These babies are a labor of love, I tell ya. The end result is so fun looking and delicious, but these are definitely not in the “throw something together quickly” camp. A standard white cake with 3(!) icing flavors to mimic a scoop of Neopolitan ice cream, and of course, the fixin’s… sprinkles, hot fudge drizzle, and a cherry on top. I brought these to work and was told this flavor quickly propelled to the top of several coworkers’ fave flavor list! I think they would be adorable for an ice cream themed party 😊🍦 I might try making them in ice cream cones next time!
Ingredients (makes 2 dozen cupcakes):
For the cupcakes
- 1 cup whole milk, divided
- 6 large egg whites
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp. almond extract
- 2¾ cups (11 oz.) flour
- 1½ cups (10.5 oz) sugar
- 1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 12 tbsp. (¾ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the frostings
- 1½ cups plus 2 tbsp. (3 sticks plus 2 tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
- 1/2 cup finely diced strawberries
For garnish
- Sprinkles
- Hot fudge sauce
- Maraschino cherries
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degreees Fahrenheit and line muffin tins with liners. In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup of milk, the egg whites, and extracts. Whisk to combine, then set aside. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix gently for 30 seconds, then add butter. Mix until reaches the texture of wet sand. Add the other 3/4 cup of milk and mix just until combined. Finally, add the egg white mixture in 3 parts, mixing for about 20 seconds between additions. Divide batter equally among wells. Bake for 15-18 minutes, turning halfway through baking. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
While your cupcakes are cooling, start on your icings. Place butter in the bowl of your stand mixer and beat on medium with the whisk attachment until smooth, ~1 minute. Turn mixer down to slow speed and slowly add confectioner’s sugar. Gradually increase speed, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Slow speed again and add salt, heavy cream, and vanilla. Gradually increase speed to medium high and beat until lift and fluffy, ~4-5 minutes. Take half of the icing out and place either in a small bowl or directly into pastry bag. Divide what’s left in the bowl into two, leaving one portion in the bowl. Melt chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring between. Once melted, allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then add on low speed to vanilla icing already in mixing bowl. Beat until fully combined. In a new, clean bowl, place the second smaller portion of vanilla icing and your strawberries. Again, beat until fully combined.
Begin by piping vanilla icing onto the top of each cupcake, then smoothing down flat across top and sides. 
Pour some sprinkles on a plate, then slowly roll the edges of the cupcakes in the sprinkles until you have a sprinkle border all the way around. 
Next, squeeze a dollop of vanilla icing on top of each cupcake. If you have a small scoop, like a melon baller or small dough scoop, that would be perfect too! Repeat with the chocolate and strawberry icings. *Note: this batch my colors did not turn out as vibrant in the past because I’d subbed cocoa powder for the chocolate in a pinch and leftover strawberry cream cheese icing. Normally the chocolate and strawberry are much more vibrant; I’ve just not photographed the good ones. 😂* 
Next, drizzle a small amount of hot fudge sauce in the center of each cupcake. 
And last but not least, the cherry! 
There you have it! Like I said, SUPER cute and fun, just a few more steps than my average cupcake. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
Original idea, cake and vanilla icing recipe adapted slightly from Annie’s Eats.
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