

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Chocolate Ice Cream Cupcakes

Remember when I tried to make brownie cookie ice cream sandwiches last summer? I've tried hard to banish that baking disaster from my memory, but alas I found myself in a similar situation with these chocolate ice cream cupcakes a few weeks ago. I am clearly not fit to sandwich ice cream between things...it always ends in a melty, leaky mess! Granted, I'm pretty sure I've learned my lesson and I've spotted a few tips & tricks on the internet that will hopefully help next time (Yes, there will be a next time. I'm not giving up yet!). I still consider these a success, however. Though they didn't end up as they were intended, I managed to avoid a meltdown (rather unlike my White Chocolate Amaretto Cake) and came up with a Plan B solution.

I really wanted these to turn out perfectly, because they were for a special someone: Edward. No, I don't have another man in my life...Edward is the perfect, adorable, scrumptious (catch my drift?) son of my friends Greg and Sara. I've totally fallen for this little tot who I've spent the last year watching grow from a teeny tiny baby to a toddler who walks and has a fun little personality. Since I missed his birthday party at the end of April, I was determined to have a party of our own, complete with cake!

As you can see from the pictures, these were Edward-approved. He didn't care that my attempt at sandwiching ice cream inside the cupcakes had gone completely awry (for the record, I instead just placed a scoop of turtle tracks between the cupcakes just before serving and served in a bowl to contain the mess!). In the end, they were still ice cream cupcakes and they were still suited for the birthday boy....mission accomplished.

One Year Ago: Candy Bar Cookie Bars

Chocolate Ice Cream Cupcakes
slightly adapted from 500 Cupcakes

-1 cup butter, softened
-1 cup superfine sugar (I pulsed regular granulated sugar in my food processor)
-1 1/2 cups flour
-4 tbsp cocoa powder
-1 tsp baking powder
-4 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 cup (3.5 oz) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)
-1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
-ice cream, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pans with paper baking cups (18 total).
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, eggs, and vanilla, beating until smooth and creamy (2-3 minutes).
3. Divide batter evenly among baking cups. Bake for 20 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
4. Place muffin tins on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin tins and place on rack to cool completely.
5. To make ganache, heat chocolate over a double boiler until melted. Remove from heat and stir in heavy cream until well combined. Allow to cool slightly before spreading frosting on each cupcake. Place in an airtight container and store in the freezer for at least one hour, or up to three months.
6. When ready to serve, remove cupcakes from freezer and place in fridge for 30 minutes. Carefully slice cupcakes in half and serve with a scoop of ice cream between each cupcake half.