Cuban recipe
Creamy Cuban Sapodilla Ice Cream Without an Ice Cream Maker
Creamy Cuban sapodilla (níspero) ice cream with heavy cream and condensed milk. No ice cream maker needed: just mix and freeze.
- Preparation40 min
- Total time7 h 40 min
- Servings6-8 servings
- DifficultyEasy
The Cuban níspero, also known as sapodilla (Manilkara zapota), is that brown-skinned fruit with sweet, aromatic flesh that tastes of cinnamon and caramel and grows so well in Cuban backyards. When it is fully ripe you can eat it by the spoonful, but turned into ice cream it becomes something else entirely.
This ice cream needs no ice cream maker: the whipped cream provides the air and the condensed milk the creaminess and sweetness, so it turns out soft and silky without ice crystals. It is an ideal dessert for hot days or for impressing everyone at the table after a family meal.
Watch out for the fruit: this recipe uses the Cuban níspero (sapodilla), with brown skin, and not the yellow Japanese níspero, or loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), which is a different fruit and does not give the same result.
Ingredients
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Method
- Choose a very ripe Cuban sapodilla (níspero) with brown skin, not the yellow Japanese loquat. Wash it well and dry it.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba - Peel the sapodillas, remove all the shiny black seeds and discard the skin. Weigh out 320 g of ripe flesh.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba - Blend the flesh with the pinch of salt until you have a smooth, even purée. If you like, add the teaspoon of lime juice. Let it chill in the fridge for a few minutes.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba - Mix the cold purée with the condensed milk until you have a uniform cream.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba - In another cold bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, without overdoing it so it does not split.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba - Fold the whipped cream into the sapodilla mixture in two or three batches, using gentle folding movements so you do not lose the air.
- Pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container, smooth the surface and cover with plastic wrap pressed against the cream. Freeze for 6 to 8 hours.
- Before serving, let the ice cream sit for 5 minutes at room temperature and serve it in scoops in glasses or bowls.
