrow:)

  7. Brilynn says:

    I'm a big fan of ice cream regardless of the temperature outside and this one is no exception, it looks awesome!

  8. Stephanie says:

    This looks amazing! I have been eying this recipe for a while now.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Oh wow, Tiramisu is one of my all-time favorite desserts. I have to try it as an ice cream. Yours looks so good!

  10. Bourbonnatrix says:

    I made a similar recipe a couple of weeks ago, but was not impressed with the texture of the "swirl" I used. I'm bookmarking your recipe to try it soon! Thanks 🙂

  11. Melissa @IWasBornToCook says:

    My husband would die if he saw this. Bookmarking now 🙂

  12. Joanne says:

    I am quite a tiramisu addict and I totally agree with you that ice cream is a year round (daily?) treat! This sounds amazing. I think it's time to finally use the ice cream maker that's been sitting in my fridge for FOREVER!

  13. Anonymous says:

    OMG. When I saw this I knew I had to try it! It was such a hit with my family even my mother in law who openly dislikes tiramisu enjoyed it. I did add some broken and crushed ladyfingers for texture and it worked out well and the chocolate sauce was similar to Fox's Ubet syrup. This is totally going into my ice cream rotation! Thanks so much 🙂

  14. Michelle says:

    Nicole – Thank you so much for sharing! This is fantastic!!!

  15. Anonymous says:

    Any suggestions for replacing the Kahlua with something non-alcoholic?

  16. Nicole says:

    You can replace the Kahlua with strong coffee or espresso and about 1 1/2 teaspoons of cocoa powder. Since the alcohol will be omitted the texture of the finished product will be a bit more hard.