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Ahh, summertime. There’s nothing like ice cream to beat the heat in the summer, is there? Growing up, I looked forward to summer solely for the ice cream… for us, it was just a part of tradition. My great grandmother wouldn’t let an evening go by without a bowl of ice cream, and that’s a standard that I love to live up to, especially in the heat of summer… with heat indexes reaching 104 around here, you have to cool off somehow! And with these mini ice cream cakes that are upside down, you’ll have the whole family ready to cool off in no time!

Making these treats are easy– you’ll want your favorite flavor of Blue Bunny® ice cream, a Smucker’s topping or two, and some crust ingredients– I like to use waffle cones, sandwich cookies, or graham crackers, depending on the flavor of ice cream I’m using, and some butter to help it stay together.

Our family usually has the freezer pretty stocked with flavors for the whole family. My son can’t get enough of Blue Bunny® Blu’s Birthday Party®, but we all have our favorites!

Making these upside down ice cream cakes is super easy– in fact, your child could easily help you make them! They’re no-bake, too, making it even easier. Start with your ingredients– cones, butter, Blue Bunny® ice cream, and Smucker’s Toppings, plus any little decorations you want (like sprinkles).

Crush the cone to bits using your food processor or a fork. From there, add half a teaspoon of butter and place the bowl of crust mixture into the microwave for about 30 seconds until the butter has melted. Stir it together until a crust texture forms.

For bite-sized cups, you’ll want to use just a half teaspoon of crust mixture. For full-sized muffin tins, use 1-2 teaspoons of the crust mixture (enough to cover the bottom).

Next, add in a little drizzle of Smucker’s Magic Shell in Chocolate Fudge flavor if desired. It helps hold the crust together, and as soon as the ice cream hits, it solidifies, which is always fun! It makes this delicious hard chocolate shell on top of the finished cake.

Then, top the crust with softened ice cream. You’ll want to let it soften for about 10 minutes before you get started, but you definitely don’t want it liquid. You want it just soft enough to let it really smush into the cups evenly without getting it all over the place! For this cup, I used Blue Bunny® Blu’s Birthday Party®, but you can feel free to get inspired with any of the flavors in the lineup!

For a mini muffin tin, it only takes a tablespoon of ice cream to fill it up, but you’ll want two tablespoons in each cup if using a regular sized muffin tin.

Place your muffin tin in the freezer for at least 1 hour, or until the ice cream has hardened again. Then, remove liners from the muffin tin, flip them upside down so the crust side is on top, and serve! I topped mine with a little spritz of whipped topping and some sprinkles– who doesn’t love sprinkles?

These mini ice cream cakes are a perfect way to serve ice cream at a birthday party or other summer soiree, too– there’s no need to scoop the ice cream while everyone’s waiting to eat. Just pop the treat on their plate and send them on their way!

Of course, even if there’s no party this summer, this is a great treat to enjoy with the family… why go out for ice cream or dessert when these super adorable treats make every dessert feel like a special occasion anyway? Besides, Smucker’s toppings are a super inexpensive way to add some fun to your summer ice cream, so it’s a great opportunity to get creative with flavors!

You don’t need to feel like you have to stick to just crushed waffle cone crusts, either– for many flavors, I love to use crushed sandwich cookies instead! Just swap out the waffle cones for crushed sandwich cookies, but continue to use the same amount of butter. I opted for chocolate sandwich cookies to go with Blue Bunny® Bunny Tracks® and Blue Bunny® Cherry Pickin’ Chocolate™ ice cream cups!

The thing I love is the sheer amount of awesome yumminess packed into the ice cream itself. For example, the Blue Bunny® Bunny Tracks® has swirls of caramel that you can see before you ever even open the container, plus those cute little peanut butter filled chocolate bunnies!

To make these, you just press in your crust mixture (this time with the sandiwich cookies) and two tablespoons of the ice cream.

After an hour or two in the freezer, serve them on a plate– upside down, of course!– and pour on your favorite toppings. I love the Smucker’s Sundae Syrup Caramel Flavored Syrup with the caramel of the Blue Bunny® Bunny Tracks®.

Heck, forget birthdays, who wouldn’t want to serve up these puppies at the end of a fancy date night at home? Yum!

The thing about these cups is that you truly can customize them with any flavor you love– from super fun and playful to super upscale to definite summertime classics, there’s an upside down ice cream cake cup for everyone. 

You can even get creative with your toppings– for the Blue Bunny® Cherry Pickin’ Chocolate™, I decided to put down a drizzle of Smucker’s Magic Shell Chocolate Fudge Flavored Topping on the plate, then set the upside down ice cream cake on it and watch it harden. I topped it with Smucker’s Microwaveable Hot Fudge Topping, chopped cherries, and a little bit of chopped up milk chocolate… who wouldn’t want this decadent treat on their dessert plate?

You can also go with a classic graham cracker crust to make for a delicious little topping to some of your flavors. Who can resist a classic like Blue Bunny® Vanilla? Just make your crust the same way as before– crush the graham crackers up and mix it with butter, microwave, and get that awesome crust texture going. Then, press it into the bottom of the cups, and spoon on the softened vanilla ice cream.

After freezing this simple classic, spoon Smucker’s Strawberry Spoonable Ice Cream Topping onto your plate, top it with the upside down ice cream cake, and serve– it’s like cheesecake, only way, way better. And seriously, how stinkin’ easy are these? Because they’re SO easy to customize with different flavors and toppings, you can whip up a variety in minutes and everyone at the party or the dinner table can take their pick of flavors!

I personally love a little bit of salt with my sweet, so I’m a big fan of Blue Bunny® Pistachio Almond.

A little puff of whipped topping, some chopped pistachios, and a drizzle of Smucker’s Sundae Syrup Caramel Flavored Syrup and I’ve got the salty-sweet treat that dreams are made of…

Seriously, it cannot possibly get any easier than this super simple recipe to kick up your summer fun. Despite the school supplies you’re seeing in school, there’s still plenty of summer left– and the temperature gauge is going to keep reminding us of that whether we like it or not.

You can beat the heat with any flavor of ice cream you love by making these super simple upside down mini ice cream cakes– whether you’re serving a crowd at a birthday party or just enjoying one by yourself before a long bubble bath, you really cannot go wrong with personalizing these puppies for something delicious this summer!

If you’re looking for more great ideas on how to beat the heat with Blue Bunny® and Smucker’s, you’ll for sure want to check out the social hub that features tons of great recipes you’ll love. Or, visit the Blue Bunny® website to learn more! And the next time you’re at Walmart, pick up your favorite flavor of Blue Bunny® and Smucker’s toppings, make these, and let me know what you thought of them!