Frozen Cake Batter Custard

For Memorial Day, my cousins and I decided to try a hand at homemade cake batter ice cream. The final result was, as one of them put it, "better than Ted Drewes", but not necessarily cost-effective given the ingredients, effort, and equipment involved. While some basic ingredient costs are unavoidable, the cake batter mix is somewhat negotiable. I'm on a quest to cut back on processed foods in my diet anyhow, and so, I decided to see if making the custard completely from scratch would save anything. Here's the final cost breakdown per quart:

Commercial Cost:	$10 (estimated)
Semi-Homemade Cost:	$3.75
Homemade Cost:	$3.25

The final conclusion is that making the cake batter mix from scratch doesn't save very much over its semi-homemade counterpart. With that said, it's one less item to purchase and one less "bulk" bag to keep in the pantry until you find a way to use it up. You also get to escape all of the preservatives that keep the commercial mixes stable at room temperature. Don't ask me about the calorie count; I get an anxiety attack just thinking about it.

Of note, there is the potential for the cost to drop even further with cheaper ingredients. I chose to use cage-free eggs and organic milk and butter since the regular stuff makes my skin itch.

Here's the final recipe.:

Frozen Cake Batter Custard

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 10 hours

Ingredients:
Cake Batter Mix

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons butter, cubed

Custard

• Cake Batter Mix
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Combine all cake batter mix ingredients in a food processor. Process until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
2. Whisk egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar together until yolks start to lighten.
3. Pour all ingredients into a 3 quart saucepan. Whisk until smooth.
4. Heat custard, whisking constantly, until temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, the batter should thicken and become smooth. DO NOT BOIL.
5. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
6. Refrigerate for at least two hours until custard is cold.
7. Pour the chilled custard into your ice cream maker and follow the instructions for your machine.
8. Freeze in refrigerator for at least four hours.

Makes 8 servings.

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西瓜牛奶 (Watermelon Milk)

Summertime supermarkets have watermelon in abundance, a fruit that my mind associates with the watermelon milk that I drank aplenty in Taiwan. Now, one of the toughest parts about living in the Midwest is the difficulty in obtaining so-called "ethnic" foods (#firstworldproblems, I know). Anyway, I was chopping up watermelon today and decided that if I can't buy it, I might as well make my own. Added bonus: watermelon is currently dirt cheap.


Watermelon Milk
1.5 lb (~680 g) seedless watermelon flesh (approximately 1/8 of a large watermelon)
1 cup milk

Makes 2 servings

Step One: Cube the watermelon flesh and place in blender with milk. I chose to use 2%, though whole milk would probably have been more effective. I wouldn't use skim milk, as it would throw off the mouth feel; you want the final product to be a little creamy.


Step Two: Blend. I used the "liquefy" setting, though you could probably get away with puree. As you can see, the blended product is a little foamy, which leads us into Step Three.


Step Three: Strain with a fine sieve. I set mine over the same bowl that I used for collecting watermelon, mostly because I hate washing extra dishes. This step isn't absolutely necessary, but straining produces a cleaner product. Someone more creative than I am could probably think of a good use for the watermelon foam; as for me, it's headed straight for the sink.


Step Four: Pour into glasses and enjoy! (Note: Variations include using almond milk or soy milk instead of regular moo juice. If your watermelon is ripe, you shouldn't need any extra sugar.)

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