2011 Ice Cream Cupcake Contest Entries

Was it the promise of winning a collection of cookbooks, could it be a sign of the increasing popularity of cupcakes (don't listen to those all-hype media stories about cupcakes being on the way out), or perhaps it was the excitement about this year's fabulous blogger judges Nicole Weston from Baking Bites, Jessie Oleson from CakeSpy, and Naomi Robinson from Bakers Royale? Whatever the reason, Bethany and Tina from Scoopalicious and I received 60 ice cream cupcake contest entries (double the number we received last year)!  As usual, the entries were well thought out, hunger-inducing, and visually appealing. 

Below, you will find each entry along with a brief description and a link to either the blog post about the entry or the Facebook page where the entrant provided the recipe.  If you've got some time (hours), check them all out now!  Otherwise, we encourage you to bookmark this page and return for inspiration the next time you want a unique and icy cool cupcake. 

A note to our entrants:  The judges are working on selecting their favorites now and they will decide upon a winner by the end of the month.

Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup Entries Are In!

The 2010 Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup entry period is over and, once again, you have wowed us with your ice cream cupcake creations!  All of the entries are detailed below - but first, a quick reminder about the rules.

Only the ice cream cupcake roundup entrants can vote in the first round of voting and of course they can't vote for themselves.  They will be picking the three finalists who will each win an OXO Prize Pack including OXO Good Grips Solid Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop, Oxo Good Grips 2-Cup Angled Measuring Cup, OXO Good Grips 1169600 3-Piece Mixing Bowl Set, Blue/Green/Yellow, Oxo Good Grips Bent Icing Knife, and an Oxo Good Grips PRO Grater!!  If you entered the contest, you'll be receiving an email with instructions on how to vote.  I don't envy you.  It will be hard to choose!

Once the finalists are chosen, the general public will get to pick the grand prize winner of the Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker.  Look out for your chance to vote next week (two voters will win the same OXO Prize Pack as our finalists)!


As you read through the entries, note that each entry title links to a blog post or Flickr post (if the creator does not have a blog) with details about the cupcake.  If you have the time, I would encourage you to click through and read the stories and recipes behind these masterpieces.

Malva Pudding Cupcakes

Literally translated as mallow pudding, this [malva pudding] is a well-loved traditional South-African pudding. It is seriously sweet and seriously rich but oh-so-mouth-meltingly-delicious. I think every South-African has fond memories of malva pudding, either lovingly made by their ouma (grandmother), or on the poedingtafel (pudding table) alongside jelly and custard at the annual kerkbasaar (church fete). I can't remember my own granny ever making this but I do have fond memories of eating it at church fetes, visiting my aunts and yes even at the university residences.

The description of malva pudding above was written by my Taste & Create partner, Marisa, from the South African cooking blog, The Creative Pot. Most of us here in the United States (myself included, before this week) have never heard of malva pudding - but it's worth learning about!

Wikipedia explains that "Malva Pudding is a sweet pudding of Dutch origin, usually served hot with custard and/or ice-cream. It is made with apricot jam and has a spongy caramelized texture... The pudding's name is derived from Malvacea wine from Madeira. The dessert and dessert wine used to be served together after main course at Cape tables."

That last sentence was the key to my Name That Dessert quiz. A big congrats goes out to GiGi who guessed it correctly and even used the South African name, malvapoeding! Gigi, please email me with your address so we can send you your prize!

I decided (no shock to anyone) to make my malva pudding in cupcake form. Like bread pudding, the malva pudding cupcakes were definitely best when fresh out of the oven. However, the same effect can be achieved by microwaving the cupcake for around twenty seconds prior to eating (be sure not to use foil wrappers).

The malva pudding cupcakes' apricot flavor was practically non-existent (which could be good or bad, depending on your thoughts on apricots). The flavor was simply warm and sweet. Even though I'd never tried malva pudding before, it evoked happy homey memories. Sometimes the simplest flavors can provide the most pleasure.

