I am a summer baby and all my birthdays were always accompanied by very high temperatures and cakes that could withstand those. And yet, I've always wanted an ice cream birthday cake. So this year, I gave that to myself.
This is a majestic cake, if I might say so myself, with four layers of espresso, chocolate, homemade Nutella, and peanut butter. And some more chocolate, for good measure. A cake that is a bit more involved to make, but she is worth it.
Goes without saying, but if you can find already made vegan condensed milk, just get that and weigh out the necessary quantity. Where I live, it's not always readily available, so this is my way of making this cake happen.
On a final note, I did not add any vanilla to my sweetened condensed milk because the oat milk I used already had vanilla added. If yours is plain or homemade, do add a bit of vanilla along with the block butter.
Ingredients
For the homemade vegan sweetened condensed milk
500 millilitres oat milk
200 grams granulated sugar
20 grams vegan block butter
For the no-bake brownie base
70 millilitres espresso, freshly pulled
65 grams granulated sugar
75 grams vegan block butter
65 grams dark chocolate (75%)
150 grams vegan vanilla biscuits, finely ground
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the peanut butter ice cream layer
170 grams prepared vegan sweetened condensed milk
220 millilitres vegan double cream
100 grams creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
big pinch of salt
For the Nutella ice cream layer
170 grams prepared vegan sweetened condensed milk
220 millilitres vegan double cream
150 grams roasted hazelnuts
150 grams dark chocolate (75%)
20 grams vegan block butter
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the chocolate glaze
40 grams dark chocolate (75%)
60 millilitres vegan double cream
10 grams vegan block butter
Preparation
Start by making the homemade vegan sweetened condensed milk.
Take a large saucepan and pour in the oat milk. Tip in the sugar, mix, and place it over medium heat. Let it slowly heat up and start to boil. There is no need to rush this step.
Once it starts to boil, stir and reduce the heat slightly. Let it simmer for about 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until it reduces to half. The milk will change its colour to deep cream and it will actually start to become more fragrant.
Remove from the heat, transfer to a clean bowl, add in the vegan block butter, and combine well with an immersion blender. Let it cool down to room temperature, and then place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
While the condensed milk is cooling, make the chocolate espresso brownie base.
Add the chopped chocolate, diced vegan butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla into a medium saucepan, and melt everything over medium heat. Once melted, remove from heat, add in the freshly pulled espresso, mix it through, and add in the ground biscuits. Mix until uniform and smooth. Place a medium cake ring (18 cm) on the serving platter, line it with a tall strip of acetate, as the cake will be tall, and press the brownie mixture evenly, forming a base. Place the platter in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.
Once everything is ready, proceed to assemble and layer the cake.
Whip the vegan double cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form and place the bowl in the refrigerator. Weigh 170 grams of the sweetened condensed milk, add in the peanut butter, vanilla, and salt, and whip until smooth and blended. Add this to the previously whipped vegan cream, and mix on the highest setting until smooth and creamy. It will resemble frosting at this point.
Take the cake platter out of the refrigerator, add the peanut butter ice cream, level it as much as possible, and place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
While the peanut butter layer is setting in the freezer, place the hazelnuts in the blender and blend until a paste forms. If you want, you can leave it a bit coarser, for some texture. Melt the dark chocolate, vegan butter, and vanilla, and add them to the hazelnut paste. Blend until fully combined and let it cool down to room temperature.
Once the surface of the peanut butter layer has somewhat firmed up, whip the vegan cream until soft peaks form, and separately blend the hazelnut chocolate mixture previously made with the rest of the homemade condensed milk. Add them to the whipped cream and mix on the highest setting until smooth. This layer will be softer.
Spread it gently over the peanut butter ice cream, cover the top with a round of baking parchment, and let it freeze completely overnight. This is a tall cake and it will need time to freeze through.
The next day, when ready to serve, take the cake out of the freezer and let it stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes. This way it will be easier to slice.
Just before serving, melt together the chocolate with the vegan cream and butter, quickly glaze the top of the cake, and serve as soon as the glaze sets. Yields 20 rich servings or up to 30 more modest ones.
