Date Caramel & Mocha Vegan Ice-Cream Cake
This deliciously indulgent dairy-free ice-cream cake gets its creaminess from coconut milk and its sweetness from dates, and is quite spectacular for a special dinner served with fresh fruit.
The recipe also works well without an ice-cream maker, and the dates are a magic ingredient to stop it from icing up and freezing solid.
You can use this recipe to make vegan Baked Alaska (aka ice-cream cake covered in aquafaba meringue) for a special occasion dessert. Or have it as is, perhaps served with whichever fruit is in season.
It even tastes great added to hot chocolate (which we like to make with cacao, cinnamon, hot water & plant-milk. [You can add sugar/maple syrup/rice syrup etc to the drink too if you prefer it sweeter]).
The caramel layer is densely creamy (thanks to coconut cream) and contrasts with the lighter, almost sorbet-like consistency of the chocolate-espresso layer (thanks to plant milk).
Doesn't a slice of it look pretty, with its contrasting colours?
Date Caramel & Mocha
Ice-Cream Cake
Vegan | Dairy free | Refined sugar free
Date Caramel Ice Cream Layer
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cups raw cashews
1 cup dates
1 cup plant milk (we used almond)
1 ½ cup full fat coconut cream (we used Ayam brand, 100% coconut cream)
½ teaspoon ground vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla beans or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
METHOD
Prepare a small loaf tin or similarly shaped glass container which has a lid. Line with baking paper if wished. (This is not necessary, but will make later retrieval easier.) Set aside.
Cover cashews and dates with boiling water and soak for 60 minutes.
Drain cashews and dates and transfer to a high speed blender. Add plant milk. Blend until creamy and smooth. Depending on the power of your blender, you may need to stop and push the mixture down with a spatula.
Add all other ingredients and blend until very smooth.
Pour caramel mixture into tin or glass container. Place in freezer while you make the Mocha Ice Cream layer.
MOCHA ICE CREAM LAYER
INGREDIENTS
½ cup dates
½ cup cacao powder
2 cups plant milk (we used soy milk)
¼ cup espresso coffee, chilled
2 tablespoons maple syrup, if you like it sweeter
METHOD
Place dates in a medium sized bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 1 hour.
Drain and place in high speed blender with remaining ingredients. Blend until very smooth. Taste and add maple syrup if you like it sweeter.
Pour the mixture into a bowl and chill.
Add mixture into ice cream machine and churn until creamy.
Pour onto frozen date ice cream layer, and return to freezer to set for minimum 4 hours.
To serve, remove from freezer for about 5 minutes before you required, then flip it upside down onto a plate. It should slide out easily. If it doesn’t, wrap the tin or glass container with a cloth soaked in hot water (and wrung out) to help loosen it.
If you don’t have an ice cream machine, you can also freeze the date mixture in zip lock bags for 4 hours or until frozen. Then break up into chunks and add to a food processor in several batches, whizzing until creamy. Proceed as before from step 5.
In our kitchen, it's fair to say that this dessert really doesn't last once word gets out there's freshly made ice cream in the freezer!!
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