Mocha Marshmallow Walnut Ice Cream
An indulgent, quick to make coffee & chocolate mocha ice cream with a swiss meringue (i.e. marshmallow fluff) swirled in, along with the crunch of walnuts. Insanely beautiful gelato texture and best made with an ice cream maker because it’s so easy! Perfect for a bowl of ice cream or an Italian Affogato, with dark, strong coffee poured on top.
Jump to RecipeMocha Madness
Courtesy of one of the best baking companies out there, King Arthur Flour, I found a Mocha Madness homemade ice cream recipe that only needed two kinds of milk & cream, vanilla, cocoa, sugar, and espresso (Cafe Bustelo on my part). The result is creamy as anything you can imagine, On its own, it is brilliance.
However, I needed more. I wanted to swing another way with texture and flavor and loved the idea of something like a Tin Roof ice cream…remember Tin Roof? When I lived near St. Pete, Florida in the later 80’s as a kid (and hating the warm weather), I always ended up choosing Tin Roof from the ice cream isle at Publix.
Well, I forgot what was in Tin Roof. Turns out vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and Spanish peanuts. I might try to make some soon before the ice cream season leaves us (but does it ever really leave us?)
It doesn’t end there, however. Mocha Madness is a wonderful punch of cocoa and coffee, but I like alternating flavors and contrasting textures, so…
Marshmallow Fluff
Not exactly Marshmallow Fluff. I still remember a friend’s birthday party when I was 10 years old. The cake had two clouds and a rainbow connecting them, and the whole thing was covered in the more fake, ridiculously good marshmallow fluff.
These days, I know better. I knew I could prep a nice fluffy Swiss meringue, even though I had shied away from meringues that included a hot stove. This one surprised me. It took minimal amount of time, and came together like a dream, while my ice cream churned peacefully in the background.
Swirling Around
To create the combination of flavors, I smoothed down a layer of half the mocha ice cream, followed by the meringue, which I couldn’t resist torching for more burnt flavor, followed by the other half of the mocha. Then, the swirl happens.
It is not as dramatic a swirl, since the mocha ice cream, meringue, and walnuts are all in a similar color group. I sacrificed photogenic beauty for flavor. And it was worth it. The walnuts are added with each layer as well, and then you pop the whole thing in the freezer. And wait.
You can adjust these flavors to your liking, add chocolate sauce, caramel, other nuts or cookies, and make you own fun with this kind of recipe. I do suggest you give this combo a try, though. You won’t be able to leave that tin alone in the freezer, guaranteed.
Mocha Marshmallow Walnut Ice Cream Affogato
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker
Ingredients
Mocha Madness Ice Cream from King Arthur Flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp espresso powder, such as Cafe Bustelo
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Marshmallow Fluff aka Swiss Meringue
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp cream of tartat
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Additional
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions
For Mocha Madness Ice Cream from King Arthur Flour
- Whisk or mix together the milk, sugar, espresso powder, and cocoa until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.
- Add to an ice cream maker and allow to churn for about 20 minutes.
- Spoon the ice cream into a cold metal bowl before adding to your loaf tin where the ice cream will live.
For the Marshmallow Fluff aka Swiss Meringue
- Add the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar to a double boiler with at least 2 inches of water in the bottom pan. Whisk together over a medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and frothy.
- Once the meringue has reached 160 degrees F, or the mixture does not feel grainy when rubbed between your fingers, remove from the heat and add in the vanilla extract via a mixer.
- Whisk on high speed for about 5 minutes until even shiny peaks appear and they do not move, aka stiff.
- Allow the marshmallow fluff / meringue to cool for about 10 minutes. I pop it in the refrigerator to give it a cool blast.
To Assemble
- Spoon half of the mocha ice cream into a plastic wrap or parchment paper lined metal loaf tin. It should be at the level of 1/3 of the container. Sprinkle 1/2 of the walnuts.
- Spoon in a second third of the container worth of marshmallow. You may only use about half of the recipe yield, but it keeps for a week in the fridge and you can use it on anything you like! If you are nuts like me and have a mini torch, torch that meringue a bit to bring out a little burnt flavor to it.
- Spoon the other half of the ice cream on top of the meringue until it reaches the top. Sprinkle the second half of the walnuts down. You can freeze for half an hour if the mixture is too runny or loose, or, if not, go ahead and swirl in the ice cream, meringue, and walnuts with a silverware knife or offset spatula. Make as much swirl as you can.
- You can add a few more walnuts if you like, and cover with the paper or plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 6 hours. Because of the meringue, the ice cream consistency will always be a little more softer like gelato, but it is top notch either way. I decided to make an Italian Affogato and pour some nice strong hot black coffee over a few scoops. The cold and heat and double coffee flavor combining was ever better. This one is a keeper. Thanks for the inspiration, King Arthur Flour!
