After finishing high-school, I spent most of my summer at the beach, and afterwards I would go to Cold Rock and get the most stupendous flavour ever: bubblegum ice-cream with Wonka Nerds mixed in. Now, I would never eat Nerds again (considering they are made with carmine: a red pigment made from the shells of crushed insects!) but I did manage to make a delicious vegan version of bubblegum ice-cream, and I made it blue in honor of my old favourite flavour! This time I decided to make a new base, as I was worried a banana or coconut cream base would take away or overpower the bubblegum flavour. The base is a mix of almond milk and soaked cashews: it worked perfectly, though it does result in a little bit of a grainy mix due to the cashews: it really depends on the quality of your food processor in regards to how smooth the final product will be. I can't wait to try this base with other flavours: I think my next ice-cream will be cotton candy flavoured! In regards to the bubblegum flavour, you do need bubblegum essence, and there are vegan options out there such as this.

You will need:

Serves approx 2. Preparation time: 15-20 minutes, then 2-4 hours to freeze.

1 cup of soaked cashews (preferably overnight)
1 cup of almond milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
3-4 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp (or more) of vegan bubblegum essence
2 tbsp arrowroot
Optional: blue food colouring

1. Mix the cashews and almond milk in a food processor until smooth.
2. Add the vanilla, maple syrup and arrowroot powder. Mix.
3. In regards to the bubblegum essence, it really depends how strong the brand you buy is. Start with a few drops, and add more until your desired taste is achieved. It is good to be patient in how much you add, as it doesn't taste very nice when the flavour is too strong. When you are happy with the taste, add the blue food colouring.
4. Pour into a metal tray, cover in glad wrap and place in the freezer. Whisk every 30 minutes until ready to serve.