Cappuccino Gelato is a no churn coffee ice cream that's so good we thought we were back in Italy enjoying the smooth, creamy, sinfully good frozen dessert. Since it's no churn, it's easy and quick to make. You can be spooning some of the rich decadent treat into your mouth in no time at all.
We made this delicious coffee dessert for our daughter's birthday to go along with the Tiramisu Cake with Zabaglione Cream.
Jump to:
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe . . .
- deliciously creamy and rich
- easy to make
- a coffee lovers delight
- no special equipment needed
You can enjoy this coffee dessert in a cone, bowl, topped with a sauce, or as an affogato al caffe.
🛒 Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this coffee dessert recipe.
- heavy whipping cream -- whips up to give the ice cream body and creaminess.
- sweetened condensed milk -- adds to the richness and sweetens the dessert.
- instant espresso powder -- gives the ice cream the deep coffee flavor.
- coffee flavored liqueur -- flavors the dessert and prevents the ice cream from freezing too hard.
📋 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Whisk the vanilla and sweetened condensed milk together. Chill.
- Beat the heavy cream with and electric hand or stand mixer until stiff occurs.
- Fold the whipped cream into the vanilla-milk mixture.
- Pour into freezer containers and place in freezer.
🔪 Equipment
The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
- Hand or stand mixer will make whipping up the cream a breeze. I like the slow start so it doesn’t splatter.
- Two Large metal bowls or glass will do. We like to chill them so that the cream whips up faster. These bowls have a non-skid bottom which prevents them from scooting.
- Rubber spatula makes folding the whipped cream into the milk mixture easy.
- Freezer containers for ice cream or any frozen desserts. We have some just like this and they keep the ice cream from getting ice crystals.
- Sturdy Ice cream scoop for scooping up all those delicious servings of ice cream.
☕️ Coffee ice cream backstory
Every year we let our kids pick out their birthday dinner and dessert. This was the first time in many years that I didn't make the Italian Cream Cake for Michelle's birthday.
This year her dessert request was for the Tiramisu Cake and the Cappuccino Gelato. Michelle wanted to sample something a little different. A very wise choice we have to admit.
I do have to apologize -- some of the photos may be fuzzy in places. We had to hurry and get everything packed for the trip out of town to deliver the goodies.
Cappuccino Gelato with Tiramisu Cake with Zabaglione Cream Topping
Cappuccino Gelato an easy no churn ice cream
These type of desserts {dolci} aren't excessively sweet -- and yet we believe they satisfy any dessert lover.
The dark Italian coffee balances out the sweetness of the sweetened condensed milk. The coffee liqueur adds flavor to the creamy cappuccino gelato. but it also helps to prevent the ice cream from freezing too hard.
Why use a flavored liqueur?
Not only does the liqueur add to the taste of the coffee ice cream, it also helps to prevent the ice cream from freezing too hard and forming ice crystals.
Think of the liqueur as a sort of anti-freeze.
If you don't want to use a liqueur you can use flavorless vodka.
A rich creamy scoop of coffee no churn ice cream
Coffee Liqueur and Cappuccino Gelato
We don't keep coffee flavored liqueur on hand so we just bought a small sample type bottle at the liquor store. That size turned out to be the perfect amount for this recipe.
The basic no churn recipe is so easy and versatile my mind is spinning with ice cream flavor varieties. Any flavor you can think of they'll have a liqueur that will match it.
Do I have to use alcohol?
No, you don't have to use anything alcoholic if you prefer not. We like to use it because it does enhance the flavor and does help to keep it from freezing too hard. Just let the ice cream soften up a bit before scooping some out - you should be fine.
Affogato al caffe recipe
A famous Italian dessert is affogato al caffe which is simply a scoop of ice cream with espresso coffee.
This dessert is very satisfying after a delicious Italian meal.
For an ideal affogato al caffe simply:
- Place 1 large or 2 small scoops of ice cream (coffee, chocolate or vanilla) in a coffee cup,
2. then pour in a shot of espresso or 3 tablespoons strong brewed coffee.
3. Top with shaved dark chocolate and chopped hazelnuts. (optional)
No churn coffee ice cream and Tiramisu Cake
The first time I made the cake and coffee ice cream, I wasn't able to get any photos at all. The party and celebrating went too quickly and all that was left was dirty cappuccino gelato bowls and few cake crumbs.
We didn't mind redoing -- both recipes are easy and we love to cook.
In fact, Italians are famous for showing their love by cooking and feeding.
La cucina è il cuore della casa { The kitchen is the heart of the house}.
If you like easy no churn gelato you will also like...
We plan on adding a few more amazing flavors this coming season.
Tutti a tavola è pronto!
Un caro saluto e alla prossima.
Cappuccino Gelato No Churn Ice Cream Recipe
This is such an easy recipe for making coffee flavored ice cream you'll wonder why you never made it before. It is so delicious, rich and creamy. A frozen dessert that is fantastic any time of year but especially during the hot summer months. Serve this at your next gathering and just expect a standing ovation. We'll just keep it our secret as to how easy it is to make.
📖 Recipe
Cappuccino Gelato - No Churn
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk), chilled
- 2 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp. Tbl. instant espresso powder disolved in ¼ cup boiling water
- ⅓ cup coffee flavored liqueur -- we used Patrón Dark Coffee Liqueur with cocoa or use Kahlua.
Instructions
- Pour the sweetened condensed evaporated milk into a large bowl and add the expresso and the liqueur. Whip the ingredients together until well mixed. Put in the refrigerator to stay cool.
- Pour the heavy whipping cream into a chilled bowl. Whip the cream starting off with low and working up to high. Once the whipping cream start to hold its shape stop beating. If you overheat you'll end up with butter.
- With a spatula fold the whipped cream into the cold flavored sweetened condensed milk. Keep folding in until it is completely mixed. Put the bowl into the freezer for about 30 to 45 minutes. Using the mixer, whip up the ice cream for a minute. Pour into freezer safe containers and freeze for 6 hours before serving.
Notes
- Makes 2 pints
