Skip to main content
Dessert

Plum Pudding Ice Cream

A chilled dessert combining plum pudding, candied fruit, nuts, chocolate, and whipped cream.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Mary Elizabeth Lyles Wilson (1860–1924) · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 8 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Plum Pudding Ice Cream

Ingredients

Directions

Make the custard

  1. Separate the 3 eggs into yolks and whites, and beat the yolks.

  2. Add 1 cup sugar to the beaten yolks and gradually stir in 2 cups sweet milk that has been brought to a scalding point. Add 1 ounce melted sweet chocolate and cook for several minutes.

  3. Remove from heat and add stiffly beaten egg whites, beating in.

  4. When the mixture is cold, add 1 cup whipped cream.

Prepare the fruit

  1. Chop dates, raisins, candied cherries, figs, and pecans. Add a small quantity of sugar to the chopped fruits and simmer a short time on the stove.

  2. Allow the fruit mixture to cool.

Freeze and pack

  1. Pour the custard mixture into the freezer and partly freeze.

  2. Remove from freezer, add the fruit mixture and nuts, pack in ice and salt, and let stand for three hours.

Serve

  1. Serve with whipped cream on top and decorate with candied fruit.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

494Calories
16 gProtein
27 gFat
43 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chocolate1 oz (28g) semisweet155
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Mary Elizabeth Lyles Wilson (1860–1924). Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  2. Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together10,020 recipes

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

  3. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  4. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

  5. Cream + chocolatetop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,466 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Yolks thicken the custard while whites add lightness and an airy texture.
Sweet milk
Forms the liquid base that the egg yolks thicken into a custard.
Sugar
Sweetens the base and softens the texture of the frozen dessert.
Sweet chocolate
Adds chocolate flavor and a deeper color to the custard.
Whipped cream
Adds richness and a light, airy texture to the finished ice cream.

The step that matters

Cooking the custard. Egg yolks thicken as they heat, but too much heat can curdle them into a grainy texture. Cook gently and stir constantly, then remove from heat before adding the whites and cream.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

You might also like

Chocolate CreamChocolate Cream171 recipesVanilla Ice CreamVanilla Ice Cream108 recipesChocolate CookiesChocolate Cookies76 recipesChocolate FudgeChocolate Fudge55 recipes