Banana Split Ice Cream Cake

From the kitchen of Carly

Chocolate wafer crust meets softened vanilla ice cream, fresh banana, and bright maraschino cherries in this no-bake stunner. It's the sundae you've always wanted, now in frozen cake form. Slice straight from the freezer and serve cold.

Banana Split Ice Cream Cake

Chocolate wafer crust, caramelized banana, softened vanilla ice cream, and more cookie crumble layered into a springform pan, then frozen until the whole thing becomes a self-contained dessert you can slice and serve. The trick is working fast once the ice cream softens and the caramel goes down, so nothing melts before it hits the freezer.

Prep
n/a
Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 2 packagechocolate wafer cookies
  • 1 cupvirgin coconut oil, melted
  • 1/4 tspkosher salt
  • 3/4 cupsugar
  • 4 largeripe bananas , cut into 2" pieces
  • 1/4 cupheavy cream
  • 1/4 tspkosher salt
  • 5 pintvanilla ice cream, softened at room temperature 10 minutes, divided
  • 1 3/4 cupmaraschino cherries , drained, patted dry, stems removed, plus more with stems for serving
  • 2 1/4 tsppowdered unflavored gelatin
  • 1/2 cupsugar
  • 3 cupheavy cream
  • 1/3 cupsalted, roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1A 9" springform pan

Instructions

  1. Break the cookies into a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Tip into a large bowl, pour in the coconut oil and salt, then work everything together with your hands until the crumbs are fully coated and the mixture looks like wet sand.

  2. Pack 2 cups of the cookie crumbs firmly into the bottom of the springform pan and slide it into the freezer. Spread the remaining crumbs in a single loose layer on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet without pressing them down. Freeze for 30 minutes, then break the slab apart with your hands into very small pieces and return to the freezer until needed.

  3. Combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. From there, swirl the pan occasionally and let it cook undisturbed until the caramel turns a deep amber, 8 to 10 minutes. Drop the heat to low and add the bananas a few pieces at a time, stirring between each addition. Pour in the cream and salt, then stir often for about 5 minutes until the bananas have nearly broken down into a jammy sauce with only a few chunks left. Scrape into a medium bowl and let it cool completely.

  4. In a large bowl, work 2 1/2 pints of the softened ice cream with a wooden spoon until it reaches a thick cake-batter consistency, soft but not melted. Fold in 1 1/2 cups of the cookie crumble with a rubber spatula, then scrape the mixture into the pan over the crust and smooth the top. Scatter 1 cup of cookie crumble over the surface and press lightly so it sticks. Working quickly, spoon the caramel-banana jam over the crumble and spread it into an even layer, then top with another 1 cup of cookie crumble. Freeze for 20 minutes.

  5. Using the same bowl, work the remaining 2 1/2 pints of ice cream to the same cake-batter consistency. Fold in the 1 3/4 cups of cherries, then scrape the mixture into the pan over the crumble layer and smooth the top (it may crest above the pan edge). Cover with the remaining cookie crumble and freeze the whole cake until completely solid, about 3 hours or overnight.

  6. Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and let it sit for 5 minutes to bloom and soften. Add the sugar and bring to a bare simmer, stirring until both the gelatin and sugar fully dissolve. Allow it to cool slightly, then pour into a large bowl and whisk in the cream. Beat to medium peaks.

  7. Run a knife around the inside edge of the springform pan to release the cake if needed, then unmold it onto a serving platter. Cover the sides and top with three-quarters of the whipped cream in a smooth, even layer. Pile the remaining cream on top in dramatic swirls for height, then finish with the chopped peanuts and the stem-on cherries. Freeze the cake for at least 2 hours before serving and use a warm knife to slice cleanly through the layers.

  8. For make-ahead purposes, the frosted cake can be frozen uncovered up to 1 day in advance.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Soften ice cream for exactly 10 minutes at room temperature, no more. Too soft and you lose structure, not soft enough and you can't fold or spread it smoothly.
  • Make the caramel-banana jam first and let it cool completely before layering. Warm jam will melt the ice cream layer beneath it.
  • Freeze the cake in 20-minute intervals between layers so each stage sets just enough to support what comes next. This prevents the whole thing from collapsing into a puddle.
  • Press the cookie crumbles firmly into place but don't pack them so hard they lose their texture. You want them to stay distinct little bits.
  • Have everything prepped and your springform pan ready before you start softening ice cream. This whole assembly moves fast.

Variations

  • Skip the caramel-banana layer and swap in homemade hot fudge or salted caramel sauce instead, spreading it cold over the cookie crumble.
  • Layer crushed freeze-dried strawberries mixed with a little whipped cream between the vanilla ice cream and cookie crumbles for a strawberry split riff.
  • Use crushed chocolate cookies instead of vanilla ice cream for one of the layers, folding them into softened salted caramel or coffee ice cream.
  • Top the finished cake with whipped cream, toasted pecans, and maraschino cherries with stems for a full banana split experience without scooping.

Make ahead and storage

Wrap the whole cake in plastic wrap and keep it frozen up to 5 days. Thaw slices at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before eating so the ice cream softens enough to cut cleanly and the flavors come through.