This vegan chocolate ice cream cake is studded with marshmallows, almonds, and more chocolate. It's sitting on a gluten free crust and topped with coconut whipped cream! This recipe makes four mini or one larger 8-inch ice cream cake. A fun, decadent dessert to serve at your next celebration.
Chill coconut milk: Put one can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight (for the whipped cream).
Soak cashews: Put cashews in a medium bowl and cover with water. Let soak overnight.
Make ice cream base: Stir the remaining can of coconut milk. Pour half into a small saucepan over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Add arrowroot powder to the remaining coconut milk in the can. Whisk until smooth. Empty the can into the simmering coconut milk. Reduce heat to low and whisk until thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a container and refrigerate overnight. Freeze your ice cream maker, if it isn't already.
The next day:
Preheat: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F (177°C).
Make crust: In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, oat flour, cocoa powder, maple syrup, coconut oil, and salt. Mix well. Divide mixture into 4 (4-inch) round springform pans or 1 (8-inch) round. Use your fingertips to press it firmly into the bottom of each pan. If mixture is sticking, wet your fingertips with a bit of water.
Bake crust: Prick bottom crust with a fork. Bake until crust is medium-firm to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely.
Blend ice cream: Drain cashews and add to a blender. Add coconut and arrowroot ice cream base, maple syrup, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Blend until smooth and airy.
Churn ice cream: Pour mixture into an ice cream maker, churn until soft serve consistency. Add marshmallows, chocolate, and almonds.
Freeze: Spoon the ice cream over each cooled crust, using the back of a spoon or rubber spatula to smooth out the top. Freeze until ice cream is solid, about 2 hours (longer for large cake).
Coconut whipped cream: Scoop out coconut solids from the refrigerated can of coconut milk and add to a large bowl. Use electric beaters to whip until fluffy. Add maple syrup and vanilla seeds. Whip until well mixed.
Serve: Right before serving, top with whipped cream (see note 3). Garnish with more marshmallows, chocolate, almonds if you'd like (see note 4). Slice and serve (see note 5).
Notes
Marshmallows: Look for vegan marshmallow brands such as Dandies, if you need. In my experience, vegan mini marshmallows weigh more than conventional mini marshmallows. 1 cup Dandies mini marshmallows= 50g, 1 cup conventional mini marshmallows = 100g. The volume measure is used for clarity: use 1 cup (237 ml) of whichever mini marshmallows you prefer.
How to make oat flour: Add rolled oats (not quick oats) to a blender or food processor. Process until oats resemble a fine flour, then measure accordingly.
Coconut whipped cream: For the coconut whipped cream to retain it's fluffy texture, add it right before serving. Coconut whipped cream will firm up if frozen.
Garnish: Totally optional, but if you're feeling fancy, use a small kitchen torch to toast marshmallows for garnishing on top.
Serving note: This ice cream is quite decadent. Each mini (4-inch) cake serves 2 to 3. The 8-inch cake serve 8 to 12.