Malva Pudding Cupcake Recipe

Here is the malva pudding recipe from The Creative Pot (adapted from Boerekos.com), converted to cupcake form.

Makes 16 cupcakes

• 2 C sugar
• 2 T unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 2 t lemon juice
• 2 T apricot jam
• 2 t baking powder
• 2 t baking soda
• 2 C milk
• 1 C cake flour

For the sauce:

• 1 C lowfat evaporated milk
• 1 C sugar
• 1/2 C unsalted butter
• 1/2 C boiling water

1. Combine butter, sugar and egg
2. Add lemon juice, apricot jam, baking soda and baking powder.
3. Add milk and flour bit by bit, stirring to ensure no lumps form.
4. Fill cupcake liners almost to the top.
   
5. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until nicely risen and browned on top. The top should feel spongy.
6. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and heat for 2 minutes in the microwave, stirring to ensure all the sugar has dissolved.
7. Prick the cupcakes with a toothpick. Then, drizzle the sauce over them. It should be absorbed very quickly.
   
8. Return to the oven for another three minutes to caramelize.
   

I served the malva cupcakes with Ciao Bella Tahitian Vanilla Gelato. Because of the neutral taste of the cupcake, however, any ice cream flavor would work. Pick your favorite! Oh - and don't forget to serve the cupcake with some Malvasia wine from Madeira. It really was a perfect pairing. FYI - The bottle may not say Malvasia. Look for something labeled Malmsey. You can read all about Malvasia wine over at Wikipedia, my best friend.

4th of July Cupcakes with Built-In Ice Cream Cones

4th of July cupcakes need red, white, and blue. But, 4th of July cupcakes (at least in St. Louis) are typically served on a HOT day and will need to compete with anything cold. So this year, my 4th of July cupcakes have a built in ice cream cone with bright red strawberry sorbet! The white comes from the frosting (I could have made the cake white, but went for yellow - close enough) and the blue comes from the sprinkles (I could have also used blueberries if I had some on hand).

These 4th of July cupcakes are designed to get you thinking rather than to provide you with any specific recipe. The key is the mini waffle cone deeply planted into the cupcake (do this right before serving to keep the cone from getting soggy), but what you use for the cake, frosting, and ice cream flavor is up to you!

Here are some other 4th of July ideas, using the mini cone, to get you thinking:

• Blueberry cupcakes, vanilla buttercream frosting, and cherry ice cream.
• Raspberry cupcakes, blueberry frosting, and vanilla ice cream.
• Lemon cupcakes, blackberry frosting (blackberries look blue), and coconut sorbet.

Feel free to share your original ideas in the comments!

Yellow Cake Recipe

For the curious, I'm including the yellow cake recipe that I used. I got the recipe from my Twitter friend Cakes4RockStarz. Despite the thousands of cupcakes I have made, I very rarely make a plain yellow cake and wanted to find a really good recipe. Several Twitter friends helped out by offering their favorites. I have not had a chance to try them all yet, but this one was light, moist, and flavorful. I won't go so far as to say it's the perfect yellow cake - it was missing something, though it's hard to put my very picky finger on what. So, I'm still on the hunt.

Makes 16 cupcakes

• 1/2 C butter
• 1 C sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 3 t vanilla bean paste (you could also use vanilla extract or the seeds from 1/2 of a vanilla bean)
• 2 C flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 C water
• 1 T apple cider vinegar

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Mix in egg yolks and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. In another bowl, mix water and apple cider vinegar.
5. Mix in dry and wet ingredients alternatively to the butter/sugar mixture, ending with the dry.
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
7. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when touched.

Root Beer Whipped Cream Frosting

I wasn't in the mood for a plain vanilla frosting. This recipe makes a root beer whipped cream frosting, but you can replace the root beer extract with any flavor you prefer.

