Ice Cream Cupcakes

So here is the super secret to ice cream cupcakes.  Uh, ya, like you couldn't have thought of it yourself.  The difference is this is an idea that came to me at about 2am after I, literally, dragged my body out of be to go to the bathroom for the second time since I went to bed.  My brain turned on and this is what I came up with.  Don't worry I fell back to sleep after this idea ran through my brain about 5 times.

I just baked a batch of chocolate cupcakes, according to the directions on the box.

After I removed all the cupcakes from the pan, I lined it with fresh papers. 

Don't forget to set out the ice cream at the begining to let it soften.  I used Tillamook Udderly Chocolate per Josh's request.

Remove the paper from the cupcakes.

Using a serrated knife, carefully cut all the tops off and about 1/2 inch of the bottoms off.

FYI:  Don't let the ice cream get this soft.  It just soaks into the cake.  Next time I would only let it get soft enough to scoop, then I would just scoop it on instead of spreading it.

Place all the bottoms into the cups.

Here is what the cupcake tops look like.

I spread the ice cream onto the cupcake bottoms.  But, like I said, next time I would just place a small scoop on.

Lastly, place the cupcake tops on the ice cream.

Cover the cupcakes and put them in the freezer over night.

Just before I served them, I took them out of the freezer and frosted them with some homemade canned frosting.  Then I put the toys on top.

Things I learned:

-don't let the ice cream get too soft before you put it on the bottom layer

-these puppies thaw fast, so don't keep them out of the freezer too long before you serve them

-5 and 6 year olds don't care that the ice cream is melted and the bottom layer of the cupcake is soggy when you top it with a Star Wars toy. 

-I took all the middles and spread the extra frosting on them and made a chocolate cupcake/frosting sandwich.  Yum!