Summer is ever so gently starting to fade out. The sun is setting just a tad earlier, the nights are becoming more comfortably cool, and I’ve already spotted Halloween candy at the grocery store (really!). But of course Mother Nature had one last hurrah in store, and we recently had a second heat wave here in the PNW. As I’ve written before, one of the few silver linings I can find in my least favorite season is the excuse to eat ice cream every day – you know, for core temperature regulation. And I have to say, I was pretty excited to come up with this no-churn banana dulce de leceh ice cream cake, which kept keeping our core temps cool and our sweet tooths satisfied throughout the whole heat wave.
This indulgent summer treat is the result of both inspiration and seredipity. I was intrigued by a formula for a customizable ice cream cake published on Epicurious.com earlier in the month, which gives an outline for layering your favorite ice cream with cookies, jam-flavored whip cream, and nuts into a bespoke frozen indulgence. The serendipitous occasion was that I found myself in possession of an obscenely large amount of quickly ripening bananas after a weekend camping trip in which all parties brought enough food for a month in the wilderness. So naturally, I did a lot of recipe perusing to find a way to make banana ice cream – without an ice cream maker, which we are without after our most recent moving-induced kitchen gadget purge.
Luckily, recipes for no-churn homemade banana ice cream abound on the internet, usually using a base of whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk. If you’re persistent and possess sufficient upper body stamina, you don’t even need an electric or stand mixer to whip the cream. I used some of Trader Joe’s dark cinnamon graham crackers as the cookie layers to add a spicy, warming contrast to the sweet banana ice cream – but any spiced cookie you like would be great (think Biscoffs, gingersnaps, etc). And because dulce de leche and bananas are a match made in heaven, I spread a generous layer of the smooth, caramelly spread between the graham crackers. The entire cake is topped with honey roasted peanuts for a satisfying sweet/salty finish.
You can whip this up in one of these last summer mornings and have an impressive homemade ice cream cake ready to slice and serve after dinner. It will refreeze well in an airtight container, if you happen to have any left over – good luck with that. 😉
Banana Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb very ripe bananas (about 1.5 large bananas or 2 small)
- 7oz sweetened condensed milk (about half a 14oz can)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- generous pinch salt
- 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold
- 1/2 cup chopped honey roasted peanuts
- 1 can dulce de leche, warmed to an easily spreadable consistency
- 1 package of your favorite spiced cookies/biscuits, such as cinnamon grahams, Biscoff, gingersnaps, etc. – avoid blander cookies such as plain graham crackers or tea biscuits, as spiced cookies balance the ice cream better
Directions
- Line a 9×5 loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a generous overhang on the long sides (I used a slightly smaller loaf pan to help ease it in, see pictures above).
- Spread the peanuts evenly in the bottom of the pan.
- Mash the bananas in a large bowl until very smooth. Stir in sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt until homogenous.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or using a handheld mixer, beat the cream until it holds medium-firm peaks.
- Fold about 1/4 of the whipped cream into the banana mixture until fully incorporated, then add the rest in 3 more additions, folding gently until just combined and being careful not to deflate.
- Dollop 1/3 of the banana cream mix on top of the peanuts and smooth with an offset spatula*. Top with a layer of cookies, breaking as necesary to fit (its ok if there are some small gaps).
- Dollop about 1/3 cup dulce de leche on the cookies and gently spread in an even layer.
- Top with another layer of cookies.
- Repeat steps 6-8, ending with a layer of banana cream.
- Fold plastic wrap gently over the top and place in the freezer a minimum of 6 hours.
- When you are ready to serve, invert on a serving platter. If cake is slow to release, run a blunt knife under hot water and then gently ease it between the cake and the sides of the pan.
- Cake will last a week or two in the freezer (but good luck making it past the weekend!)