• 1 C heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1/2 t root beer extract

1. Whip the whipping cream until it looks like whipped cream.
2. Mix in sugar and extract.

Other 4th of July Cupcake Ideas

Check out my other 4th of July cupcake ideas.

Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup Prize Winners!

I just want to begin by again thanking everyone for participating in the 2009 Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup - our 35 bakers, 650 voters, and 8 prize donors! We are so excited with all of the participation!

If you won a prize, please email stef at cupcakeproject dot com with your mailing address and phone number within the next week.

Without further ado, I present to you the winners:

Reader's Choice Award

This prize goes to the cupcake that received the most reader votes. It was a close competition, but the winner was Carrot Cake Ice Cream Cupcakes from Little Big Cakes.

People had some great things to say about these cupcakes; here are some highlights:

• I really like carrot cake and this one looks perfect!
• After a lot of scrolling and wiping the drool from my mouth, I was finally able to narrow it down to this one and the Vegan Piña Colada Ice Cream Cupcakes from Cookies and Candids. There were a lot that I loved that were yummy looking as desserts. But part of the appeal of cupcakes, for me anyway, is the instant satisfaction. No cutting, no dishes, no utensils, just peel and eat. The carrot cake seems like it would have a lot of flavor yet is still simple to eat.
• Carrot cake with pecan ice cream sounds awesome! Simple, but great.
• Are you kidding? Do you really have to ask? Just bite into a cake from Little Big Cakes! I can just look at the picture & smell it... makes my mouth water.
• Great flavor combo and the picture was really appealing.
• It's simple, and classic, but with a twist. I love that it's not over thought, and the finished product still looks clean and delicious!
• It is the one I would most like to make, some others were so beyond my cooking abilities.
• I love carrot cake and this cupcake has all the best elements of carrot cake in a neat little cupcake!
• Because the cake may be 'little' but the taste is 'big'! Mmm scrumdiddlyumptious!
• I loved how neat and perfect looking it looks (like a fancy Reese's) - plus Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese icing is one of my favorites.
• Can't go past carrot cake!! I am sitting here eating my low fat yogurt but dreaming it tastes like carrot cake ice cream cupcakes!!!
• It's a simple, traditional flavor. And not too flashy or over the top. Less is more! I would love to buy dozens of these!!!

Prize: 12 pack of gourmet cupcake wrappers from Bella Cupcake Couture.

Editor's Choice - Cupcake Project

This prize was up to me and it was incredibly hard to choose. How do you pick between 35 cupcakes that all sound amazing? In the end, I chose Fragola Tiramisu olio d'oliva Gelato Tortatina (Strawberry Tiramisu Olive Oil Gelato Cupcake) from Little Ivy Cakes. I almost didn't pick it because it was so complicated that it barely resembled a cupcake. However, with so many different components (almost all homemade) that I would love to taste independently or combined and the sheer amount of effort and creativity that went into these beauties, my choice became clear. I imagined how wide my eyes would get if I were ever served a cupcake of this magnitude and culinary depth. I would feel so special to have the opportunity to try it.

Prize: Cupcake tote bag from Avocado Creations.

Editor's Choice - Scoopalicious

This prize was chosen by Bethany and Tina of Scoopalicious. They selected Chocolate Raspberry Baby Cupcakes from Inspired Creations. To find out why, you'll have to head over to their blog!

Prize: 12 pack of gourmet cupcake wrappers from Bella Cupcake Couture.

Entry Prizes

All of the remaining prizes were chosen using a random number generator (Random.org). We tried whenever possible to give out one of the top three choices selected by the participants. However, in the cases where those prizes were already assigned, participants were given whatever prizes remained. Several lucky participants were randomly selected more than once (you'll see who you are)!

Chocolate Caramel Ice Cream Cupcakes from Yumsilicious Bakes
Prize: Bag of cacao nibs from Patric Chocolate.

Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream Cupcakes from Cupcake Muffin
Prize: Prize pack from Just Jenn Designs and pack of eight cupcake birthday cards by Bethany of Scoopalicious.

