Freshly Brewed Espresso For No Churn Coffee Ice Cream

Our answer

Nigella's One-Step No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream (from NIGELLISSIMA) is made with a combination of condensed milk, double (heavy/whipping) cream and espresso powder. No-churn ice creams work due to the ratios of sugar, fat and water in the mixture.

The recipe uses 2 tablespoons (i.e. 6 teaspoons) of instant espresso powder, which is the equivalent of 6 espresso shots. The problem with using espresso made from a machine is that this is approximately 180ml (¾ cup) of liquid. Adding this much liquid to the mixture can prevent it from whisking up as well and the extra liquid can cause the ice cream to be harder and more icy once frozen. So unfortunately we would not recommend using fresh espresso as an alternative. If you don't have espresso powder then you can use 2 tablespoons of instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon of boiling water. Let this mixture cool to room temperature before using it.