BANANA HAZELNUT ICE CREAM CAKE

With spring being almost here, we are once again reaching for no-bake sweet treats. Ripe bananas have been used for years in making ice creams, which is why they are a perfect choice as a base for this little no-bake beauty.

Plenty of toasted hazelnuts, a bit of chocolate, a dash of rum, and a drop of vanilla make this no bake treat a real gem. All of the well-known traditional flavours in a form of a charming little ice cream cake.

You can even glaze it in fudge sauce, ganache, or perhaps roll it into some more chopped up toasted hazelnuts, for an added crunch. And as always, feel free to add a splash of Frangelico if you so desire.

Ingredients
250 grams butter, softened
100 grams icing sugar, sifted
400 grams ripe bananas
50 grams dark chocolate (90% cocoa), melted
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon dark rum
350 grams toasted hazelnuts, ground
150 grams vanilla biscuit crumbs

Preparation

Place the softened butter into a large bowl, sift in the icing sugar, and whip with an electric mixer on high, just as you would for buttercream, for about 3-4 minutes. It should be much lighter in colour and creamy in texture. Melt the chocolate over low heat or in the microwave, and let it cool down slightly. When the butter is ready, mash the bananas thoroughly with a fork, or blend with an immersion blender until smooth, and add them to the bowl. Add in half of the ground hazelnuts, to help the mixture blend, and whip for a minute or so, until combined.

It will still be runny at this point, so tip in the rest of the hazelnuts, and blend once more. Add in the melted chocolate, vanilla, and rum, and blend well again. Finally, tip in the biscuit crumbs, and mix. Take a small round cake form (15 cm), place it on the cake platter, and add in a strip of acetate if the form is not tall enough. Slowly add in the cake batter, in layers, levelling each one as you add, as this will ensure the cake does not have any air pockets. Once levelled, cover the top with cling film, and place the cake into the freezer for about 4 hours, preferably 8. Before serving, let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, for easier slicing. Yields 20 servings.