This easy no churn cherry ganache ice cream has a sweet cherry base, studded with cherry chunks, and rich dark chocolate ganache swirls running through it!
In a microwave safe bowl, microwave cream for 1-2 minutes in 30 second increments until cream is hot. Pour finely chopped chocolate into bowl with cream. Make sure the cream is completely covering the chocolate and let sit together for 3-5 minutes.
Stir chocolate and cream until completely smooth. If there are still small chunks of chocolate microwave in 20 second increments, stirring after each segment until smooth. Stir in salt. Set aside and cool until room temperature.
Cherry Ice Cream Base:
Wash cherries and remove pits. Puree half the cherries and finely chop the other half (you’ll want little chunks of cherry in your ice cream).
Place pureed and finely chopped cherries with granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and cherries start to release juices. Let the cherries simmer on low in the sugar and juices for 3 minutes.
Remove cherries from heat. In same saucepan, stir in sweetened condensed milk, pinch of salt, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Set aside and cool to remove from heat.
Whip cream until you have stiff peaks (see notes). Fold sweetened condensed milk mixture into whipped cream.
Ice Cream Assembly:
In a large container (I used a large loaf pan) start by spreading a thin layer of ice cream base across the bottom. Then spoon in a thin layer of ganache. You can be generous with the ganache, if you want, you have a lot! Then start the process over layering ice cream base and ganache. Once you’re out of ingredients (you’ll probably have some ganache leftover), freeze the mixture until hard (about 4 hours).
Let ice cream sit on counter for 5 minutes before eating to ensure the creamiest consistency.
Notes
Your whipped cream should hold its shape when you lift your whisk or mixer out. Be careful not to over whip your cream or your recipe will not turn out.