German Chocolate Ice Cream Cupcakes

So it’s time to end this week on a sweet note. Just before The Baron and I left for vacation, we had lunch out. For dessert, our eyes fell on the ‘ice cream cupcakes’ the menu had at the bottom. After seeing that, we each had one. It was good… but it lacked a good ratio of cake to ice cream I was hoping for. That dessert was still fresh in my mind so when it came time to plan a dessert for the dinner I prepared, it seemed like the most obvious choice. Our friend G&J challenged me to use whatever was in their pantry to create a dinner. For dessert, I came up with these German Chocolate Ice Cream Cupcakes which satisfied my craving perfectly. A rich chocolate cupcake is filled with a vanilla bean ice cream and topped with a healthy amount of coconut pecan frosting…

For me, these tasted exactly as I wanted them to. I like to think of these as a mini ice cream cake in cupcake form. After baking and cooling the cupcakes, I hollowed each out just a bit so that I could fill it with a nice round scoop of vanilla ice cream. The coconut pecan frosting is heavenly on its own but it puts this dessert off the top when it’s slightly warm and running off the ice cream. It’s a wonderful mix of flavors and textures where cool meats warm, crunchy meets smooth and well, it’s just all around delicious…

Coconut Frosting:

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted buter
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, lightly packed
4 extra large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
2 cups chopped pecans, toasted
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the evaporated milk, brown sugar, and egg yolks, bringing to a simmer.

Continue to stir constantly with a wooden spoon for about 15 minutes until slightly thickened.

Remove from heat and stir in the extracts, coconut, pecans and salt. Allow to cool for an hour before using.

German Chocolate Cupcakes:

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
2 extra large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 sour cream, room temperature
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with 14-15 paper liners or spray with cooking spray if you prefer not to use liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium high speed for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Reduce the speed to medium, adding the vanilla and the eggs one at a time.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream and coffee.

In a third bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

With the mixer on low, add the buttermilk and flour mixtures alternately in thirds, beginning with the buttermilk and ending with the flour – don’t overmix. Fold the batter a few times with a rubber spatula to be sure it’s mixed well.

Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter into the cupcake liners.

Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centers come out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and remove from the pan. Allow to cool completely before assembling.

To assemble:

1 pint vanilla ice cream

Scoop out the middles of each cupcake and fill with a scoop of ice cream. Top with the coconut pecan frosting {slightly warm if desired} and serve.