My ice cream cupcakes were inspired by my grandbabies. I bring them treats every weekend – in fact when I walk in the door, one of them is usually asking “did you bring cupcakes”?? This new special treat had to include a cupcake of course, and their other sweet favorite – ICE CREAM! I wanted to bring the two together into one adoreable treat. I would fill the cupcake with icecream! How perfect would these be for a birthday??
These are best made and served at home for sure, however I quickly solved the problem of transporting these treats. I would add the icecream once I got to their house. I chose a jumbo size cupcake, in order to get the most icecream on the inside of it! I baked the cupcakes, then packed these into the car on a sheet pan. I also packed up some jimmy sprinkles, and a can of whipped cream. I wanted something lighter than frosting, and for the little ones, spraying on whipped cream was going to be quick and easy, AND something special. I stopped at a grocery store close to their house, and picked up some vanilla icecream. I brought a small cooler in the car for this!
I cored out the center of each cupcake using a small, sharp knife, inserted at a slight angle into the cake. I left about a 1/2″ border of cake all the way around the cupcake, then GENTLY lifted out the core with the knife tip. Be sure not to go all the way to the bottom of the cupcake. You want to leave about 1/2″ of cake on the bottom as well.
I saved these little pieces of cake, in order to trim them up, and replace them over the hole as a cover.
Now it’s time for the ice cream! For 6 jumbo cupcakes, I used about 1 pint of vanilla ice cream. Let this soften for about 10 minutes out of the freezer. I added 1/4 c jimmy sprinkles. I find these resist melting better than the nonpariels.
Stir together til blended, then scoop into the cupcake holes. Press the mixture down into the cupcake – add a bit more ice cream if there is room. Smooth them level with the top of the cupcake. Replace the little “lid” and press down gently and freeze immediately. Don’t worry about being “neat”, as they will be covered with your topping.
Freeze the cupcakes for at least an hour. If you want to keep them for up to 2 weeks, cover with plastic wrap, or place these into a covered container. Remove from freezer 10 min prior to serving for thawed cake, but still frozen icecream.
Prepare your frosting or topping, and decorate them right out of the freezer. Don’t forget the sprinkles on top!
If you have the time to make your own whipped topping, try this one! It’s my favorite, and is light, yet velvety, and perfect for piping. If you know someone who doesn’t like really sweet buttercream, then this is a topping they would love! I prefer mascarpone cheese in this frosting, although cream cheese can be substituted.
** Whipped topping with mascarpone cheese.
Into a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, beat 1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream til stiff peaks form.
Add 3/4 c granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Whip. Add 8 oz mascarpone cheese at room temp. Add this by spoonfuls, while mixer is on. Whip til all ingredients well-blended and stiff. Don’t over-whip. Add food coloring as desired at this point.
