Summer is here, which means one thing – ice cream. Here model and author Danielle Copperman shares her plant-based ice cream recipe adapted from her book Well Being: Recipes and rituals to realign the body and mind for you to try at home.
This is one of my favourite summertime recipes, and such a subtly sweet alternative to the heavily processed, shop-bought ice creams. Make with all-natural ingredients and sweetened with sweet potato and dates, it is an incredibly nutritious and functional ‘treat’ that still tastes deliciously indulgent. You could also add flavourings, such as cacao powder, coffee or natural extracts, or other additions such as jams or spreads swirled through the mixture, or chopped nuts or seeds to add a little texture. This recipe offers instructions to make a large tub or to spoon it into ice cream moulds to form choc-ice / ice lolly variations (hint: coat them with dark or raw chocolate for extra indulgence).
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato (approx. 300g)
200g cashews, soaked
1 × 400ml can coconut milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla powder
1 tbsp coconut oil
8 Medjool dates
2 tbsp natural syrup, optional
100g Dark Chocolate, optional – if you want to make into choc ices
Elevate it: 1 tbsp maca powder, 1 tsp bee pollen, 1 tbsp tocotrienols, 5 tbsp cacao powder (for a chocolate version), a handful of cookie dough pieces.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C /gasmark6
- Prick the sweet potato with a fork or knife and then bake for 50–60 minutes, until soft and beginning to caramelise. Scrape the flesh (not exceeding 300g) into a blender, add the remaining ingredients apart from the chocolate, and blend on a high speed for 2–4 minutes, until smooth.
- For a tub of ice cream, pour the mixture into a dish or freezerproof container, cover with a reusable wrap and place in the freezer to set.
- For choc ices, pour the mixture into rectangular moulds or ice-lolly moulds and place in the freezer for 2–4 hours to set. When fully frozen, remove them from the freezer and carefully release them from their moulds. Place them on a cooling rack and coat in melted dark chocolate. I coat them twice for extra crunch. Return to the freezer after each coat to allow the chocolate to harden.
- Store both the tub and the choc ices in the freezer and remove 5 minutes before serving to allow them to thaw slightly.
If your ice cream sets too icy, carefully break it into smaller pieces using a knife and place in a food processor. Blend on the highest speed for 2–3 minutes, until smooth and thick, and serve as a soft-scoop ice cream. Alternatively, you can freeze the ice cream in muffin tin moulds and blitz them in the food processor before serving.
For more summer food inspiration, see Alexandra Dudley’s plant-based BBQ recipes: Charred Herby Gem Lettuce With Lemon And Macadamia and Coffee, Banana, Almond Popsicles for dessert.
Try making Lauren Lovatt’s mind-boosting summer snacks recipes for snacking on the go.