Chef Contest-Hot Cross Buns Ice Cream (Karin Hung)

Welcome to the first every CEK's 2012 Home Grown Chef Contest! 

A few months ago, I challenged my readers to submit their favorite recipes and what a great response I had!  It is up to each recipe contributor to engage their friends/family/etc to view their recipe on this blog post and the 5 most popular recipes (determined by the number of page views it receives) will be added to a poll for everyone to vote on.  (For complete rules of the contest click HERE.) Good luck!

Recipe Contributor: 

Karin Hung from Vancouver, BC, Canada

Bio: 52 Scoops was created with a simple goal in mind: to develop and compile a collection of 52 ice cream recipes – one for each week of the year.

Inspiration for flavours will come from everyday foods, new tastes experienced when travelling, unusual products spotted at the grocery store, and, hopefully, from you.  Each week, I will develop a recipe and crank out a batch of ice cream in my beloved Donvier ice cream maker.  I’m not promising amazing food photography (hello, iPhone 4 camera) and tested-til-perfect recipes.  What you’ll find here is a collection of simple recipes made mostly with everyday ingredients, and perhaps the occasional report of creative attempts gone awry.

Karin, The Ice Cream Maker Karin has always loved ice cream.  At 12 months, she went from being a “cruiser” (a cautious baby who could only walk while holding onto furniture) to a lightning fast sprinter upon hearing the sudden call for ICE CREAM in the kitchen.  She had early childhood dreams of owning an ice cream parlour, but has settled instead for a gig as an urban planner.  Karin is a self-declared food nerd and loves kitchen gadgets.

Blog: www.52scoops.com  Twitter: @52scoops

Hot Cross Buns Ice Cream  (Makes about 1 quart)

2 eggs
3/4 c brown sugar
3 cups half-and-half cream
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg (use freshly ground, if possible!)
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp orange zest, finely chopped
2 tsp lemon zest, finely chopped
1/2 cup currants
1/3 cup golden raisins

Icing (optional):

1/4 cup icing sugar
1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp milk

1. In a heavy saucepan, lightly whisk together the eggs and sugar.
2. Add 2 cups of the half and half, spices, and salt.
3. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (170 degrees F / 77 degrees C).
4. Remove from heat immediately and add the remaining 1 cup of the half and half to stop the cooking.
5. Add zest, currents, and raisins to the mixture.  Cool and chill overnight in the fridge.
6. Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and prepare according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
7. When ice cream is firmly chilled, scoop into serving dishes.  If garnishing with icing, mix together icing sugar, vanilla, and milk.  Drizzle an X over each scoop of ice cream.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Cupcakes with Apple Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Ok, I normally DO NOT BAKE! There I said it big and loud. BUT, when I saw these ice cream cupcakes on the Desserts in My Kitchen blog by Cheryl Davis, I had to try them! One. They only contained 3 ingredients...seriously! Two. I was looking for a dessert idea for our next Bunco gathering which I happen to be hosting next month. My theme is going to be Apples. I know. A little bit odd for a theme, but what else is there really in September besides Back to School  or football (um...no thanks).  For those of you who do not know what Bunco is, it is a dice game, played generally by 12 women(in my experience anyway..I've never actually have seen a man play the game unless you want to count "Brad" our Kung Fu Panda Shi Fu character stuffed animal that had to fill in as a substitute a few months ago because we were lacking players...don't ask!). Anyway, with the theme, we try to incorporate specialty drinks, food and desserts into the evening to change it up each month. I thought these cupcakes would be simple enough to make but wanted to add a little twist to Cheryl's recipe to incorporate my theme. I also wanted to do a trial run, just in case they weren't what I had anticipated. These cupcakes were simple to make and tasted incredible! You can use any type of ice cream you wish but I chose Vanilla Bean. For the icing, you can even go an easier route than whipping up your own cream by using Redi Whip or Cool Whip for a quick snack children and adults will love. The only disappointing part is having to wait another month to try these again!

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Cupcakes with Apple Cinnamon Whipped Cream
2 Cups Edy's® Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, slightly melted
1 1/2 Cups Sifted Self Rising Flour
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
Apple Cinnamon Whipped Cream(see below)
Cinnamon, garnish


Mix the ice cream until it is creamy. Add the flour and sugar and mix well. Do not over mix. Pour into cupcake pan and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until tops spring back when you touch them. Let cool and add whipped cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Refrigerate or serve immediately. Makes 8 cupcakes.


Apple Cinnamon Whipped Cream
1 Cup Heavy Cream
2 tsp. DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker(or any other type of apple liquor)
1/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
2 Tbsp. Confectioners Sugar
1/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract


Add all ingredients into a medium sized bowl. Using an electric mixer, mix all ingredients on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks. 


Enjoy!