A couple months ago, near the holidays, I wanted to make another vegan dessert to take to a family gathering but had already made a vegan cheesecake for Christmas. So, I went though my saved recipes, searched online, and otherwise racked my brain trying to figure out something. Then it came to me, like an epiphany: banana cream pie! I hadn't had banana cream pie in so long and it sounded so good. So, I took what I knew about vegan cheesecakes and just pieced together my own recipe and it turned out tasting exactly how I wanted it to. Last week, I finally got around to making it again in order to test the reliability of the recipe and, yep, it's officially a winner!
Ingredients:
- For Crust:
1/2 cup oats
6 dates (pitted)
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- For Filling:
2 cups soaked and drained cashews
1 cup cold water
3 T coconut cream
1 t vanilla
1/4 cup agave (or maple syrup)
5-7 bananas, sliced
- For Whipped Topping:
1 cup soaked and drained cashews
1/2 cup water (approximately)
1 T agave
1/2 t vanilla
ground nutmeg
Combine the total amount of cashews (3 cups) and cover with cold water to soak for at least 3 hours (but they're fine soaking for a day or two if they're stored in the refrigerator).
For the crust combine oats, dates, almond flour, and coconut in a blender or food processor. (Using a blender is a little tricky, as you have to use the lower settings and scrape the sides a few times.) Blend until incorporated enough that there are no large pieces of oats or dates. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (you can line the pan with parchment paper, but it's not necessary).
Crust ingredients in the blender.
For the filling, blend 2 cups of the soaked and drained cashews with 1 cup cold water (it's important that it's cold water) until smooth. Then add the coconut cream, vanilla, agave, and two bananas. Blend until smooth and a little fluffy; about 2 minutes. Slice about 5 bananas and layer several slices evenly onto the crust. Pour about half the filling over the bananas, layer more sliced bananas, then pour the rest of the filling on top. Spread with a spoon so everything is level.
Combine the remaining 1 cup of soaked and drained cashews and blend with approximately 1/2 cup cold water. Add the water gradually and blend until smooth and fluffy (about 2 minutes). The entire 1/2 cup water is not necessary if the mixture has the consistency of whipped cream; just don't water it down by adding too much water. Then add the agave and vanilla, blending until combined. Pour on top of the filling and spread evenly, then sprinkle with ground nutmeg. You can do some texturizing with a chopstick at this point if you wish. Cover and freeze until set up. You can serve this as more of a parfait by partially freezing it, or as a cream pie by cutting it in slices while it is still frozen then allowing it to thaw a bit (making it easier to consume).
Whipped topping layer.
After being frozen overnight.
This is how I served it parfait-style.