Cupcake a Week: Neapolitan

Happy Friday! It's been super HOT here in Mobile this week and is only going to get hotter through the weekend. So what is the perfect compliment to hot weather, ICE CREAM of course! The ice cream truck has already been driving through our neighborhood for well over a month now. Everyday I hear the sounds of the truck coming down our street and it reminds me of when I was a kid and so excited to run outside and select an ice cream treat. So to start the weekend off right I thought it would be fun for some ice cream inspired cupcakes!

Pretty much everyone loves Neapolitan ice cream, am I right?
3 simple colors: brown, white & pink
3 traditional flavors: chocolate, vanilla & strawberry
= 1 super yummy ice cream flavor

So here's my spin on taking a classic ice cream flavor and creating a Neapolitan cupcake!

First bake a batch of cupcakes. I decided on yellow buttercake but chocolate or strawberry would be just as yummy. Or what about a combination of all 3 swirled into one...now there's an idea. I'll have to consider that for next time around!

Now for the Neapolitan. Mix up a batch of buttercream icing, then divide it evenly into 3 bowls. Flavor one bowl with cocoa powder for the chocolate, one bowl with vanilla, and one bowl with Strawberry Cream cheese.

Basic Buttercream:
-1 stick butter, softened
-3 tablespoons milk
-3 cups confectioners' sugar

• Beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and milk and beat until desired consistency.
• Divide buttercream into 3 separate bowls (about 3/4 cup each) to create the chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavors.
• For the CHOCOLATE icing: Add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, stir until combined.
• For the VANILLA icing: Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, stir until combined.
• For the STRAWBERRY incing: Add 2 tablespoons Strawberry cream cheese and 1 drop of pink food coloring, stir until combined.
  

For the vanilla buttercream I used vanilla bean paste so the look would resemble that of vanilla bean ice cream. Can you see the little black specks of vanilla beans in there...yummy!

Time to add the icing! First add a stripe of vanilla icing down the center of the cupcake to divide the top into 3 pieces.

Then add a stripe of chocolate icing to cover 1/3 of the cupcake.

Then add a final stripe of strawberry icing to cover the remaining 1/3 of the cupcake.

So what do you think? Looks identical to Neapolitan ice cream doesn't it?

I wish I had a scoop of Neapolitan ice cream to go along with these adorable cupcakes. These are definitely one of my favorite cupcake creations to date. I already want to make them again!

Hope you enjoy these fabulously flavorful and colorful little cakes!