Cookin' in the Kitch {Mason Jar Ice Cream Cakes}

Last weekend was my Hubby's 31st Anniversary of his Birthing Day.
AKA- he turned 31.
I had originally planned to make some cupcakes, because I hate standing there with everyone staring at me impatiently while I try to cut the cake into a bazillion pieces, some "just a sliver" some "a tad bigger then hers" & some "with not too much frosting". Cupcakes solve all of life's problems. At least problems related to Birthday cake size.

Then when you add ice cream to the mix you get this....
"Who want's cake AND ice cream?"
"Who want's just cake?"
"Who wants just ice cream?"
"What flavor"
"How big of a scoop?"
"Who is willing to bludgeon me in the head with this brick of ice cream that hasn't really thawed yet & is so hard I fractured my wrist when the scooper snapped in half?"

SOLUTION: I stumbled upon this *pin* a while back & saved it in my memory banks (& on Pinterest, duh!). This trick of scooping ice cream AHEAD OF TIME is genius! PLUS, I wanted to make it all beforehand anyway because I have 2 kids & 2 arms...you do the math...

So I was all set to do this, the whole cupcake & pre-scooped ice cream bit, until I had a vision during a middle-of-the-night-nursing-session two days before the party.

What If...

What if I combined the TWO in ONE container, Hmm....that just may work...

• One prepared box of cake mix (per the box directions) in a 12x12 cake pan, cooled
• Two flavors of ice cream, slightly thawed
• One jar of Hot Fudge topping, at room temperature
• 16 mason jars, clean & dry
• an extra set of hands to help with the assembly line so these things don't melt all over the freaking place, optional
• the pretty cupcake liners you bought when you thought you were making "cupped" desserts (i.e. cupcakes & ice cream cups), optional

1. Use a mason jar as a 'cookie cake cutter' & cut out 16 cake rounds from your pan. Gently tear the leftover bits into smaller pieces.
2. Scoop ice cream flavor #1 into every jar.
3. Top with a dollop of hot fudge topping.
4. Plop a cake round in the jars next.
5. Scoop ice cream flavor #2 on top of the cake.
6. Top with fudge topping again.
7. Lastly, throw some of the leftover cake crumble on top.
8. Put on the lid disc.
9. Next, place a cupcake liner on TOP of the disc.
10. Finally, screw the lid ring in place to seal the yummy goodness in.
11. Shove those bad boys back in the freezer, NOW! 
12. When its time for Cake & Ice Cream unveil your Mason Jar Ice Cream Cakes & watch the jaws hit the floor...