Lovelight Lemon Raspberry Sorbet Cupcakes from Sweet & Saucy
Prize: 4x5 illustration from Cakespy and cupcake pendant from Krissi's Mixed Media Arts.

Frozen Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes from Krista Joy
Prize: 12 pack of gourmet cupcake wrappers from Bella Cupcake Couture.

Choconaners from Cherryspoon
Prize: Bag of cacao nibs from Patric Chocolate.

Rocky Roca Ice Cream Cupcakes from Sweet & Saucy
Prize: Bread mix from JB Dough.

Fragola Tiramisu olio d'oliva Gelato Tortatina (Strawberry Tiramisu Olive Oil Gelato Cupcake) from Little Ivy Cakes
Prize: Bread mix from JB Dough.

Couch Peanut Cupcakes from Res-o-puh-leese
Prize: Bread mix from JB Dough.

Voter's Prize

This winner was randomly selected from those of you who voted in the roundup. The winner was Tiffany Kanis.

Prize: Pack of eight cupcake birthday cards by Bethany of Scoopalicious.

Congrats to all the winners! Keep on bakin'!

Time to Vote for Your Favorite Ice Cream Cupcake

If this post doesn't make you crave an ice cream cupcake, I don't know what will. Bethany, Tina, and I are so excited about all the amazing entries we've received for this year's ice cream cupcake roundup! Remember that each person who entered is eligible to win a prize, and you get to vote for a winner!

In case you need an incentive to vote - Each person who votes will be entered into a raffle to win an 8-pack of homemade cupcake birthday cards directly from Bethany of Scoopalicious!

So...

• Pick a time this week when you have a few minutes - this is going to take a while.
  
• Read through the summary of each cupcake below.
  
• Visit the blogs of the ones you like (I expect that will be all of them).
• Somehow, pick your favorite cupcake (I have no idea how you will be able to choose).
  
• Fill out the form at the very bottom of this post to vote.
  

VOTING CLOSES SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 11:59 PM PACIFIC TIME
ONLY ONE VOTE PER PERSON
WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEK

Thanks again to all of our fabulous prize sponsors: Bella Cupcake Couture, Just Jenn Designs, Avocado Creations, JB Dough, Patric Chocolate, Buzz Buzz Bee's, Cakespy, and Krissi's Mixed Media Arts. The prize details can be found along with the contest details.

The Entries!!

Monkey Butt Cupcake from Nonesuch
Cupcake: Banana cupcake made healthier using wheat flour, egg substitute, and Splenda
Ice Cream: Chocolate
Frosting: Peanut butter
Topping: Toffee bits

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The Perfect Summer Cupcake from A Scone's Throw
Cupcake: Strawberry
Ice Cream: Homemade strawberry and basil ice creams swirled together
Frosting: White balsamic buttercream
Topping: Fresh strawberry

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Carrot Cake Ice Cream Cupcakes from Little Big Cakes
Cupcake: Carrot cake
Ice Cream: Pecan
Frosting: Cream cheese

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Frozen Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes from Krista Joy
Cupcake: Chocolate fudge
Ice Cream: Vanilla and chocolate ice cream swirled together, with mixed in chopped chocolate and homemade raspberry truffles
Frosting: Chocolate cream cheese
Topping: Fresh raspberry

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Magic Ice Cream Cupcakes from Couldn't be Parve
Cupcake: Graham cracker
Ice Cream: Magic bar (Magic bars are also know as six layer bars. They are gooey bars with various kinds of chips, nuts and coconut, topped with sweetened condensed milk.)

