Yeah baby, what a dessert. A breeze to make, a show stopper at a dinner party and great to prep ahead! I made it the day before and when serving I was done plating up within 2 minutes, super easy!
The ice cream is simply made with full fat cream whipped till slightly fluffy, then fold in passion fruit, crushed meringue and a few drops of cointreau. Pour it in a bread loaf tin lined with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
The caramel is super easy too, made in about 15 minutes, using coconut cream instead of regular cream and don’t forget the pinch of salt!
For extra crunch I sugar coated some pistachios, but you could use any nuts for this actually.
Recipe for the ice cream cake from Nigella Lawson and for the candied pistachios from Our Best Bites.
Passion Fruit Ice Cream Cake with Coconut Caramel and Sugar Coated Pistachio’s
(20 votes, average: 3.70 out of 5)
Loading...Ingredients
- The ice cream cake
- 500ml double cream
- 4-6 passion fruit
- 4 tsp orange liqueur
- 8 shop-bought meringue nests
- The sauce
- 50g unsalted butter
- 50g soft light brown sugar
- 50g caster sugar
- 3 tbsp golden syrup
- 250ml oz coconut cream (not creamed coconut)
- Pinch of salt (optional)
- The Pistachio's (you can make these ahead of time!)
- 1 cup shelled pistachios (that means without shells)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Pinch of course sea salt
Instructions
The ice cream cake
Line a loaf tin with cling film, with plenty of overhang on the sides of the tin so that you can cover the top later.
Whip the double cream until ripples start to appear in the bowl and it’s slightly thickened but not stiff.
Add the pulp, seeds and juice of the passion fruit, then the liqueur and fold briefly just to combine.
Scrunch up the meringues, making a mixture of both dust and small pieces of meringue, and very gently fold in, until evenly mixed.
Spoon gently into the lined loaf tin, pressing down as you go so there aren't any air pockets.
Once the mixture is carefully poured in and the top smoothed, cover with the cling film overhang, then wrap the tin in another sheet of cling film and put in the freezer overnight.
The sauce
Gently melt the butter, sugars and golden syrup in a deep, heavy- based saucepan.
Once melted, turn the heat up a little and let it simmer for 3 minutes.
Lift the pan up off the heat every now and again and give it a swirl, don't stir it with a spoon or the caramel will crystalize.
Pour in the coconut cream when the pan is off the heat and swirl again, then put back on the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring every now and then, until slightly thickened (it will thicken more once cooled).
Add a small pinch of salt if you like!
Pour the sauce into a heatproof container and leave to cool to room temperature. (The sauce will thicken too much if refrigerated.)
The candied pistachio's
Heat a non-stick skillet to medium heat, add nuts and sugar.
Gently toss and stir and sugar will begin to melt. Be patient, in the beginning it may look like nothing is happening, but after ± 4 minutes all of a sudden the sugar will start to melt. Don't leave the pan unattended!
Continue to cook until most of the sugar is melted and pistachios start to turn golden brown. Turn your heat down if needed so sugar doesn’t burn.
It’s okay if you still have some clumps of sugar on the nuts that doesn’t look melted- it adds crunch!
Slide all the nuts out of the pan and onto a piece of parchment paper, be careful, the caramel will be really hot!
Sprinkle over some sea salt while they're still hot and let cool completely.
They will be a little soft at first and then crunchy after they cool all the way.
To serve
Take the tin out of the freezer, lift out the ice cream cake and sit it on a board before fully unwrapping.
Cut into thick slices; wrap the remaining unsliced loaf up and put it back in the freezer.
Put a slice onto each plate and leave to soften for ±5 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
Drizzle some of the coconut-caramel sauce over each slice – stirring it briskly first if it’s got too thick – and pour the rest into a serving jug to take to the table alongside.
Sprinkle over the candied pistachios for extra crunch.
