Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Cake Shhh Its Vegan

This list of ingredients will likely seem strange if you've never cooked vegan. But, the combination is a fairly common way to make vegan whipped cream. The flavor is rich and creamy. It doesn't taste at all like coconut or cashews. Just like yum. We topped ours with maple-lime sweetened berries. It was a perfect compliment to the ice cream, as was a coconut-oil graham cracker crust. You'll likely find the ingredients to this recipe cost more than what you'd normally need for a basic cheesecake, but the fresh, clean feeling you're left with when you're done, without that tummy-grinding nastiness that often accompanies eating dairy food, it totally worth the extra pennies. Plus, any amount of grocery money is worth showing your hubby that he loves vegan desserts. I'm just sayin.

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Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST:

8 organic graham crackers crushed (or your favorite vegan cookie, crushed)
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup

FOR THE ICE CREAM:

2 cups raw cashews
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup maple syrup add more or less, depending on your preferred sweetness
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean

FOR THE TOPPING:

2 cups fresh mixed berries
juice of 2 limes
zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup maple syrup

Method

FOR THE CRUST:

In a 7x10-inch baking dish, use a fork to mix together the crushed crackers, coconut oil, and maple syrup.
Press the mixture into the bottom of the dish.

FOR THE ICE CREAM:

Place all ingredients in an industrial-sized blender (you'll need the power of the Vita-Mix or Blendtec.
If you only have a standard mixer, you can use a consumer-brand blender or food processor, but make sure you soak the cashews overnight in water, then drain the water before blending).
Blend completely, until a thick, creamy mixture forms. Add as much maple syrup as you need to make the mixture sweet.
Pour over the crust and place in the freezer until frozen.

FOR THE BERRY TOPPING:

Stir together all ingredients gently until coated with the maple-lime juice.

TO SERVE:

Remove ice cream cake from the freezer 15 minutes prior to serving to allow it soften and thaw slightly.
Top with berries.
Enjoy!