Vegan tropical ice cream cake
No dairy here! This ice cream cake, with its creamy filling and vibrant topping, is ideal for vegan guests.
To start, make the macadamia coconut base. Grease the base of a 22 centimetre springform pan and line with baking paper. Process the macadamia, coconut, sugar and dates in a food processor until finely chopped. Season with some salt. Add the coconut oil and process to combine. Press the mixture evenly into the base of the prepared pan and pop in the freezer for 20 minutes or until firm.
Next make the coconut filling. Stir the sugar and half the coconut cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Transfer to a medium heatproof bowl and stir in the remaining coconut cream, then process the chopped bananas and one quarter of the coconut cream mixture in a clean food processor until smooth. Gradually add the remaining coconut cream mixture and vanilla and process until combined. Spread the coconut filling over the macadamia mixture in the pan, then return to the freezer for four to five hours or until firm.
To make the pine-lime topping, line a baking tray with baking paper. Arrange the pineapple in a single layer on the lined tray and freeze for two to three hours or until the pineapple is semi-frozen. Stir the caster sugar and a quarter of a cup of water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook for one minute, then set aside to cool slightly. Add the lime juice, pineapple pieces, the sugar syrup and process until smooth. Spread evenly over the coconut filling in the pan, then return the cake to the freezer for four hours or overnight until firm.
Meanwhile, stir the coconut sugar and half a cup of water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the coconut cream and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to the boil and cook for five to six minutes or until the caramel thickens. Season with a little salt. Transfer the caramel to a heatproof bowl and place in the fridge for one hour to chill.
To serve, transfer the cake to a serving plate. Top with pineapple slices, shaved coconut, lime slices and lime zest. For the finishing touch, drizzle with the caramel. This show-stopping vegan ice cream cake is bursting with tropical fruit flavors

Serves
16
Prep
30m
Note: + Cooling, chilling & overnight freezing time
Cooking
15m
Ingredients
- 1 cup (180g) coconut sugar
- 400ml can coconut cream
- 1/4 pineapple, peeled, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup (10g) shaved coconut
- Lime slices, to serve
- Lime zest, to serve
Macadamia-coconut base
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) roasted macadamias
- 1 cup (75g) moist coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
- 6 fresh dates, pitted
- 1/3 cup (80ml) coconut oil, melted
Coconut filling
- 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
- 400ml can coconut cream
- 500g frozen banana, chopped
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Pine-lime topping
- 1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into 3cm pieces
- 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
- 1 lime, juiced
Method
STEP 1
To make the macadamia-coconut base, grease the base of a 22cm (base measurement) springform cake pan and line with baking paper. Process macadamias, coconut, sugar and date in a food processor until finely chopped. Season with salt. Add the coconut oil and process to combine. Press evenly over the base of the prepared pan. Freeze for 20 mins or until firm.
STEP 2
To make the coconut filling, stir the sugar and half the coconut cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Cool slightly. Transfer to a medium heatproof bowl with the remaining coconut cream. Process the banana and one-quarter of the coconut cream mixture in a food processor until smooth. Gradually add the remaining coconut cream mixture and vanilla and process until combined. Spread evenly over macadamia mixture in pan and freeze for 4-5 hours or until firm.
STEP 3
To make the pine-lime topping, line a baking tray with baking paper. Arrange pineapple in a single layer on the lined tray. Freeze for 2-3 hours or until semi-frozen. Stir the sugar and 1/4 cup (60ml) water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Cook for 1 min. Cool slightly. Process the lime juice and pineapple pieces in a clean food processor. Add the sugar syrup and process until smooth. Spread evenly over the coconut filling in the pan. Freeze for 4 hours or overnight until firm.
STEP 4
Meanwhile, stir the coconut sugar and 1/2 cup (125ml) water in a saucepan over medium-high heat or until the sugar dissolves. Cook for 4-5 mins or until mixture thickens. Stir in coconut cream. Bring to the boil. Cook for 5-6 mins or until the caramel thickens. Season with salt. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
STEP 5
To serve, transfer cake to a serving plate. Top with pineapple, coconut, lime slices and lime zest. Drizzle with caramel.
Swap me: You can use coconut sugar instead of the caster sugar to make the cake base as well as the filling and the topping.
Get ahead: Make the ice cream cake, without the toppings, up to 1 week ahead. Store, covered, in the freezer. Make caramel up to 1 day ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Dietary information
Check ingredient labels to make sure they meet your specific dietary requirements and always consult a health professional before changing your diet. View dietary information here.