If you’re a coffee and ice cream lover, you NEED to make these coffee ice cream sandwiches. They’re really easy to make and taste absolutely incredible, with a soft, fluffy coffee sponge, a creamy no-churn coffee ice cream centre and a deliciously crisp, crunchy chocolate almond shell. Plus, they’re gluten and dairy free – not that you could possibly tell.
INGREDIENTS
Coffee sponge:
▢ 1-2 tbsp sunflower oil or other neutral-tasting oil of choice, for greasing the baking sheet
▢ 10 g (2 tbsp) instant coffee
▢ 25 g (5 tsp) non-dairy milk (You can use almond, rice, soy or oat milk (provided that you’re not sensitive to oats), but I don’t recommend using coconut milk.)
▢ 4 US large/UK medium eggs, room temperature
▢ 150 g (¾ cup) caster/superfine or granulated sugar
▢ ½ tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
▢ 35 g (2½ tbsp) vegan butter, melted and cooled until lukewarm (I used the Stork vegan butter block that’s available in the UK. However, you can use your favourite vegan/dairy free butter instead.)
▢ 20 g (1½ tbsp) sunflower oil or other neutral-tasting oil of choice
▢ 110 g (¾ cup + 3 tbsp) plain gluten free flour blend (I used Doves Farm Freee plain gluten free flour that doesn’t have any xanthan gum added. You can also mix your own gluten free flour blend using this recipe. Note that for this homemade blend, 1 cup = 150g, so ideally use a digital food scale for best results.)
▢ ½ tsp xanthan gum (If your gluten free flour blend already contains xanthan gum, reduce the amount to ¼ tsp.)
▢ ½ tsp baking powder
▢ ½ tsp baking soda
▢ ¼ tsp salt
No-churn coffee ice cream:
▢ 5 g (1 tbsp) instant coffee
▢ 250 g (1 cup + 1½ tbsp) vegan heavy/double cream alternative, cold from the fridge, divided (I recommend using one with a fat content of about 30%. I used the Elmlea brand.)
▢ 200 g (⅔ cup) vegan sweetened condensed milk, cold from the fridge (I used Nature’s Charm sweetened condensed coconut milk, but other vegan condensed milk alternatives will also work well.)
▢ 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
▢ 5 g (1 tbsp) instant coffee, crushed into a fine powder (optional)
Chocolate almond shell:
▢ 300 g (10½ oz) dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa solids), chopped
▢ 40 g (3 tbsp) refined coconut oil (measured when solid but scoopable)
▢ 80 g (~½ cup) almonds, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
Coffee sponge:
1.Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and line a 10×15-inch (25x38cm) rimmed baking sheet with parchment/baking paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the sides of the baking sheet with oil (you can also spray it with non-stick baking spray).
Tip: Greasing the parchment paper ensures that the baked sponge will smoothly release from it without sticking too much.
2.Either in a small heatproof bowl in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stovetop, heat the coffee and non-dairy milk together, with occasional stirring, until the instant coffee granules have fully dissolved. Set aside to cool until lukewarm or at room temperature.
3.Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer fitted with the double beaters, whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale, thick, fluffy and about tripled in volume (the ribbon stage). This should take about 5-7 minutes on a high speed setting.
4.Add the vanilla and whisk until evenly distributed.
5.Add the melted butter, oil and cooled coffee, and whisk briefly until combined.
6.In a separate bowl, sift together the gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
7.Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and whisk well for about 15-30 seconds until no flour clumps remain. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to prevent any unmixed patches.
8.Transfer the batter into the lined baking sheet and smooth it out into an even layer. You can tap it a few times on the counter to make it perfectly level and also to get rid of any large trapped air pockets.
Tip: It’s very important that your batter is as level and even as you can get it, otherwise you’ll get uneven layers in your ice cream sandwiches.
9.Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 10-12 minutes or until well risen, soft and spongy to the touch, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
10.Allow the sponge to cool completely in the baking sheet.