Cupcake Project/Scoopalicious Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup 2010

It's time again for the Cupcake Project and Scoopalicious Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup - your opportunity to showcase your amazing ice cream cupcake creations just in time for Summer! For a brief tutorial to get you started, check out Stef's post on ice cream cupcakes. For tons of inspiration, check out the drool-worthy entries from 2008 and 2009.


This year, we've raised the stakes with some AMAZING prizes! Check this out, people:

One grand prize winner will win a Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker

AND an incredible prize pack from OXO including OXO Good Grips Solid Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop, Oxo Good Grips 2-Cup Angled Measuring Cup, OXO Good Grips 1169600 3-Piece Mixing Bowl Set, Blue/Green/Yellow, Oxo Good Grips Bent Icing Knife, and Oxo Good Grips PRO Grater!!

Two semifinalists and two voters will also win the OXO prize pack shown above.  Read below for the complete rules. You'll be surprised to find out who is judging this year's contest.

Official Rules:

• Dates: You can enter any time through May 31, 2010.
  
• How to Enter:  

1. Write a post on your blog during the month of May and include a link to both this post and to the post at Scoopalicious. (If you don't have a blog, you can still enter, but why not start one?)  Sorry, we are allowing just one entry per person this year - so make it count!  International readers are welcome to enter, but prizes can not be shipped internationally.  You will win bragging rights and you will have the opportunity to gift your prizes to any person or organization in the United States.
2. Upload a photo of your cupcake to our Flickr group.  Please upload as large a photo as possible so that we can be sure to best showcase it in the roundup.
3. Then, complete the entry form. (You can also find it at the bottom of this post)

• Entrant Voting: All ice cream cupcake roundup entrants are required to vote for their favorite ice cream cupcake some time during the second week of June.  Entrants must pick their first, second, and third favorite ice cream cupcakes and they are not allowed to vote for their own cupcakes.  Entrants that do not vote will become ineligible to win.  (To summarize - you are being judged by your cupcake creating peers - no pressure!)  The top three cupcakes as chosen by the entrants will go on to the public vote.  All three entrant-voted winners will win OXO prize packs, but the public will determine who wins the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker.  In the event of a tie, the cupcake that received the most second place votes will win.  If there is still a tie, we will look at third place votes.  If there is still a tie, we will have a quick - one day only - vote between the two tied cupcakes.
  
• Public Voting:  Public voting will take place during the second half of June.  Anyone with a valid email address will have an opportunity to choose their favorite of the top three cupcakes.  You'll want to vote because two voters will win the same prize pack as the semi-finalists!  In the event of a tie, we will have a quick - one day only - vote between the two tied cupcakes.

Special thanks to Cuisinart and OXO for offering our incredible prizes!

Good luck!!

A special thank you to Stef at the Cupcake Project for all her hard organizational work, her excellent description of the contest, and for procuring the prizes!

Flavor of the Month: Stone Ridge Creamery's Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream

Yes, I'm cutting this "Flavor of the Month" a bit close for making it into April, but I'm doing it! 

A couple of weeks ago I finally posted a review about some samples we got in the mail from Stone Ridge Creamery. Shortly after, there was a comment from "Lucky" asking why we had not yet reviewed Stone Ridge's Amy's Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream...why not? Because I didn't even know it existed. Well, Friday I stopped at Shaw's to pick some up and all I have to say is "Thank you, Lucky!" Oh, and "It's a good thing I am pregnant and due in August because these elastic waisted pants are serving more than my baby belly!"

So I have a major complaint before I go into detail about how much I loved this ice cream -- if only the Stone Ridge Creamery website were even HALF as good as their ice cream. Their website is simply an image. You can't click on anything, you can't get more information. I suppose you could call Customer Service for more information at 1-877-932-7948, but picking up a phone and calling is so old school.

I can't even get you any pictures so you know what to look for in your grocer's freezer...I'll have to post a picture of my crushed carton...


