To make life easy, pick your favorite box of cake mix (chocolate or yellow) and make according to directions. Fill paper-lined cupcake tins HALF-WAY. If you fill more than half of the cup it will make it difficult to spread significant amounts of the next two layers. Bake in the oven according to box. Remove and let cool completely.
Once cooled, use the cone method to remove the center from each cupcake. Use tops of cupcake to make sundaes or throw to hungry housemates to distract them from eating your real cupcakes. (Try, "How'd you like to taste these mini cupcakes?!")
Drop whole, washed strawberries (can also use less costly frozen strawberries) into the open centers of cupcakes. Next, plop a tablespoon of slightly softened ice cream (chocolate or vanilla if you want to stick with the Neapolitan theme) on top of the cupcake/strawberry combination and use a small frosting spreader smooth ice cream out and down so that it fills any spaces left in the center of the cupcake that the strawberry does not fill.
Put trays in freezer for 45 mins - 1 hour until ice cream is re-frozen enough to spread on frosting. While cupcakes are setting, combine:
1 stick butter, softened
4 cups confectioners sugar
Some vanilla extract
Some (~1/2 cup) milk
1-2 cups Hershey's special dark cocoa powder
Beat with electric mixer, apply a liberal amount to spoon and take to room to snack on while waiting for cupcakes to finish setting. This recipe makes more frosting than you will need, so go back for seconds if you so desire. Spread on top of cupcakes and refreeze.
Pull out of the freezer 20 minutes before serving to let strawberries soften a little.
Yields 26-32 cupcakes.
Possibly use marmalade instead of actual frozen fruit. Some people do not like to bite into a large frozen strawberry.
ReplyDeleteI might just have to try these gluten-free... I'll let you know how it goes.
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