Banana Split Icebox Cake

Once a month we’re featuring a new family-friendly dish from the Hatfields for our Kids Can Cook section. The dairy-free teen cooking star is Katherine and this week she and her mama Sarah have made a Banana Split Icebox Cake. It’s modeled after the basic Dairy-Free Icebox Cake Recipe we shared for the 4th of July, and Sarah has the pictures and details for us.

Katherine and I really enjoyed the red white and blueberry icebox cake we made for Independence Day and wanted to create another fun flavor. Alisa suggested a banana split icebox cake, which was a huge hit.

Of course the kids enjoyed every sweet bite, but this cake also fills the banana pudding void for my husband Scott. He’s been on the hunt for a delicious dairy-free banana pudding, but his favorite pudding recipes and vanilla wafers are made with dairy-full ingredients. Not only does this banana split icebox cake fulfill his cravings, it’s also so easy and fun to make with the kids!

Kids Can Cook Notes: Banana Split Icebox Cake

The whipping of the coconut cream can be a little too delicate for very young cooks, but the graham crackers, fruits, and toppings are fun for anyone to help with. Bananas are soft enough to slice with a table knife, making them a great first cutting job for young sous chefs.

Katherine is a young teen, and able to make this banana split icebox cake from start to finish. She and I are hooked on Alisa’s coconut cream recipe and are on the lookout for more ways to use it!

Special Diet Notes: Banana Split Icebox Cake

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, optionally vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.

For a gluten free dairy free banana split icebox cake, be sure to source grahams like Kinnikinnick’s S’moreables or Pamela’s Graham Crackers.

For a strictly vegan banana split icebox cake, it’s important to know that most graham crackers do contain a touch of honey. Nevertheless, there are a few rogue honey-free brands out there. As another option, you can swap in your favorite crunchy strictly vegan cookies.

Dairy-free chocolate sauce options – Believe it or not, Hershey’s is dairy-free, but the ingredients aren’t the most appealing. We like Ah!Laska, Emmy’s, or Jen’s Zen for store-bought. For homemade, try my 3-ingredient healthy Chocolate Drizzle or this much more indulgent Hot Fudge Sauce.

Sarah and Katherine Hatfield

Banana Split Icebox Cake

5 from 1 vote

Please note that you will want to place your coconut milk in the refrigerator before preparation (at least several hours) and that our Prep time doesn't include chilling. The dairy free whipped cream in this recipe is adapted from Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook by Alisa Fleming.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 1 9x5-inch cake

Calories:

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 2 cans or packages full-fat coconut milk I use So Delicious Original Culinary Coconut Milk, chilled overnight
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup rice milk powder soymilk powder or dairy-free coconut milk powder (see note below)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice optional
• 5 to 6 whole dairy-free graham crackers see post above for gluten-free and strict vegan
• 2 to 3 bananas sliced into rounds
• ⅓ cup sliced strawberries
• 3 tablespoons drained crushed pineapple
• ¼ cup dairy-free chocolate syrup see post above for options

Method

 

1. Skim the thick coconut cream from the chilled coconut milk (leaving any watery / pure liquid behind) and place it in a chilled mixing bowl. Add the sugar, dairy-free milk powder (if using), vanilla, and lemon juice, if using). Blend with a hand mixer to combine and lightly whip. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the rest.
2. Spread a thin layer of the whipped coconut cream in the bottom of a glass loaf pan (8.5x4.5-inch used here). Then cover with a layer of graham crackers, using smaller rectangles to fill in the edges as needed. Top with a single layer of banana slices. Repeat these layers until the pan is full, ending with a layer of coconut cream.
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Before serving, top the cake lengthwise with a row of strawberries on one side. Spread the crushed pineapple on the other side. Drizzle the chocolate syrup in the middle.
5. Slice into squares and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers; they will keep for a couple of days.

Notes

Coconut Milk Note: The So Delicious Culinary Coconut Milk is richer than most canned coconut milks, so you still only need 2 packages, despite the fact that they are a little smaller than coconut milk in cans. It's basically coconut cream!

Dairy-Free Milk Powder Note: If you have a very thick coconut whip without the milk powder, and you don't have any on hand, then this can be omitted. You may want to reduce the powdered sugar in half, and add more to taste, if desired.

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