This recipe for chocolate ice cream cakes is a “dessert” entry in the So Delicious Dairy Free 3-Course Recipe Contest, submitted by reader Rachel Ruiz. She uses a trio of Culinary Coconut Milk, Coconut Milk Beverage, and Coconut Milk Ice Cream from So Delicious.
Rachel says, “Like a Thin Mint cookie and an ice cream cake had a delicious baby, these single-serving cakes are a delight to the eye and to the mouth! Fluffy dairy-free chocolate cake is sandwiched around creamy mint chip coconut milk ice cream, coated with crunchy peppermint-infused chocolate, and topped with whipped coconut cream. A bite-sized treat perfect for parties, no one will believe you when you say they’re dairy free!”
For more details and to enter the recipe contest, see this post: https://www.godairyfree.org/news/so-delicious-dairy-free-3-course-recipe-contest
Special Diet Notes & Options: Chocolate Ice Cream Cakes
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, peanut-free, and tree nut-free.
For soy-free and dairy-free chocolate ice cream cakes, select chocolate chips that are completely soy-free (no soy lecithin) like Enjoy Life.
- 14 ounce can full-fat coconut milk (can use 1 package Original Culinary Coconut Milk)
- ¾ cup canola oil
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup So Delicious Dairy Free Vanilla Coconut Milk Beverage
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 pint So Delicious Coconut Milk Mint Chip Ice Cream
- 2 cups dairy-free chocolate chips, divided
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- ⅓ teaspoon peppermint oil
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- Place canned coconut milk in refrigerator to chill overnight; do not shake.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Liberally grease and flour 2, 12-cup muffin pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together oil, sugar, egg, vanilla coconut milk, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, soda, and salt. Pour dry ingredients into bowl with wet ingredients, and stir on low until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and stir on medium until batter is mostly smooth with no large lumps remaining, 1-2 minutes.
- Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of batter into the bottom of each muffin cup. Place muffin pans in preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, until risen and cooked through. Remove pans from oven and let sit for 7 minutes before removing cakes from pan and placing on rack to finish cooling.
- Once cakes have cooled to room temperature, use a serrated knife to carefully slice off the domed top of each mini cake, so that the tops are flat. Discard or eat cake tops.
- Remove pint of ice cream from freezer and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes until softened. Scoop ice cream into a medium bowl and stir with a large wooden spoon until ice cream is smooth and pliable.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of ice cream on the cut-side of one cake. Top with a second cake, cut-side down, and press to sandwich the cakes together, using a butter knife to clean up any extra ice cream from the sides. Working quickly, repeat until all cakes have been filled and stacked, for a total of 12. Cover tightly and freeze for 1-2 hours, until ice cream has frozen solid and cake is cold.
- While cakes are chilling, place 1½ cups of chocolate chips, coconut oil, and peppermint oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Stirring constantly, melt chocolate and oils together until just smooth. Remove pan from heat and let chocolate cool to room temperature.
- Remove cakes from freezer. Spoon chocolate over tops of cakes, letting it drip down the sides. Repeat until all cakes have been covered with chocolate. Place cakes back in freezer for 25-30 minutes until chocolate has hardened.
- Just before serving, remove canned coconut milk from refrigerator (do not shake). Open can of coconut milk and scoop thick coconut cream from the top of the can, leaving the water at the bottom. Place coconut cream into medium bowl with powdered sugar, and whip on high until cream is fluffy and smooth, 2-3 minutes.
- To serve, remove cakes from freezer and dollop with whipped coconut cream. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top of whipped cream, and serve.