NOTE: As I attempted to finish writing this post today, however, cooincidentally I recieved an emailed press release about this ice cream (as well as the two others that were introduced along with it) and the super cool story about how the ice cream flavors came to be -- a companywide contest! See below for a quote from the SUPERVALU press release:

If you think you can’t lick a prize like this one, ask three SUPERVALU® (NYSE: SVU) associates who were named the winners of the company’s employee “Stone Ridge Creamery® Name Your Dream Flavor Sweepstakes.” In addition to receiving free ice cream for a year and a $500 gift card, the winning associates will have their dream flavors added to the Stone Ridge Creamery lineup and their caricatures featured on the carton.

Thanks Amy Youngblood, "senior business support specialist at SUPERVALU’s innovation center in Minneapolis," for your "Red Velvet Cake" suggestion! Here's her story with how she came up with the flavor:

Red Velvet Cake has long been a favorite family dessert for any celebration — from birthdays to weddings,” Youngblood said. “I also thought this flavor would be a great choice because Red Velvet Cake itself is a classic, nostalgic flavor that would be a natural addition to the retro feel of the Stone Ridge Creamery lineup. However, it still feels modern and innovative since it’s a flavor not commonly found in ice cream.

Amy, I love your retro with a contemporary feel!

Flavorwise, I found this ice cream to be very rich and creamy and the carton was polished off long before this post was finished. I loved the swirls of vanilla ice cream in the chocolate, but more than Red Velvet Cake, this ice cream actually reminded me of Hoodsie Cups I loved so much as a kid. Who am I kidding? I still love them! Haha! Anyway, this ice cream takes me back to elementary school when on a hot day we'd be surprised with the personal cups of creamy goodness and our own little wooden paddle spoon!

Back to the product at hand, though. I find this dessert to be the adult version of Hoodsie Cups -- comforting and wonderfully tasty. The packaging is fun as well, with Retro Amy holding a huge red velvet cake. My one complaint is that I didn't LOVE how the cream cheese swirls didn't swirl so well into the ice cream -- it seemed to be more of an afterthought you were left over with rather than being so well integrated with the ice cream. It acted like a mix-in rather than a swirl that melted with the ice cream on your tongue. But that certainly wouldn't be enough to keep me from buying it again!


Stone Ridge's other winner's were:

• Tom Lindberg, retail technology specialist for SUPERVALU’s supply chain services northern region in Minneapolis, for his “Twisted Pretzel” flavor
• Joe Agrusa, direct store delivery receiver at the Albertsons store in Chula Vista, Calif., for his “Italian Kiss” flavor 

Congrats Joe and Tom! Can't wait to try, especially if they are as tasty as Amy's dream ice cream!

Reminder: Free Low Fat Ice Cream & Flavor Shot at Carvel

Visit your nearest Carvel today for some free low fat ice cream. We'll try to get out there for a review as well, but if we don't make it, we'd love comments as to how it is!

Recipe - Brown Butter and Peanut Brittle Ice Cream

Oh how I love my new iMac and the Epicurious Widget! So I plugged in ice cream and this is what I got for you. Enjoy!

Brown Butter and Peanut Brittle Ice Cream

From Epicurious

Ingredients

6 tablespoons ( 3/4 stick) unsalted butter

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup whole milk

6 large egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup coarsely chopped peanut brittle

Prep

Melt butter in small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until butter turns dark amber, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes (do not burn). Pour through fine strainer into small bowl. Bring cream and milk to simmer in large saucepan. Whisk egg yolks, both sugars, and salt in large bowl until thick and well blended. Add brown butter; whisk to blend. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolk mixture; return to same saucepan. Stir mixture over medium-low heat until instant-read thermometer registers 178°F, about 5 minutes. Strain custard into large bowl. Set bowl over larger bowl of ice water. Stir until custard is cold. Stir in vanilla.

Process custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Add peanut brittle during last 1 minute. Transfer ice cream to container; freeze. DO AHEAD: Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep frozen.

One reviewer says..."I've made this twice already and think it's one of the best ice cream recipes I've seen in a while. Very easy to make and freezes beautifully. The flavor is very similar to butterscotch."

Don't forget -- Free Maggie Moo's Pizza Today!

For all of you who are celebrating tax season being over (except for you MA residents in the 7 counties who got an extension due to our "state of emergency" a couple of weeks ago) -- don't forget to visit Maggie Moo's for your Ice Cream Pizza today! Tina wrote this up in more detail here.

Enjoy! (And let us know how it is...we don't have any Maggie Moo's in the area...!)