Sugar Cake and Caramel Frozen Custard is made with a homemade Spanish sugar cake called bica gallega and homemade dulce de leche. The vanilla custard, bica gallega, and dulce de leche make for an all day affair in the kitchen. Grab a friend and split the duties. The results will be worth it!
I met Jeff several months ago at a dinner party. Naturally, the topic of food came up and it turned out that I wasn’t the only blogger in the room! I love when this happens, especially when the other blogger’s topic of choice is ice cream. We decided to team up for this blog post because I love ice cream and writing and Jeff is a mad scientist ice cream aficionado, as you’ll read below!
A few years ago I went to a career coach to light a fire, motivate, and brainstorm different perspectives in my job search. One of the exercises many career coaches have their clients do is to create a persona – what or who I believe myself to be. This exercise uncovers passion points to provide a direction and then a strategy. The interesting persona that came out of the word cloud association and visuals I created was… Mad Scientist.
Now let me say that I’m not a scientist in my day job. In fact, I’m nowhere near test tubes, beakers, pipettes, or lab coats. I do work for a social data science and software company, but that’s as close to science as I get. It also became apparent from the persona exercise that cooking and, specifically, ice cream making is a driving force in the Dr. Frankenstein manifestation. So on the weekends, I do take on the persona of someone who is creative and passionate with potentially overly ambitious ideas.
My passion for ice cream didn’t start as kid. Vivid memories of Friendly’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Sundaes, Dairy Queen Blizzards, and Baskin Robbins scoops ring true during my childhood, but it really ramped up only a few years ago. There was an ice cream shop just down the street from my former Chicago apartment and I recall that Bobtail had these non-traditional flavors such as the Lakeview Barhopper (chocolate ice cream with Jack Daniels) or the Signature Sunset (Merlot flavored ice cream with chocolate chips). The creativity and the concoction aspects of this had my inner-child roaring. This was the first punch in a one-two combination.
The second punch came with almost comic timing. I got serious about making ice cream after my wedding as my wife and I used our Macy’s gift cards. I’m not picky style-wise with design or patterns. I’m pretty easy-going with plates, glassware, and practical items of that sort. Great, you can eat with them, eat on them, or drink out of them. Aisle upon aisle, back and forth with all the gadgets that Alton Brown calls “unitaskers” – interesting stuff, but mostly just drawer fodder. Then I came upon The Aisle of Glory – the Kitchen-Aid attachment section. Queue lightning bolt and thunder – an ice cream maker! I declared to Sarah, “I don’t care what we get if I can just get this.” Again, I was geeked in this crazy, comical way.
It started off slow, but from that point on, our kitchen was a lab where my Mad Scientist persona kicked into overdrive.
The scientist theme doesn’t only come from creating or ideating flavors. That is where most of the fun comes, but ice cream is a science not unlike other forms of cooking or baking. I heard a podcast on ice cream and a food scientist stated that ice cream is unique from other edibles because it is a liquid, gas, and solid at the same time. Changing the ingredients, adding too little or too much of something, and not having the right environment (temperature and part of the freezer) can change the whole process.*
Another thing I also love about ice cream is that it enhances my overall love of cooking. I have a philosophical rule that I don’t put store-bought items like Oreos or candy bars into my recipes (the exceptions being chocolate and other natural items I can’t make myself). I can bake cookies or cake or make a curd to put in my ice cream and that makes it more fun. It’s a challenge to find out what flavors work well together and what new ingredients and food items I can learn about.
If you are curious about starting your own ice cream adventures, I recommend these cookbooks
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams At Home by Jeni Britton-Bauer — Incredibly inventive flavors.
Hello, My Name is Ice Cream by Dana Cree — She is my ice cream spirit animal.
Recommended Equipment
Both items I use have freezer bowls that require about 24 hours pre-freeze for optimal ice cream.
- KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment — The one I bought post-wedding.
- I swear by my Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt / Ice Cream Maker. I actually got it for $20 at a neighbor’s garage sale. It typically retails for around $60.
Ice Cream vs. Gelato vs. Sherbet vs. Sorbet
Ice Cream
- French or custard-style uses egg yolks, milk, cream, and sugar
- Philadelphia-style uses milk, cream, and sugar
- Consider increasing sugar amount or adding corn syrup or milk powder to enhance the smooth texture
Gelato
- Ice cream’s sibling — it can have different proportions of milk, cream, and egg but it is churned slower than ice cream
- Slower churn = more dense texture
Sherbet
- A lighter ice cream with a fruit puree or sauce included
- Typically lower butterfat content than ice cream and therefore lighter
Sorbet
- No milk, cream, or egg
- Fruit puree or sauce with sugar and/or corn syrup
Jeff with Jeni of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Most of the week Jeff works at a social media data science and software company headquartered in Chicago. On the weekends, he hones his ice cream making skills and churns out his creations at his home in Evanston, IL. Outside of making ice cream, he enjoys running, yard work, reading non-fiction, and sipping a really good bourbon. Incredibly hard to choose, but his favorite ice cream flavor is Graeter’s Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip. You can follow him on Instagram @theicecreampost.
