I love the idea of mix-ins for ice cream and I know I’m not the only one, as evidenced by the continually growing popularity of ice cream shops that offer mix-ins to their customers. More frozen yogurt shops are starting to offer the same service, so frozen treat fans can get the same combinations in a slightly healthier way. Aside from standards like chocolate chip and cookies and cream – which are familiar and rather obvious ice cream/frozen yogurt additions – why not use the mix-in technique at home to make some more unusual combinations? Or, you could co-opt the combinations advertised by some of the chains into far less expensive versions.
Inspired, I recently added some chopped up carrot cake to a batch of homemade frozen yogurt to create Carrot Cake Frozen Yogurt. (It’s not as strange as sounds – really! One company actually makes an ice cream flavor like this!) The slightly spicy cake went well with the relatively plain vanilla fro yo and I loved the novelty of having little bits of cake in my ordinarily smooth dessert. I added the cake during the last minutes of mixing in my ice cream maker so that it would be blended into the yogurt, rather than just sitting there in chunks.
I would add carrot cake to yogurt again in a heart beat, but this little experiment motivates me to experiment with other mix-ins. Maybe crushed biscotti, chocolate covered strawberries or a mix of bananas and peanut butter? If you’re at a loss for ideas, don’t forget that there is always the standard fallback of mix-in ice cream stores: candy bars.
Carrot Cake Frozen Yogurt
2 large egg whites, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups nonfat yogurt (500 grams; I use Fage Greek Yogurt)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 medium-large slice of carrot cake, in chunks*
Whisk vanilla into yogurt until it is smooth and set aside.
Beat egg whites until they nearly reach soft peaks, then add sugar gradually while beating at medium-high speed until you have soft peaks and the sugar is dissolved, 4-5 minutes.
Fold yogurt into egg whites in 3 or 4 additions, making sure it is very well incorporated. Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze as directed (or without an ice cream maker, as described above). Add in cake chunks during the last few minutes of mixing, or cut into smaller pieces and stir in once mixing is complete.
Store in an airtight container in the freezer if not eating it right away.
Serves 4.
*Be creative. Use any combination of cakes, cookies, fruit or candy that sounds good to you!
Mel Dee
April 13, 2007I truly think this is the best thing this side of heaven. However, what about the cream cheese? hmm…
Brilynn
April 13, 2007That combination sounds amazing. I love ice cream and frozen yogurt and would eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could get away with it. My favourite flavour right now is prune and armagnac!
Nurse Betty - Flatline Web
April 13, 2007That sounds delicious!
gilly
April 13, 2007Hi Nic – this doesn’t sound strange at all, it sounds like an amazing combination! Did your carrot cake have walnuts or pecans in it already? If not, I’d bet those would be great add-ins as well.
Nicole
April 13, 2007Mel Dee – I left off the icing from the piece of cake I used, but a swirl of cream cheese frosting would do very well here!
Gilly – The carrot cake was nut-free, but I agree that nuts would be a nice addition. Toasted coconut might be good, as well.
Cheryl
April 14, 2007Bits of carrot cake in ice cream, genius. You have me craving this so bad right now. It looks incredible.
Sean
April 29, 2008How do you store this in the freezer? If I don’t get help to eat it all in one sitting it turns rock hard in the freezer. What’s your secret?