This recipe takes a wonderfully unconventional approach to homemade ice cream. Instead of relying on an ice-cream machine or a traditional cooked custard, it uses instant coffee, cheesecake filling powder, frosting and coffee creamer to create a thick, creamy base.

The method was inspired by improvised tin-can ice cream, where ordinary containers and an ice-and-salt mixture do the work of specialist equipment. The result is a deeply chocolatey, coffee-forward frozen dessert dotted with soft homemade chocolate pieces.

What You’ll Need

For the freezer:

- 5 2-quart pitchers of ice

- 4–5 cups salt or rock salt

- 1 5-gallon garbage can

For the ice cream:

- 1 Hershey’s extra-large dark chocolate

- 4 French Vanilla single-serve coffee creamers

- 4 cups milk, divided

- 8 heaping teaspoons instant coffee

- 1 pouch instant cheesecake filling powder

1. Prepare The Ice Freezer

Begin by combining the ice with the salt or rock salt in the 5-gallon garbage can.

Salt lowers the freezing point of the ice mixture, allowing it to become colder than plain ice alone. This creates the low-temperature environment needed to set the ice cream without a conventional freezer setup.

Have this mixture ready before preparing the ice cream so the filled containers can be transferred to the cold environment as soon as they are sealed.

2. Make The Chocolate Pieces

Break the dark chocolate into smaller pieces and combine it with the four French Vanilla coffee creamers.

Microwave the mixture for 40 seconds, then stir thoroughly so the warmed creamer moves through the chocolate. Microwave for another 40 seconds and stir again.

Continue in short rounds if necessary until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture becomes smooth.

Allow it to cool fully to room temperature. This cooling stage matters because warm chocolate added directly to the ice cream mixture could soften the base and make freezing less even.

3. Build The Mocha Base

Pour 1 cup of the milk into a shaker cup and add the 8 heaping teaspoons of instant coffee. Shake until the coffee has dispersed evenly, then transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.

Add another 1 cup of milk to the shaker cup together with half of the 15.5-ounce container of frosting. Shake until the frosting has blended completely into the milk and the mixture looks smooth. Pour this into the same mixing bowl.

Add the remaining 2 cups of milk, followed by the entire pouch of instant cheesecake filling powder.

Whisk everything together until the mixture is smooth and evenly combined.

The cheesecake powder helps thicken the base, while the frosting adds sweetness and body without requiring a cooked custard.

4. Add The Chocolate

Pour the mocha mixture into suitable freezer containers. The original method works with sturdy jars or sealable bags, provided they can be closed securely.

Once the chocolate mixture has cooled, use the tip of a teaspoon to remove small pieces and drop them directly into the custard.

Continue until all of the chocolate has been added.

Seal the containers tightly, then shake them gently to distribute the chocolate pieces throughout the mixture. The goal is to create small pockets of chocolate rather than one solid layer.

5. Freeze Until Set

Place the sealed containers into the prepared ice-and-salt freezer.

Leave the ice cream to set for about 4 hours.

Once frozen, the mixture should be creamy and intensely flavoured, with the instant coffee providing bitterness that balances the sweet frosting and cheesecake base. The dark chocolate pieces add texture and make each spoonful taste closer to a classic mocha dessert.

Serve it straight from the container once it has reached a firm but scoopable consistency.