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Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream Cupcakes from Cupcake Muffin
Cupcake: Angel food
Ice Cream: Homemade strawberry balsamic

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Chocolate Raspberry Baby Cupcakes from Inspired Creations
Cupcake: Dark chocolate
Ice Cream: White chocolate raspberry swirl or black raspberry chip
Frosting: Dark chocolate ganache
Topping: Fresh raspberry

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Cup O' Tea Vegan/Wheat-Free Ice Cream Cupcakes by Tara Tabassi
(Note: Tara does not have a blog, so the link goes to a page we created for her with her description and recipe.)
Cupcake: Earl grey topped with white chocolate
Ice Cream: Homemade fresh coconut, lemon-rind, and blueberry
Frosting: Lavender buttercream
Topping: Homemade crystallized lavender blossom

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Vegan Piña Colada Ice Cream Cupcakes from Cookies and Candids
Cupcake: Pineapple upside down
Ice Cream: Toasted coconut
Topping: Rum caramel sauce, pineapple slice, and a cherry

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Black Magick Cupcake from Cirque du Vie
Cupcake: Brownie topped with raspberry jam
Ice Cream: Vanilla ice cream topped with crushed Oreos, Magic Brownie ice cream, and chocolate ice cream
Topping: Brownie, whipped cream, and fresh raspberries

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Wet Dog Cupcakes with Pineapple Sherbet from Iron Stef
Cupcake: Tres leches
Ice Cream: Pineapple sherbet
Topping: Dulce de leche

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Hot Fudge Cake from Is This Thing On
Cupcake: Double chocolate
Ice Cream: Vanilla
Topping: Chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and sprinkles

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Chipster Topped Brownie Ice Cream Cupcake from Spork or Foon?
Cupcake: Chipster topped brownie (basically a brownie with a cookie on top)
Ice Cream: Vanilla frozen yogurt
Topping: Sprinkles

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Cake Batter Ice Cream Cupcakes from Tickled Pink Cupcakery
Cupcake: Vanilla cake
Ice Cream: Vanilla ice cream with cake mix-ins
Topping: Sprinkles

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Couch Peanut Cupcakes from Res-o-puh-leese
Cupcake: Peanut butter in a crushed Oreo cookie crust
Ice Cream: Vanilla rolled in Oreos
Frosting: Peanut butter
Topping: Reese's pieces

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Dairy Free Chocolate, Strawberry, and Vanilla Cupcakes from Beantown Baker
(Note: Beantown Baker also made a version of these cupcakes with dairy as a variation.)
Cupcake: Vegan chocolate
Ice Cream: Toffuti vanilla with a frozen strawberry inside
Frosting: Strawberry cream cheese

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Hot Cocoa Ice Cream Cupcakes by Rachel Schill
(Note: Rachel does not have a blog, so the link goes to the page we created for her with her description and recipe.)
Cupcake: Chocolate
Ice Cream: Homemade chocolate
Frosting: Marshmallow buttercream
Topping: Chocolate shavings

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Coconut Margarita Cupcakes from Beantown Baker
(Note: Beantown Baker also made a version of these cupcakes with raspberry ice cream as a variation.)
Cupcake: Coconut and lime
Ice Cream: Margarita sorbet
Frosting: Coconut cream cheese

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Fragola Tiramisu olio d'oliva Gelato Tortatina (Strawberry Tiramisu Olive Oil Gelato Cupcake) from Little Ivy Cakes
Cupcake: Brown sugar cupcake soaked in Grand Marnier topped with orange-honey mascarpone and fresh summer strawberries splashed with Grand Marnier
Ice Cream: Homemade olive oil gelato
Frosting: Strawberry vanilla bean whipped cream
Topping: Shaved chocolate, orange, and a strawberry

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Mexican Chocolate Cupcake with Fried Ice Cream from Yummy, Yummy, in My Tummy
Cupcake: Mexican chocolate
Ice Cream: Fried ice cream (honey cinnamon flavored ice cream with cinnamon sugar toasted pieces and a honey caramel ribbon)
Frosting: Whipped cream
Topping: Cinnamon sugar triangles

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Lovelight Lemon Raspberry Sorbet Cupcakes from Sweet & Saucy
Cupcake: Lemon raspberry
Ice Cream: Häagen-Dazs lemon sorbet
Topping: Fresh raspberry

