Delia Smith’s strawberry cheesecake ice cream is a custard-based ice cream made with curd cheese, Greek yoghurt, strawberry purée and a baked biscuit crumble. It makes 1.5 litres, serves 8 to 10 and needs 5–6 hours freezing plus 2 hours softening in the fridge.
The recipe comes from Delia’s Summer Collection (1993), and she calls it “half dessert and half ice cream.” Three components fold together at the end: a custard-cheese base, a baked biscuit crumble and a strawberry purée that ribbons through in red streaks.
The 2-hour fridge softening is the step most people skip. Delia is specific: the ice cream must sit at 5°C before serving, or it won’t scoop properly. She says it won’t taste nearly as good straight from the freezer.
Delia Smith Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy10
servings40
minutes15
minutes270
kcal55
minutesA three-part frozen dessert from Delia’s Summer Collection (1993) with baked biscuit crumble, custard-cheese base and strawberry ripple. Works with or without an ice cream maker.
Ingredients
- For the strawberry purée:
225g (8 oz) fresh strawberries, hulled
50g (2 oz) caster sugar
55ml (2 fl oz) hot water
- For the crumble mixture:
50g (2 oz) sweet oat biscuits
10g (½ oz) chopped toasted hazelnuts
25g (1 oz) butter, melted
- For the ice cream:
150ml (5 fl oz) whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
1 rounded teaspoon cornflour
75g (3 oz) caster sugar
450g (1 lb) medium-fat curd cheese
150ml (5 fl oz) Greek yoghurt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Directions
- Make the strawberry purée: Place the caster sugar and hot water in a small saucepan over a gentle heat. Allow the sugar to dissolve completely, stirring from time to time, which takes about 5–6 minutes. When no granules remain, simmer gently for 5 minutes. Pile all the strawberries into a food processor, add the syrup and blend to a smooth purée. Strain through a nylon sieve into a bowl to extract the seeds.
- Bake the crumble: Preheat the oven to Gas 5, 190°C (375°F). Crush the biscuits with a rolling pin, not too finely. Combine with the hazelnuts and melted butter. Spread the mixture out on a shallow baking tray and bake on the top shelf for exactly 5 minutes. Watch carefully because any more than 5 minutes will be too long. Remove and allow to cool.
- Make the custard base: Heat the cream gently in a saucepan. Whisk the egg yolks, cornflour and sugar together. When the cream reaches simmering point, pour it over the egg yolk mixture, still whisking. Return to the saucepan and bring back to a bare simmer, whisking until the custard thickens slightly. Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film placed on the surface and leave until cold.
- Combine the base: Place the curd cheese, yoghurt, vanilla extract and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Add the cooled custard and whisk until smooth.
- Churn and fold: Freeze-churn the mixture in an ice cream maker until thickened. Transfer to a freezer box and fold in the crumble mixture followed by the strawberry purée, which should form ribbons of red. Freeze for 5–6 hours.
- Without an ice cream maker: Pile the custard and cheese mixture into a freezer box and freeze for about 3 hours. Whisk until soft, re-freeze and repeat after 2–3 hours. Fold in the crumble and strawberry purée, then freeze until needed.
- Soften before serving: Transfer to the main body of the fridge 2 hours before serving.
FAQs
Why does Delia use curd cheese instead of cream cheese?
Curd cheese has a lighter, slightly tangy flavour that keeps the ice cream from tasting too rich. Cream cheese is denser and fattier, which would make a heavier result. The curd cheese also whips smoother into the custard base because it has a softer texture.
Medium-fat curd cheese is the specific type Delia calls for, widely available in UK supermarkets near the cottage cheese. Full-fat curd cheese works but makes the ice cream richer and harder to scoop. Ricotta is a reasonable swap, though the texture is grainier.
Can I make this without an ice cream maker?
Delia gives both methods in the recipe. Without a machine, you freeze the base for 3 hours, whisk it soft, then freeze and whisk once more. After the second whisk, fold in the crumble and purée.
The machine-churned version is silkier because continuous churning incorporates air and prevents large crystals. But the manual method works well if you whisk vigorously each time. I’ve made it both ways and the difference is noticeable but not dramatic once the crumble and purée are folded through.
Why does the crumble bake for only 5 minutes?
Delia is emphatic about this timing because the oat biscuits and hazelnuts toast fast at 190°C. They can burn in under a minute beyond that window, going from golden to bitter. Set a timer and don’t walk away.
The crumble needs to be completely cool before folding into the ice cream. Warm crumble melts the custard base and turns soggy instead of crunchy. That contrast between cold cream and crisp biscuit shards is what makes this taste like a cheesecake.
How do I get clean strawberry ribbons through the ice cream?
Don’t stir the purée in fully. Delia says to fold it so it forms ribbons of red through the ice cream. Pour the purée over the surface and cut through with a spatula in three or four broad strokes, then stop.
If you mix too much, the purée blends into the base and you lose the visual effect and the burst of pure strawberry flavour. The ribbons should hit your tongue as a separate layer. For another Delia fruit dessert that uses a similar make-ahead approach, her peaches baked in Marsala also improves overnight.
Why must it soften for 2 hours in the fridge?
The curd cheese base freezes harder than a standard cream-based ice cream, so at freezer temperature it’s too solid to scoop. Two hours at fridge temperature (5°C) brings it to the right consistency. It should be firm enough to hold its shape but soft enough to taste properly.
Delia says it “won’t taste nearly as good” without this step, and she’s right. Frozen food numbs your taste buds, so flavours register as muted. Softening lets the vanilla, lemon and strawberry come through fully.
How long does this keep in the freezer?
The ice cream keeps well for up to 2 months in a sealed container. The strawberry purée may darken slightly over time, but the flavour stays strong. The crumble softens after about a week in the freezer, which is inevitable because it’s surrounded by moisture.
If you want maximum crunch, fold the crumble in just before the final freeze rather than at the very start. That gives you a shorter window of peak texture but a much better contrast. For a simpler frozen dessert from the same book, American cheesecake freezes well as an alternative.
