Ice Cream Truck Style Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes Recipes

Steps:

• For the crust: Line the base of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and lightly spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• To a 12- to 14-cup food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the sandwich cookies, slightly breaking them up as you add them. Process until the cookies are completely broken up. While the machine is running, slowly stream in the melted butter. The mixture should now resemble wet sand and should hold together when pressed in your hands. Add the mixture to the prepared pan and evenly spread all over the base and about 1/2 inch up the sides. Place the crust in the freezer for 30 minutes. Reserve the food processor bowl to make the shortcake crumbs.
• For the shortcake crumbs: Reattach the food processor bowl and blade. Add the sandwich cookies, slightly breaking them up as you add them. Add the freeze-dried strawberries. Process the mixture until it's a very fine, cohesive consistency. With the machine running, slowly stream in the melted butter. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside.
• For the filling: When the crust is frozen, scoop on half of the softened vanilla ice cream. Use a small offset spatula to smooth the ice cream into an even layer. Sprinkle 1 cup of the shortcake crumbs over the ice cream, slightly pressing in to adhere. Freeze for 45 minutes.
• After 45 minutes, scoop on the softened strawberry ice cream. Use a small offset spatula to smooth the ice cream into an even layer. Sprinkle 1 cup of the shortcake crumbs over the ice cream, slightly pressing to adhere. Freeze for 45 minutes.
• After 45 minutes, scoop on the remaining vanilla ice cream. Smooth with an offset spatula and top with the remaining shortcake crumbs. Freeze for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
• To serve, run a knife or offset spatula around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Remove the springform ring and slice the cake into wedges.

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions to make 24 cupcakes. Bake and let cool 15 minutes in the pan on a rack, then transfer the cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.
• Hull and chop about 8 strawberries (for about 1 cup chopped). Stir together the chopped strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature, tossing a few times, until the strawberries are juicy, about 15 minutes.
• For the remaining 24 strawberries, put a strawberry stem-side down on a cutting board. Make 2 crisscross slices down and almost all the way through the strawberry, stopping just before the stem to keep the stem end intact. Gently pull the 4 sections apart to form a butterfly. Repeat with the remaining strawberries.
• Make the antennae by cutting 2 thin strips of green taffy, about 1 inch long and 1 millimeter wide each. Roll the taffy strips between your hands to make ropes, and curl up one end of each rope slightly. Repeat, making a pair of antennae for the remaining 23 butterflies.
• To assemble the cupcakes: Transfer the whipped topping to a pastry bag fitted with a medium open star tip. Core the cupcakes from their tops with a small melon baller, spoon or paring knife. Fill each with some macerated strawberries and pipe a swirl of whipped topping on top to cover. Decorate each cupcake with a strawberry butterfly. Tuck a pair of antennae into the whipped topping behind each strawberry butterfly with the curled ends up and facing outward.

Steps:

• Remove pound cake from foil container, and line container with cooking parchment paper, leaving paper hanging over 2 sides.
• Cut pound cake horizontally into thirds, creating 3 layers. Place bottom layer into parchment-lined container.
• In small bowl, stir together softened ice cream and chopped strawberries. Spread half of the ice cream mixture over bottom layer of cake in container; top with second cake layer.
• Spread remaining ice cream mixture over that, and top with final layer of cake. Return cake to freezer for about 4 hours or until ice cream is very firm.
• Remove cake from container, using parchment as handles. Slice and serve with whipped cream and sliced strawberries.