It's salty, sweet, chocolatey, caramely, and spicy - what more could you want?! The differences in textures, flavors, and temperatures are sure to drive your tastebuds wild. This will make about a dozen cupcake sundaes, with extra ice cream to keep you going.
Combine the cocoa, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Add the chocolate and stir gently to melt. Stir in the cream cheese and salt, mixing until you no longer see streaks of white.
Make the Ice Cream Base:
Whisk together a couple tablespoons of milk and the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a slurry. Set aside.
Pour the remaining milk, cream, sugar, and corn syrup into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium high heat, and boil, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually mix in the cornstarch slurry.
Return to heat and bring back to a boil. Stirring constantly with a heatproof rubber spatula, cook until slightly thickened - about one minute.
Remove from heat and gradually stir into the chocolate paste mixture. Add the cinnamon and cayenne, mixing well.
Pour into a clean bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap to the surface of the custard. Refrigerate at least 8 hours, over overnight, until very well cold. Process according to your ice cream machine's directions. Freeze until solid, at least 4 hours.
Make the Spicy Chocolate Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Line one cupcake pan with liners.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, soda, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar, until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg, beating until very well incorporated. Add the vanilla. Being sure to scrape the bowl often, pour in a third of the dry ingredients, mix until just combined, then add half of the sour cream and mix until just combined. Repeat, then add the remaining dry ingredients. Gently stir in the hot coffee, and pour into prepared cupcake liners. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed in the center. Turn cupcakes out onto a cooling rack and cool to room temp.
Make the Chocolate Frito Crunch
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Stir in the ground Fritos (I like the look of them on top, but they went soggy). Spread thinly onto a piece of parchment and allow to cool until firm. Break into wedges.
Make the Salty Buttered Almonds
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Stir all ingredients together in a bowl. Spread evenly onto a lined sheet pan. Bake for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the nuts are crisp and fragrant. Allow to cool.
Make the Praline Sauce
Combine everything but the vanilla extract in a large pot with tall sides.
Over medium heat, bring the sauce to a boil, stirring frequently. Once the mixture comes to a boil, cook for about 7 minutes, until thickened. Be sure to stir often and keep an eye on the pot so it doesn't bubble over. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Serve warm, but store in the refrigerator. If the sauce separates, gently reheat while stirring to bring it back together.
Assemble your Chocomole Ice Cream Cupcake Sundae
Take the wrapper off a cupcake and plop it on a plate. Top with a generous scoop of the ice cream, followed by a generous cloud of whipped cream. Sprinkle over with the salted buttery almonds, and then hit it with a dash of cinnamon. Top with warmed praline sauce. Consume. Go take a nap.
Recipe by Whisk Kid at https://whisk-kid.com/?p=2084