Ice Cream Filled Cupcakes

These were the second filled cupcakes that I ever made. I'm going to post the first once I find the recipe. These are simple. I made them from a box, but you can use any basic cake recipe. These mint chocolate chip ice cream & chocolate cupcakes were for my mom's birthday this year. 

I used one particular source for reference for the whole ordeal- This is where I got the recipe for the ganache. It's 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 2/3 cup heavy cream. The recipe says: "In the meantime, melt the chocolate chips and the cream in a microwave safe bowl. It will only take about 2 bursts of 30 seconds each to melt the chocolate. You may need to mix the cream/chocolate for a few minutes to thoroughly incorporate the two. The mixture may look a little thin at first, but it will thicken as it cools."

Two helpful tips for the ganache: First, I've had better luck melting chocolate in a plastic container. Ceramic or glass heats up too unevenly. Remember to mix well to allow the heat energy to transfer evenly and the hotter parts will cool down when their energy warms up the cooler parts. Basic science! Secondly, the mixture will be drippy at first. I reccommend leaving it to cool in the fridge for a while until it's thick and pasty for ease of spreading. Here's how they came together for me:

Step one: Bake the cupcakes with liners. Allow to cool completely (you don't want to melt your ice cream any faster than they already do!)

Step two: Cut a cone out of the center using a paring knife held at a 45 degree angle. (It's like cutting the stem out of a tomato but wider). The goal here is to leave an edge but make it deep & wide enough to accommodate your filling. The shape of your cone will determine how much space will be left. (Try not to make it too deep or wide or it won't have a structure to hold in the filling!)

Step three: Take the cone you just cut out and slice off the pointy end, leaving just a lid for your topping. Repeat with all your cupcakes. Pictured below from L to R: Hollowed cupcake, lid, and cone tip. The pile is the crumb mixture leftover. (You can totally eat this part or make cake pops with it if you're feeling ambitious).

 Step four: Spoon in softened ice cream of your choice (just softened enough to spoon easily, not melted!). 5 mins out in room temp is enough to get it pliable. I used mint chocolate chip, my mom's favorite.

Step five: Replace the little lids and stick all your cupcakes in the freezer. Try to avoid letting the ice cream melt! Don't worry if they look messy, your topping will cover that.

Step six: After at least half an hour in the freezer (when the ice cream is frozen, basically) take out your cupcakes and top with topping of choice. I made chocolate ganache. When they are all covered, pop them back in the freezer.

Step 7: Before eating, let them thaw for a couple minutes. (It's too hard to bite if you don't! They can sit out for a few minutes before melting, and are just delightful.)

Then, enjoy! Guests will love sharing these with you, and they're so easy to make! You just have to have the patience to wait for them to re-freeze. Keep frozen in a tightly sealed container or they will get stale on you. They probably won't last long, but I hear they're fresh for 3 months