I love making my own ice cream—it’s a great activity to do at home with kids. As the name suggests, this no-churn ice cream cake does not require an ice cream maker and is super-simple to put together. It has a crunchy digestive biscuit (or graham cracker) base filled with delicious vanilla ice cream, marbled with blackberry ripple made from fruit that I forage from the brambles at the back of my garden.

　　This is one of those penny-saving recipes to make when you stumble upon discounted heavy cream at the supermarket. You can omit the blackberries and make a simple vanilla ice cream, or use it as a base for any other fruit coulis you like: mangoes and coconut or raspberries and/or strawberries when in season, would be a few suggestions. You can even substitute chocolate or

　　marshmallows for the berries.

　　This recipe was excerpted from 'The Thrifty Baker' by Hermine Dossou. Buy the full book on Amazon.

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What you’ll need

　　Chevron

　　Chevron

　　Digestive Biscuits

　　$14 At Amazon

　　Sweetened Condensed Milk

　　$23 At Amazon

　　Vanilla Extract

　　$20 At Amazon

　　

Ingredients

1⅓ cups blackberries

　　1 Tbsp. sugar

　　1 tsp. lemon juice

　　Finely grated zest of ½ lemon

　　7 oz. digestive biscuits or graham crackers (gluten-free if desired), or see tip below

　　⅓ cup butter, melted

　　1 (14-oz.) can condensed milk

　　1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

　　2½ cups heavy cream

　　

Step 1

Put the blackberries in a saucepan with the sugar and the lemon juice and zest. Cook on medium–low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the blackberries break down and the mixture thickens to a loose coulis. Set aside to cool.

　　

Step 2

Line a 2-pound loaf tin (or a plastic box of similar size and shape) with baking parchment to help you lift out the ice cream once frozen. You can also use an 8-inch round cake tin with a removable bottom.

　　

Step 3

Put the biscuits in a plastic food bag and bash them with a rolling pin or similar to crush them. Once they are crumbs, tip them into a bowl, add the melted butter and stir until combined. Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and spread it level, then press it down firmly and place in the fridge to set.

　　

Step 4

Put the condensed milk and vanilla in a bowl and mix well.

　　

Step 5

In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it almost holds firm peaks—take care not to overwhip or it will curdle. Gently fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk a little at a time until fully

　　incorporated.

　　

Step 6

Pour half the cream mixture onto the biscuit base. Drizzle with half the blackberry coulis and swirl it in using a knife. Pour over the remaining cream mixture and repeat the process with the rest of the blackberry coulis to make a pretty swirl on top. Place in the freezer until firm.

　　

Step 7

To serve, lift the ice cream from the tin using the edges of the paper to help. Transfer the ice cream to a plate, peel away the paper, and allow to soften at room temperature before slicing into it.

　　Cooks' Note

　　You can also try substituting the digestive biscuits or graham crackers with ones of your choice, such as speculoos or Oreos.

　　Recipe excerpted from The Thrifty Baker. Text © 2023 Hermine Dossou. Photographs © 2023 Patricia Niven. © 2023 Quarto Publishing. Buy the full book from Amazon or Quarto.