So many things I love about Jeff’s Mad Scientist story. Perhaps my favorite is that it’s never too late to discover something you love. Or maybe it’s… look how happy our hobbies can make us! Actually though, I love that Jeff makes every ingredient from scratch and that his creativity and excitement for ice cream has led to further culinary challenges and adventures.
I won’t sugar-coat things — Sugar Cake and Caramel Frozen Custard is an all-day affair. But sometimes that’s just what we need. Escape to your kitchen for the day and bake, simmer, freeze, create! I made this custard during a visit to my parent’s last month my day in the kitchen was the perfect refuge after one too many days in the sun.
Jeff and I chose these flavors as I was in the middle of planning a Spain travelcation and Jeff’s family hails from the Spanish region of Galicia. The bica gallega is a very basic cake recipe from the Galician region. Despite my calling it a “sugar cake,” the crumb isn’t too sweet except for the thin, crispy crust on top. The dulce de leche isn’t difficult either. Jeff tells me that vinegar is the secret for a good caramel sauce. (And he must be right because mine sat in a jar in the kitchen overnight and I know there were fingers dipping into it…) Lastly, don’t be daunted by the custard. I didn’t have a thermometer, but I recommend using one, just so you don’t stress over… is it hot enough? is it too hot?!
If you decide to make Sugar Cake and Caramel Frozen Custard, we want to hear about it! Tag @theicecreampost and @theeverykitchen in your Instagram pics or send me an email!
Sugar Cake and Caramel Frozen Custard
Sugar Cake and Caramel Frozen Custard is made with a homemade Spanish sugar cake called bica gallega and homemade dulce de leche. The vanilla custard, bica gallega, and dulce de leche make for an all day affair in the kitchen. Grab a friend and split the duties. The results will be worth it!
A few notes: 1. Don't forget to free your ice cream bowl about 24 hours in advance! 2. A thermometer will be helpful for the custard. 3. Plan to let your finished custard freeze for 4 hours to overnight.
This recipe is in collaboration with mad scientist and ice cream aficionado Jeff Callahan of @theicecreampost. Jeff provided the recipe for the frozen custard base. The bica gallega recipe is lightly adapted from The Spruce and the dulce de leche recipes is lightly adapted from Michael Ruhlman's book Ratio.
Ingredients
For the bica gallega (Spanish sugar cake)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3/4 cups sugar plus more for finishing
- 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons ghee room temperature
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
For the dulce de leche (caramel)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the frozen custard
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 pinches salt
- 1/4 cup dry milk powder
Instructions
For the bica gallega:
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Heat oven to 350 degrees F degrees. Coat a 9x9-inch cake pan with cooking spray. Add a few tablespoons of flour to the pan and tilt or rotate until all the surfaces are lightly coated. Discard any flour that doesn’t stick.
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Place eggs, sugar, and ghee in a large mixing bowl and blend with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy and the color turns light yellow. Reduce to low speed and slowly pour in the whipping cream.
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Continue to mix on low speed and gradually add the flour and baking powder. Mix until batter is thoroughly blended.
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Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the remaining sugar create the characteristic crunchy crust.
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Bake on the center rack of the oven for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The sugary crust should be golden brown. You may have to adjust baking time if you use a different size cake pan. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes on a cooling rack before cutting into crouton-like pieces.
For the dulce de leche:
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In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine butter and sugar over medium heat and cook until the sugar has melted and the mixture is thick and frothy or “lava-like,” about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cream until thoroughly incorporated. Let cool 10 minutes then add vanilla, vinegar, and salt.
For the frozen custard:
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Place sugar, salt, and egg yolks in a medium-size bowl and whisk just until combined. Set aside.
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Place a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add milk and cream. Do not scaled or boil, but once warm, add milk powder. Lightly whisk until combined. Continue to heat until small bubbles form along the sides.
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Now you will temper the egg yolk mixture: Pour about 1 cup of the milk into the egg mixture and stir. Add another cup of the milk into the egg mixture and stir. Now pour the “tempered” egg mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the milk.
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Continue to stir over medium heating, making sure not to boil Use a thermometer to make sure the temperature stays below 180 degrees F. The custard is done cooking when it coats a spoon or when you can draw a line in it with your finger. When done, pour the custard through a sieve or strainer into a bowl. Place that bowl inside a larger bowl of ice water. The quicker the custard chills, the better. Stir and continue to chill to room temperature. Add more ice to the larger bowl if necessary. Once it is cool enough, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
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Once your custard is chilled and your freezer bowl is frozen, set up your ice cream maker. Pour the custard into the freezer bowl and churn about 15 minutes or until a soft-serve consistency. If your custard is too thin, the ingredients will fall to the bottom. Gently mix in the cake pieces. Transfer some of the custard to a freezer container. Drizzle with dulce de leche. Layer in more custard and drizzle again with dulce de leche. Repeat in layers. Cover and place in the back of the freezer 4 hours or overnight.
