I’ve Gone Bananas Week: Day 2 – Chocolate Peanut Butter “Ice Cream” Cakes

I’d been dreaming of a frozen dessert for a while now. Growing up there were all kinds of ice cream tortes with various layers in the grocer’s freezer, often with delicate, shard-like chocolate flakes on top and an airy, sliceable consistency. Some had actual cake in them, some did not. I wanted a take on banana ice cream, without it trying to be an exact substitute for ice cream.

Remember those? Mmmm. A layered frozen dessert was definitely in order, but I wasn’t sure what to use as my bottom layer. Purchased pound cake? Homemade sponge cake? Chocolate wafers? I couldn’t decide. I had an app rebate for a name brand frozen pound cake (you know the one), so I had planned to use that just by default. But it was fate that I walked by the bakery clearance rack at Walmart and discovered sugar free dessert shells FOR A SONG. I’m not kidding, 6 of them were a mere fifty-nine cents. The only way they could be more frugal was if they were free. I gathered the rest of the ingredients and got started!

Chocolate Peanut Butter “Ice Cream” Cakes

Ingredients

250 grams very ripe banana
4 tbsp Jif peanut butter powder
12 servings (24 tbsp) Lite Cool Whip, approx. half a tub
6 sugar free dessert shells
6 servings bittersweet chocolate chips, approx. 3/4 cup

Directions

In a food processor, process the banana until liquid. Add the peanut powder and process 30 seconds more, scraping down the sides once.

Pour into a large bowl. Add the Cool Whip and fold in gently.

Using a pastry bag or a zip top bag with a tip cut off, squirt the filling into the dessert shells. Freeze until solid.

In a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second increments, melt the chocolate chips until smooth. Using another zip top bag or squeeze bottle, drizzle over the cakes evenly. Return to the freezer until chocolate is solid.

Wrap cakes individually in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the freezer, or CONSUME THEM ALL IN ONE SITTING! (Just kidding.) I had extra filling left over, which I just squeezed directly into my mouth directly from the bag. Don’t judge me!

The banana and peanut butter flavors are pretty mild, but the addition of the Cool Whip keeps the texture soft and easy to eat.

These taste like a chocolate covered banana with a hint of peanut butter flavor, and feels like a decent sized dessert for FEWER THAN 250 CALORIES. Yes, you heard me, this cupcake-sized snack covered in rich, dark chocolate feel decadent, but can still fit into a healthy meal plan. And that calorie count includes the spare Cool Whip, banana and peanut butter powder that I ate separately, so they’re probably even less than that. Bonus.