Ice Cream Cake Pops

If you're looking to hype up a big party of little kids, look no further. It was my wee little cousin's birthday a while ago and I decided what could be more fun than ice cream cone-shaped cake pops? Nothing!

Cake pops are always fun, no matter the shape, but putting them in an ice cream cone really takes them to the next level. The kids went crazy over them! Maybe not the best idea for the little tots since by the time they finished them... they were screaming all over the place. Oops, sorry parents!

These were so deceptive, one kid even wondered why his ice cream wasn't melting! Cake pops as always take a bit more love and time than anything else and always are a bit tricky mastering. Something about me and melting chocolate does not work. I always burn the stuff or can never get it to the perfect consistency, which led to top heavy cones, oy vey! I definitely recommend these for kids though, since they are really sweet and can lead to cavity formation upon first bite.

Ice Cream Cone Cake Balls

Yields: 24 ice cream cone cake balls

Original recipe here.

1 (18.25 oz.) box red velvet cake mix + ingredients needed for the cake
1 tub of cream cheese frosti
24 sugar ice cream cones
chocolate
candy melts (color of your choice)
sprinkles


Bake the cake according to the directions on the box, then let cool completely. Once cool, use a fork to shred the cake into crumbs. Once fully crumbed, add 3/4 of the cream cheese frosting. Sometimes the cake needs the whole tub to make it moist enough to roll, but sometimes it doesn't. If 3/4 of the tub isn't enough to make it moist, add the rest and mix thoroughly. You have two options with the ice cream cones: you can either leave them as they are and make HUGE ice cream cake pops OR you can shave the cones down to make 'mini-cones.' Either way, shape the cake mix large enough to fit in the tops of your cones, then stuff them into the cones so that they are stable. I melt 2 cups of candy melts, then in 1 cup increments if I need more. Melt your candy melts using a microwave or a double boiler. Once melted, use a spoon to drizzle it over the top of the cake balls, using a spoon to cover the entire ball, drips are welcomed! Let these dry right-side up. Once dried, melt the chocolate (again, I melt 2 cups first, then in 1 cup increments if more is needed). Use a spoon to drizzle it on top of the candy melt layer, then sprinkle with sprinkles and let them dry before eating.

A peek inside:

Root Beer Float Cupcakes

I've been wanting to make Root Beer cupcakes for I don't even know how long, but there were always only two options: use root beer extract or use just root beer, which I've often heard doesn't impart much flavor into the cake. Then, I saw Baking Bites feature a new kind of root beer recipe, using root beer syrup!

I have to tell you, I was pretty excited. In her recipe, Nicole uses a store bought root beer syrup, but also provides directions on how to make the syrup with regular root beer, yipee! This recipe was pretty simple, and making the syrup was super simple too, so that was nice.

These cakes had a tight crumb and were moist, but sadly, I didn't achieve as much root beer flavor as I would have wanted. Maybe, after all, I will have to use root beer extract or real root beer syrup. Though, these were delicious nonetheless! Of course, topped with ice cream, how could it not be? The root beer glaze added some flavor too, but still, not enough to my liking :(

Root Bear Float Cupcakes

Yields: 12 cupcakes

Original recipe here.

For the root beer syrup:

1 (12 oz.) bottle or can of non-diet root beer

For the cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

6 tbsn. butter, room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup root beer syrup

1/3 cup milk

vanilla ice cream, to serve (optional)

For the root beer glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsn. root beer syrup

approx. 1 tbsn. water

To make the syrup, pour the root beer into a sauce pan and reduce it over medium heat until you have just over 1/3 of a cup left, set aside until ready to use. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake tin with liners and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by the root beer syrup. Mix in another 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by the milk. Stir in the remaining flour until no dry streaks remain. Bake for 16 - 18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely. To make the glaze, whisk together all the ingredients until the mixture is smooth and thin enough to drizzle easily. Add additional water if you want the glaze to be thinner.

Pavlovas with Bananas in Cardamom Praline Sauce

Have you ever just looked at something so splendid that it really just made your heart flutter, literally, flutter? A quick flap of the heart that makes you feel nervous yet calmed at the same time? Quite luckily, I've experienced this more than once in my life. Most of the time associated with something larger in life than something as trivial as a pavlova, but the matters of the heart and what it desires cannot be controlled.

