Vegan Ice Cream Cake

If you remember eating Carvel ice cream cakes as a kid, (Or TCBY's, if you grew up eating frozen yogurt), you'd know that these multi layer crunch cakes with a delicious whipped frosting on top are incredible..... but filled with dairy- so obviously not an option for a vegan or one with a dairy allergy. Good news though, there's still a version you can enjoy, and since it uses pre-made dairy free ice cream and whipped topping, it's really fast and easy to make! I found this recipe when I was looking to make my husband an ice cream cake for his birthday, and him and our non-vegan friends and family absolutely loved it. In just a few steps you can have a delicious, vegan, crunchy layered ice cream cake at your fingertips! This recipe is also gluten-free (and can be made nut-free!) and was taken from strengthandsunshine.com.

Ingredients:

"Crumb" Base:

2 cups gluten free rolled oats

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder

1/4 cup stevia syrup or maple syrup

Next layers, in order:

1 pint of chocolate vegan ice cream*

1 pint of vanilla vegan ice cream*

1 container of so delicious cocowhip (light or regular)

Optional toppings: vegan chocolate chip, oreos or other vegan cookies, crumbled, confetti sprinkles

*Note about shopping for vegan ice creams if you aren't familiar with the brands. The best brands, in my opinion, are So Delicious, which comes in cashew, almond, soy, or coconut base, and Coconut Bliss, which is coconut based. Pick your favorite brand and base depending on your needs and take advantage of sales if one brand is a good buy or BOGO! I personally think the cashew and coconut based ice creams are the best because they're thicker and creamier. Trader Joe's also has a soy based ice cream called "Soy Creamy" that comes in a large vanilla container and a coconut version in a small chocolate pint. Feel free to experiment with different flavors other than vanilla and chocolate too--- this recipe is just keeping it traditional)


Directions:

Take out your 2 pints of ice cream and let them soften on the counter. Blend together the oats, cocoa and sweetener in a food processor or mix by hand in a large bowl.

Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with coconut oil, or just grease bottom and cover sides with parchment/wax paper.

Press the base crumby mixture into the bottom of the pan and cover the whole base. Scoop out the entire pint of chocolate ice cream and using a spatula or the back of a spoon, smooth it out on top in an even layer. Once flat and even, repeat with the vanilla and layer on top. Finally, spread the entire container of cocowhip and smooth on top. Top the cake with your toppings of choice. If the whipped topping is too soft and your toppings sink in, wait to do them until after the cake has reset (next step)

Place the cake in the freezer to reset since it's been melted quite a bit (at least an hour or so).

Remove cake when set, and remove springform pan and paper. Cut into slices and enjoy!












 

Here's my husband excited about the vegan ice cream cake I made him :)