Veganetta

When I was a kid, Viennetta was a once-a-year treat. When researching this recipe, I asked my Mam why we didn’t eat Viennetta more often and her response was, “Who do you think I am? The Queen?” To this day my family considers it dessert royalty and I’ve pined for it ever since I went vegan. BUT NO LONGER! My take on the aspirational retro classic ice-cream cake uses just seven ingredients and requires no churning and no cooking! I guarantee the results will make you feel like an upwardly mobile young veganetta go-getter!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 x 400ml cans of coconut milk, refrigerated for 24 hours
• 210ml can of sweetened condensed coconut milk
• 250g caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
• 50g dark chocolate, at least 70 per cent cacao, broken up
• 15g deodorised coconut oil (aka refined coconut oil)
• 2 tbsp slivered almonds

METHOD

1. Open the two cans of refrigerated coconut milk, scoop off the solidified coconut cream and place in a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. (You won’t need the remaining coconut water in the cans, but reserve it for making cocktails or smoothies.)
2. Line a loaf tin (any size will do) with baking paper and place in the freezer to chill.
3. Whip the coconut cream on high speed with hand-held electric beaters, or the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, until it has increased in volume and is light and fluffy like whipped cream.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the sweetened condensed coconut milk, caster sugar and vanilla. Add it to the whipped coconut cream in four additions, beating gently between each.
5. Transfer one-quarter of the mixture to a piping bag.
6. Place the chocolate and the coconut oil in a microwaveable bowl and place in the microwave on full power for 15 seconds. Stir well and repeat twice more until the mixture is melted and glossy. Transfer to a second piping bag.
7. Remove the loaf tin from the freezer and pipe in a layer of the coconut cream mixture; you can pipe in wavy zigzags or straight lines, it’s up to you! Top this layer with a thin drizzle of the dark chocolate and place the tin back in the freezer for five minutes or until the chocolate has set. Repeat this process, refilling the piping bag with the next quarter of the coconut cream mixture as needed. Once you’ve run out of coconut cream mixture, top with a final drizzle of the dark chocolate and sprinkle with the slivered almonds.
8. Freeze for a minimum of six hours before slicing and serving.

This is an edited extract from Anything You Can Cook, I Can Cook Vegan by Richard Makin, published by Bloomsbury, RRP $49.99. Buy now