Call it odd as you may, but Pavlovas have always had a spell cast on me ever since I laid eyes on them. As fluffy and as delicate as a cloud in the sky, they're just plain beautiful.

Pavlova with Bananas in Cardamom Praline Sauce

Yields: 1 large Pavlova or 4 mini ones (4 servings)

Banana recipe can be found here.

For the pavlova:

3 egg whites

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/2 tsp. vinegar

1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. vanilla

For the bananas:

1/2 stick unsalted butter

4 bananas, haved lengthwise, then crosswise

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

pinch of ground cardamom

3/4 tsp. lime juice

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

To make the pavlovas, preheat the oven to 250 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. In a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar, 1 tbsn. at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until the mixture is smooth to the touch and their is no graininess. Fold in the cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla. Pour mixture onto your prepared baking sheet and form into a round (of four mini ones, if you want), creating a shallow depression in the center of each. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the pavlova is cream colored and the surface is dry and crisp. Turn off the oven and leave the oven door ajar. Allow the pavlovas to cool in the oven until they can be handled.

To make the bananas, heat 1 tbsn. butter in a 10 inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until the foam subsides. Then saute half of the bananas, cut sides down first, turning over once, until golden, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes total. Transfer with a slotted spatula to a bowl. Repeat with remaining bananas. Melt remaining 2 tbsn. butter in skillet over moderate heat, then add brown sugar, cream, cardamom, and a pinch of salt and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice. When ready to serve, place the bananas on top of the pavlova, top with ice cream then spoon sauce over everything.

A gooey-ooey, sticky, delicious mess.

Banana & Nutella Ice Cream

I wish I had an ice cream maker or even the time to attempt making real homemade ice cream or sorbets, but I don't. Does that mean I should deprive myself of some really good, fresh ice cream? I think not. I've recently fell in love with Kirkland (or Costco brand) vanilla ice cream; it's so creamy and rich! And I've also been falling in love with little ice cream shops that serve up unique flavors, such as Bi-Rite Creamery and Scoops. So I decided if I didn't have the time nor the means to make such homemade goodness, I'd have to fake my way towards it. It's semi-homemade just like Sandra Lee (except much, much better than her if I do say so myself)!

The end product was really good! Of course it helped that I started with an already great tasting vanilla ice cream but the chunky bananas and nutella went really well together (I had no doubt) and it brought texture and freshness to the vanilla which was really nice. Every time I got a little chunk of nutella swirl I swear almost died, it was just THAT good!

Banana & Nutella Ice Cream

Yields: enough for 3 - 4

Printable Recipe

6 scoops of really good vanilla ice cream (I like Haagen-Daaz or Costco brand)

2 bananas, roughly chopped

3 tbsn. melted nutella

Leave the ice cream out for about 5 - 10 minutes until softened. Meanwhile, chop the bananas. In a medium bowl, fold in the diced bananas, softened ice cream, and nutella. Do not overmix! Remember to work quickly, this is imperative because if the ice cream melts too much, when it refreezes it will be icy and no longer creamy. You want the nutella to be swirled and the banana to remain chunky. Pack into tuperware and put back into the freezer until it hardens again. Once hard enough, serve with whipped cream, shaved chocolate, fresh bananas, or whatever your heart desires. You can even try caramelized bananas... YUM! Enjoy!

Bi-Rite Creamery {San Francisco, CA}

On a rainy day in San Francisco after a trip to the cult Tartine Bakery in the Mission District, we (some friends and I) wandered along the streets into Bi-Rite Creamery. Before finding lunch, we decided a starter of handmade ice cream would perk us up. We even dared it in the frigid weather! But honestly I could have been in the midst of Antarctica and I still would have opted for a scoop of Bi-Rite over a bowl of steaming soup.

I chose a double scoop of roasted banana and ginger toffee swirl, and let me tell you, the moment that cute wooden flat spoon hit my lips, I began swirling into a dream like world of sunshine and eternal happiness. No, I am not exaggerating. The roasted banana was beyond words and although I usually despise strong ginger flavor (odd, because I'm Asian), I could not get enough. Not only did the deliciousness make my day, but the staff was so incredibly charming and let us try as many flavors as our hearts desired! Because trust me, it was hard narrowing it down to just two.

The selection is just stunning!