Ice Cream Sundae Cupcakes

These Ice Cream Sundae Cupcakes are a whimsical and delicious treat. Light, moist, tender vanilla bean cupcakes are topped with scoops of fluffy strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate frosting and drizzled with chocolate ganache and a maraschino cherry.

Hi Everyone! This is Aida from The Crafting Foodie, and I’m so excited to be back with all of you at Tastes of Lizzy T’s sharing another sweet treat. This time I’m bringing you a little taste of summer with these Ice Cream Sundae Cupcakes. Light, fluffy vanilla bean cupcakes topped with strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla frosting, chocolate sauce, and a cherry!

Winter lasted a really long time. I mean, really long. In New England we had snow less than ten days ago, so when it was 70 degrees and sunny this weekend, you better believe that it felt like a heatwave! My family and I basically spent the entire day outside, enjoying the weather. One of our favorite activities in the warm, humid summer months is to eat ice cream. Tons of it! Since 70 degrees isn’t suntan lotion weather, rather than chowing down on ice cream, I decided to make these Ice Cream Sundae Cupcakes.

Taking a look at these cupcakes, it’s hard to believe that there’s no ice cream in them. Nope. Not a drop. Those “ice cream scoops” on top of these Ice Cream Sundae Cupcakes, are actually scoops of frosting!

After whipping up a small batch of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla frosting, I placed each flavor in a small cereal bowl and placed it in the refrigerator to chill. Then using an ice cream scoop which I usually use to make truffles or small cookies, I scooped the frosting to decorate each Ice Cream Sundae Cupcake.

And of course no good sundae is complete without some chocolate sauce and a cherry on top!

The cupcake itself is actually vanilla bean. But, you could make it any flavor. Since my children LOVE all things vanilla, they requested a vanilla cupcakes, so that’s what they got. Originally I was planning to make the cupcakes Neapolitan (a mix of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate), but then I decided that Neapolitan cake and Neapolitan frosting would be a little too busy. Having a vanilla cupcake as a base for three different frosting flavors worked out beautifully.

Making three separate frosting flavors may seem like a lot of work, but they’re in such small batches that it’s actually easy. The strawberry frosting is my favorite. It’s flavored (and tinted) with crushed dehydrated strawberries. I chose to use dehydrated strawberries because their flavor is so concentrated (a little goes a long way), and the crushed strawberries naturally turn the frosting the prettiest shade of pink.

I can’t wait until it’s warm enough outside to have dinner and enjoy a real ice cream sundae on our back deck, but until then, these Ice Cream Sundae Cupcakes are the perfect treat – fluffy, moist vanilla bean cupcakes topped with the lightest strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla frosting scoops.

Ice Cream Sundae Cupcakes

4.75 from 4 votes

These Ice Cream Cupcakes are a whimsical and delicious treat. Light, moist, tender vanilla bean cupcakes are topped with scoops of fluffy strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate frosting and drizzled with chocolate ganache and a maraschino cherry.

Servings 15

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes minutes

Total Time 39 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

 

For the cupcakes:

• 1 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 cup butter melted
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar

For the Vanilla Frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp cream or whole milk

For the Chocolate Frosting:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chopped, melted, and slightly cooled
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• pinch salt

For the Strawberry Frosting:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup freeze dried strawberries crushed to a powder
• For the Chocolate Ganache:
• 6 ounces of dark chocolate chopped
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbs cream
• Maraschino cherries optional

Instructions

 

• For the Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a standard cupcake tin with paper liners.
• In a medium bowl, place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined.
• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the melted butter.
• With the mixer on low, gradually add the sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined (about 2 to 3 minutes).
• Add the eggs one at a time. Mixing until just combined.
• Add the vanilla and mix.
• In a measuring cup, place the milk and lemon juice (or vinegar).
• Add the flour mixture and milk mixture in 3 separate steps, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
• Fill each cupcake liner only about ½ full. We want the cupcakes to be flat when they are baked.
• Bake for about 14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached to it.
• Remove the cupcake pan from the oven, and allow the cupcakes to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Remove the cupcakes and allow them to cool completely on a drying rack.
• While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting.
• For each frosting flavor, use the following method: In the bowl of mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the salt, flavorings, and cream/milk.
• Place the chocolate and strawberry frosting flavors in separate bowls. Smooth the top and cover with plastic wrap. Chill until firm.
• For the vanilla, keep about ½ of the frosting at room temperature, and chill the rest.
• While the frosting chills, make the ganache.
• Warm the cream until just about to boil.
• Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it stand for a minute or two.
• Mix the chocolate and cream until smooth and shiny.
• To assemble the cupcakes, put a thing layer of vanilla frosting over the top of each cupcake.
• Using a small ice cream scooper, place a single scoop of each flavor frosting on the top of each cupcake.
• Drizzle the scoops with ganache.
• Place a cherry on top.

Nutrition

Calories: 723kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 197mg | Potassium: 260mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 72g | Vitamin A: 1115IU | Vitamin C: 64.4mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 3.2mg

Author Julie Clark

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 723

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