Photo courtesy: Eugenie Kitchen

In the warmest days of the year, nobody wants to turn on the oven to make a dessert. Instead, opt for this no-bake banana ice cream cake for a sweet summer treat. It also happens to be vegan, dairy-free, low-calorie and very tasty. With just a few minutes in the kitchen, you can create a beautiful, guilt-free, refreshing dessert for you, your friends and your family.

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ large ripe bananas, partially frozen
• 1 tablespoon almonds
• 2 teaspoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder (100% cocoa)
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
• 2 small pastry rings (³/₄ inch diameter x 2 ¹/₈ inch high)
• Banana slices for decoration, optional
• Coconut flakes for decoration, optional

*Serves 2

Directions:

1. Line a plate with wax paper, place pastry rings on the plate and line the inside of them with wax paper as well.
2. Using a blender, pulse or mix one partially frozen banana with 1 tablespoon of almonds until it has the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
3. Spoon the mixture into the molds until the molds are ¼ full. Put any remaining mixture into the freezer to enjoy later.
4. Pulse or mix the remaining bananas, 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup together. Stop the blender and scrape the sides often to mix all ingredients together.
5. Spoon the mixture into the molds, filling to the top and leveling off the tops of the molds with a spatula.
6. Freeze the plate and molds for 1 ½ hours until the desserts are frozen but not rock-hard.
7. Remove the plate from freezer, remove the molds and wax paper from the cakes and carefully transfer them to plates.
8. Dust the cakes with cocoa powder and top with coconut flakes and banana slices, if desired.

Follow Organics Unlimited on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on the latest recipes, retail marketing tips and organic banana facts. Use #GROWTURNS10 on your social media posts to celebrate September GROW Month.

Recipe source: Eugenie Kitchen