Neapolitan ice cream is a classic and beloved flavor that is perfect for the days you simply can’t choose just one! Well, now this option is extending beyond ice cream to the world of cake! These Black Cocoa Neapolitan Sundae Cupcakes have the fluffiest black cocoa cake base and are topped with luscious swirls of strawberry and vanilla cream cheese frosting. 

To turn these cupcakes into the ultimate sundae experience, add two chocolate pocky sticks and a stroopwafel “waffle cone” piece to complete the effect! Every single element blends together perfectly, creating a beautiful cupcake full of a variety of flavors and textures.

Get ready to dig into these – I can guarantee you will be going back for seconds! 

If cookies are more your cup of tea, I made a very similar recipe with black cocoa and strawberry powder recently. Check out my Neapolitan Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches here!

Recipes used to make the Black Cocoa Neapolitan Sundae Cupcakes:

The Black Cocoa Cupcakes – Black Cocoa Cupcakes by Buttermilk by Sam

The Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting: Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting by Five Heart Home

After using black cocoa to make Neapolitan cookies recently, I have been itching to bake with it again. I absolutely love the unique, dark color it gives as well as the Oreo-esque flavor it adds! After perusing the internet for a black cocoa cupcake recipe (there weren’t many!) I chose to use the one by Buttermilk by Sam and I am SO glad I did. These cupcakes have a texture unlike any I’ve made before. They are extremely light and soft, almost like angel food cake. I was happily eating these without any frosting, they were that good on their own!

As for the frosting, I adored the strawberry flavor that came through my Neapolitan cookies from using freeze dried strawberry powder. The fact that I knew the taste would be wonderful, and I wouldn’t have to take the time to make a strawberry reduction like most other strawberry frostings call for, I was certain this recipe by Five Heart Home would be the best option for flavor and saving time!

Key Ingredients for Black Cocoa Neapolitan Sundae Cupcakes:

The Black Cocoa Powder:

What is black cocoa powder?

Black cocoa powder is essentially a cocoa powder that has been heavily dutched or alkalised.  This process reduces acidity and makes cocoa darker, easier to dissolve in liquids, and more mild in flavor. It is also extremely natural as there aren’t any food colors used to achieve it! This makes it great to use as a natural food coloring agent. I can’t wait for Halloween to make lots of dark and spooky treats with it! 

I use this black cocoa powder by The Cocoa Trader and love it!

If you haven’t heard of the magic of black cocoa powder, please let me be the first to assert to you that it is a must-try if you are a chocolate lover! I’ve now had it in cookies, bundt cake, and cupcakes and it has been phenomenal in all three. The cocoa flavor it gives is a bit reminiscent of Oreo cookies, and I haven’t found it to be bitter one bit, as you may fear from its dark appearance.  If you are hesitant, you can always do a half/half mixture of black cocoa and your cocoa powder of choice to get a feel for the flavor without going all in. 

The Freeze Dried Strawberries:

I officially am on the lookout for any new recipes that call for freeze dried strawberries because the fresh strawberry flavor it gives is absolutely incredible! It makes the baking process so much easier to simply pulverize strawberry pieces rather than use fresh or frozen.

I get my freeze dried strawberries at Target, but they can also be found at other grocery stores or online! 

The Chocolate Wafer Garnish:

To emulate the look of classic wafer sticks that poke out of ice cream shakes and sundaes, I used Pocky Chocolate Ultra Slim Sticks. I bought a few flavors for color variety if needed, but I thought the dark chocolate hue meshed beautifully and didn’t distract from the gorgeous frosting layers. I found mine at World Market, but they also can be found online and at many grocery stores! 

To add these sticks to the frosting, break the pieces to shorten the length, or use a sharp knife to cut them more precisely and avoid getting fingerprints on the chocolate (the method I use).

The Mini Waffle Cone Pieces:

A mini waffle cone was needed to complete these cupcake sundaes, and to achieve this I used mini stroopwafels! Apart from their sweet and chewy deliciousness, they are super easy to cut into triangles and use to mimic a regular waffle cone. As a bonus, you get little scraps of the stroopwafels to snack on! 

How to assemble the Neapolitan Cupcakes:

• Bake the Cupcakes – This recipe calls for 12 cupcakes but yielded 16 for me. The batter is thick. Using a cookie scoop will help transfer the batter to the cupcake liners without causing a mess.
• Allow the cupcakes to fully cool before frosting.
• Next, make the cream cheese frosting. Right before you add the strawberry powder, conserve about a cup of the vanilla cream cheese frosting to use for topping your cupcakes with. You will subsequently need less strawberry powder (about 3/4 the amount).
• Frost the cupcakes. I fitted two piping bags with Wilton 1M tips and piped a swirl of strawberry frosting followed by the cream cheese.
• Decorate the cupcakes with two pocky sticks and a stroopwafel “waffle cone” piece.
• Admire your work and dig in to the delicious cupcakes you created!

Black Cocoa Neapolitan Sundae Cupcakes

Recipe by AshleyCourse: Desserts

Servings

16

cupcakes

Prep time

45

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

5

minutes

Ingredients

• One batch Black Cocoa Cupcakes by Buttermilk by Sam
  
  

• One batch Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting by Five Heart Home
  
  

• For Decorating

• Pocky Chocolate Ultra Slim Sticks

• Mini stroopwafels

Directions

• Bake the black cocoa cupcakes and allow them to fully cool. The batter is thick – using a cookie scoop helps distribute it into the liners evenly.
• Check the cupcakes to make sure they don’t overbake – I pulled mine when a toothpick inserted into the center came out clean.
• Make the cream cheese frosting and scoop out a cup of frosting to use for later before adding the strawberry powder. I found I did not need the full amount of strawberry powder since I removed some of the frosting. (I used about ¾ the amount)
• Continue to add the strawberry powder and complete mixing the frosting.
• Pour the vanilla and the strawberry cream cheese frosting into piping bags fitted with an open star piping tip – Wilton 1M.
• On the cooled cupcakes, pipe a swirl of strawberry frosting followed by a swirl of vanilla cream cheese frosting.
• Add two small chocolate pocky sticks to one side of the cupcake.
• Use a knife to cut the mini stroopwafels into triangles and place one opposite the chocolate sticks.
• Take a moment to enjoy your work and dig in!

Notes

• The cupcake recipe calls for 12 cupcakes but it made a little over 16 for me.
• Since you are removing some of the cream cheese frosting to save for later, you do not need to use the full amount of strawberry powder.

Pin for later!

If you make this dessert or have any questions, please leave a comment below! I absolutely love hearing when others are inspired to step into their kitchen and try out something new.

Happy Baking!

XOXO,