Sugar & Cloth

With summer coming to a screeching halt, I thought I should squeeze in one more ice cream related recipe for you. If you’re like us and live in a place like Houston (or the desert I guess) you could be enjoying these babies up until Christmas morning, I’ll leave that up to you. Either way, these chocolate cupped ice cream cupcakes are surprisingly simpler to make than their title, and they will surely leave your guests licking their lips (and possibly twirling around the room until the sugar high wears off). If you’re into healthier means, you can always modify this recipe to your skinny alternatives. Here we go-

To make 12 cupcakes:

• Silicon cupcake molds
• Chocolate for melting – approx. 32 oz.
• Icing of your choice – approx. 24 oz.
• Ice cream of your choice – approx. 1.5 quarts
• Spray oil
• Sprinkles

To make the chocolate liners: lightly coat the insides of the silicone  cupcake molds with spray oil. Next, melt the chocolate and spread a thin layer over the inside of each mold. let them cool completely for about 30 minutes, and then coat with another layer of chocolate. Let the second coat cool for an hour.

Releasing the chocolate from the molds is a little tricky. Start by gently pulling the silicon back from the very rim all the way around the mold. Once the top is released, the bottom sort of pops out. The thicker the chocolate, the easier it is to take them out. Don’t worry if the top chips, you’ll never notice once you add the icing.

To finish your cupcakes, scoop your favorite ice cream into each chocolate liner, and then let them sit in the freezer for a bit.

Once they’re nice and chilled, top with frosting and sprinkles, and you’re all set!

If you stopped by yesterday, then you may have noticed my DIY popsicle stand for the staple snack of summer. It’s surprisingly easy to make, and cutting out some drip catchers will keep it looking pretty! Also, you can make the stand as big or as small as you need it to be.

• Flower foam
• Gift wrap
• Scissors
• Tape
• Cardstock
• Exacto knife

To make the stand–

1 | Wrap the foam in wrapping paper just like a gift, while leaving the sides a little long so that you can tape them on the bottom (seeing extra tape isn’t pretty).

2 | Use your popsicle molds to determine where to cut slits into the foam to hold the popsicle sticks, and then use the Exacto knife to cut through.

3 | Stick the ends into the slits to make sure they fit, and you’re ready for real popsicles!

To make the drip catchers–

1 | Use an object thats the same width as your popsicles and trace however many you need onto card stock, then cut them out.

2 | Use the Xacto knife to cut slits into the middle of the circles to make inserting the popsicles easier.

Optional: Add a little glitter to the bottoms of your drip catchers for a pop of sparkle!

The best way to serve your popsicles is to go ahead and put them in the stand, and then insert it into your freezer so that you’re armed and ready when your guests are!

Health nuts everywhere will roll over in their graves about this one. Lucky for you, I don’t qualify for such categories. Instead, I have 4 words for you: cupcakes, ice cream, caramel, salt*. Sweet & salty, need I say more?

*I thought five words might be a bit excessive but I would like to note striped straws, too. I’m currently obsessed. I blame BHLDN, they did this to me.

Recipe for Salted Caramel Ice Cream Cake Shots (by yours truly)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons caramel sauce, plus a little extra for the glasses
• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• Pinch of sea salt, plus a little extra for the garnish
• 1 vanilla cupcake

• Gold sprinkles
• Whip cream
• Pinch of sea salt
• Caramel sauce
• Shot glasses

Blend ingredients together. Coat the rims of the glasses with caramel, and then dip them in gold sprinkles. Add a dab of caramel to each glass, and then fill with the shake just before serving. Top with whip cream and a pinch of sea salt!

(Cut striped straws in half for the perfect height)

It’s kind of amazing how many things you can create with washi tape these days, isn’t it? Wall decals, invitation designs, monograms, furniture, pets… okay, some of those were an exaggeration, but seriously, if you have a Pinterest account then you know what I mean. Alas, I sort of caved and hopped on the train, too, which is how this cake topper bunting (that I made for Love, Wed, Bliss) and the matching cake plate came about. Want to whip up your own patterned cake plate? Here’s how –

All you have to do is alternate the tape, leaving excess on the sides, then use an exacto knife to trim the edges & voila! It’s not exactly reinventing the wheel, but it does make it pretty cute!

You know the saying that start outs with “I love you like a chubby kid loves…”? Well, there has got to be a joke in there somewhere over my love for these ruffled ice cream cones by Icing Designs. Could they really be any more perfect? If only I could always be more in love with fabric ice cream cones than the real deal..

project & photos by Icing Designs