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Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream Cupcakes from Nina's Cupcakes
Cupcake: Peppermint
Ice Cream: EXTREME! Moose Tracks
Frosting: Espresso whipped cream

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Candy Bar Ice Cream Cupcakes from Mostly Martha
Cupcake: Brownie toffee
Ice Cream: Homemade sweet milk ice cream
Topping: Snickers bar and caramel drizzle

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Fried Ice Cream Cupcakes from Simple Food
Cupcake: Brown sugar with cornflake topping
Ice Cream: Caramel swirl
Frosting: Cinnamon whipped cream
Topping: Cinnamon tortilla crisps

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Dippy Doo Dots Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes from I Heart Cuppycakes
Cupcake: Chocolate baked in ice cream cones
Ice Cream: Banana split Dippin' Dots
Frosting: Vanilla buttercream

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Choconaners from Cherryspoon
Cupcake: Banana topped with semisweet chocolate
Ice Cream: Friendly's fudge swirl
Topping: Banana slice decorated with chocolate

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Chocolate Caramel Ice Cream Cupcakes from Yumsilicious Bakes
Cupcake: Chocolate
Ice Cream: Baskin Robbins' gold medal ribbon
Frosting: Chocolate caramel ganache
Topping: Dulce de leche caramel topping

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Cherry with a Twist from Lost Star of David
Cupcake: Rich chocolate with gelatin
Ice Cream: Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia
Topping: Chocolate ganache and cherry sauce

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Coconut Cream Identity Crisis from Crumbles
Cupcake: Coconut topped with crumbled graham crackers
Ice Cream: Homemade coconut ice cream
Frosting: Whipped cream

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Butter Rum Cakes with Ginger and Hibiscus from My Own Sweet Thyme
Cupcake: Ginger rum
Ice Cream: Coconut rum gelato
Topping: Butter rum sauce, dried sweetened hibiscus flowers, and candied ginger

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Strawberry Short Cupcakes by Morgan Cadle
(Note: Morgan does not have a blog. This entry is not linked because we have no further information on this cupcake.)
Cupcake: Strawberry
Ice Cream: Vanilla
Frosting: Strawberries and cream
Topping: Flower made out of chocolate chips for the center and fresh cut strawberries for the petals

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Chocolate Lover's Dream by Morgan Cadle
(Note: Morgan does not have a blog. This entry is not linked because we have no further information on this cupcake.)
Cupcake: Chocolate
Ice Cream: Vanilla
Frosting: Chocolate
Topping: Mini-chocolate chips

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Memorial Day BBQ Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes by Ann Carroll
(Note: Ann does not have a blog, so the link goes to the page we created for her with her description and recipe.)
Cupcake: Vanilla regular-sized and chocolate minis, plus hidden M&Ms at the bottom of the cone.
Ice Cream: N/A (There is no ice cream in these. They are simply made to look like they have ice cream.)
Frosting: Half were done with vanilla and half were done with chocolate
Topping: Sprinkles

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Rocky Roca Ice Cream Cupcakes from Sweet & Saucy
Cupcake: Chocolate
Ice Cream: Tillamook rocky road
Frosting: Chocolate ganache
Topping: Almond roca (a chocolate and almond covered buttercrunch confection)

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Peanut Butter Ice Cream and Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Cupcakes from Wemsical Cupcakes
Cupcake: Chocolate chip cookie pie crust with chocolate fudge cupcake
Ice Cream: Peanut butter ice cream
Topping: Chocolate ganache and a chocolate chip cookie

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As if these weren't enough... One of our awesome prize sponsors who is ineligible for a prize decided to make an ice cream cupcake just for fun! While you can't vote for it, you should check it out anyway!

Root Beer Float Cupcakes by JustJENN Rants & Raves
Cupcake: Root beer bunt
Ice Cream: Root beer sherbet
Frosting: Whipped cream
Topping: Sprinkles and a straw

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Time to Vote: