You do not need an ice cream maker to get a creamy, intensely chocolatey ice cream: a blender, a dish and the freezer are enough. The lightly tangy cashew cream base gives a texture close to real ice cream, while the date paste and coconut sugar bring just the right amount of sweetness. A very simple weekend dessert that only asks for a little patience and a few trips to the freezer.
Chocolate fudge ice cream with cashew cream, no ice cream maker
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Ingredients
Fudge ice cream base
- 240 ml cashew cream (see below)
- 70 g date paste (about 4 tablespoons)
- 40 g coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 pinches of salt (or the equivalent of 1 tablespoon - 15 ml - of seawater)
Cashew cream (makes about 600 ml)
- about 230 g dry cashews, to be soaked
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unfiltered cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 300 ml filtered and hydrogenated water
Method
Cashew cream
- Soak the cashews overnight, i.e. 6 to 8 hours, then drain them.
- Blend the soaked cashews with the vinegar and salt for 2 minutes, until you get a thick, glossy paste.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the food processor well.
- With the processor running, pour in the water 60 ml at a time, blending for 30 seconds between each addition, until all 300 ml has been used (5 additions in total).
- The cream is still quite runny: place it in the fridge for at least 1 hour so that it thickens.
Fudge ice cream
- In a mixing bowl, whisk all the base ingredients together until smooth.
- Pour into a glass or metal dish, no more than 2.5 cm deep, so that it sets faster.
- Put the dish in the freezer.
- After 1 hour, take it out and stir thoroughly, scraping the sides and bottom.
- Smooth the surface and return it to the freezer.
- Repeat this twice more, for a total of 3 hours of freezing broken up by stirring.
Tip
The cashew cream recipe makes more than you need: the rest keeps for up to 3 weeks in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer. Divide it into small portions before freezing, so you only have to thaw the right amount for another ice cream or a sauce.
For perfect ice cream every time: with the Ninja CREAMi Deluxe ice cream maker, there is no more stirring every hour or keeping an eye on the freezer. You freeze the mixture in its tub, choose the programme (ice cream, sorbet, gelato or granita), and within a few minutes the machine gives you a creamy, smooth texture with no ice crystals. It is the appliance we adopted this summer for our plant-based ice creams.
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FAQ: your questions about chocolate fudge ice cream
What is chocolate fudge?
Fudge is a dense, melt-in-the-mouth confection from the English-speaking world, traditionally made by cooking sugar, butter, milk and chocolate together. By extension, the word "fudge" is used for very rich, soft chocolate desserts, such as fudge ice cream. Here, it is the date paste, coconut sugar and raw cacao, mixed into the cashew cream, that give this thick texture and intense chocolate flavour.
How do you make vegan ice cream?
Vegan ice cream replaces cream and milk with a rich, creamy plant-based base: soaked and blended cashews, coconut milk or cream, frozen banana or avocado. The secret to a smooth texture is to blend thoroughly, then break up the ice crystals while it sets, or to use an ice cream machine. In this recipe, a homemade cashew cream is the base, and three stirs at one-hour intervals are enough to get a creamy ice cream without an ice cream maker.
Which ice creams are vegan?
Fruit sorbets are often vegan, since they usually contain fruit, sugar and water, but check the ingredient list for egg white, milk or honey. For ice creams, look for plant-based bases: coconut, almond or soy milk, or cashews. The safest option is still to make them yourself, like this cashew cream fudge ice cream, where you choose every ingredient.
How do you make fudge pops?
Fudge pops are creamy chocolate ice lollies, very popular in Quebec. For a plant-based version, prepare the base of this recipe (cashew cream, date paste, coconut sugar, raw cacao, vanilla and salt), pour it into ice lolly moulds and leave to set for at least 6 hours in the freezer, with no need to stir. To unmould, run the mould quickly under lukewarm water.
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