If you need to know anything about me, it’s that I love ice cream. Love it.
Like my love for pizza, donuts, and Betsey Johnson dresses, I don’t have a specific type that I have to have. Sure, I have my favorites, but in general I consider myself a pretty equal-opportunity ice cream eater (though don’t tell that to my outspoken favorite, bubblegum).
My other preferences? Spumoni, mocha almond fudge, and Neapolitan. Who doesn’t love the classic combination of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry? It’s iconic! It’s classic! It’s just downright awesome.
So since it’s like 1346837 degrees F here in Sacramento, since I’ve been craving ice cream nightly and since it’s fun, I figured I’d declare this week Neapolitan Week on my blog. It kind of came as a last-minute idea last week while grocery shopping and spotting strawberry cake mix and reminiscing about days when I used to eat strawberry cupcakes all the live long day. And now, voila — it’s a week. You’re welcome.
To kick off Neapolitan Week, I made the chewiest, most scrumptious and ridiculously dense brownie-bars you’ll ever lay your eyeballs on. These are the fudgy sink-your-teeth-into kinda bars that I crave, and they’re tripled-stacked with Neapolitan goodliness, then topped with an irresistible, buttery white chocolate ganache (that looks incredibly drippy since my house is nothing short of 34763572 degrees inside).
And sprinkles, because they make me happy — duh.
Methinks you’re going to find yourself a new favorite ice cream flavor 🙂
- 1 box strawberry cake mix
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 3 eggs
- 3 sticks (1 & ½ cups) unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 pkg (12 oz) white chocolate chips
- Rainbow sprinkles
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally grease a 13x9" baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the chocolate cake mix, ONE egg and 1 stick (1/2 cup) softened butter with a spoon until blended and a soft dough has formed. Using greased hands, press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Clean out the bowl with a paper towel.
- Next, prepare the white cake mix with ONE egg and another 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter; stir until combined. Gently press this mixture on top of the chocolate layer with your fingers. Alternatively, you can press the mixture into the palms of your hand and kind of "puzzle piece" it together on top of the chocolate mixture so you're careful not to mix the layers. Clean out the bowl.
- Lastly, prepare the strawberry cake mix with the remaining egg and butter. Repeat the same process, covering the white layer with the strawberry layer. Bake for approx. 30-40 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the center appears set. Allow the bars to cool completely.
- Once the bars have cooled, make the ganache: in a microwave-safe bowl, combine the heavy cream and entire package of white chocolate chips. Microwave for 40 seconds, then stir until smooth. Spread evenly over the top of the bars, then immediately top with sprinkles. Allow the bars to set in the fridge for about 30 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.
I love these bars! How chewy and dense they are with that delectable fudgy texture; the layers of colors; the fact that you can taste all three flavors (!!); and that irresistible ganache on top that reminds me of drippy vanilla ice cream (and helps the vanilla layer stand out a bit against the chocolate and strawberry). I think these will be a new favorite for you! All that’s missing is the cone 🙂
Have a fantastical day!!
xo, Hayley
Michele @ Alwayzbakin says
I LOVE the colors! I’m sure the are delicious too, but I can’t stop looking at them. They remind me of those Italian cookies covered with chocolate but BETTER!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
yayyy Neapolitan week, how fun! These bars look like such a pretty and sweet treat-can’t wait to see what else you have to share! 🙂
Sophia @ NY Foodgasm says
OMG these looks amazing! Want it STAT!
Kasidy Belle says
YAY for neapolitan week!
I can’t wait to see what else you can come up with!
These bar look amazing!!
kasidybelle.blogspot.com
Kelsea Echo says
I want these I want these I want these I want these!!! 🙂 🙂
Amy @ Amy's Healthy Baking says
Girl, I basically want an ice cream IV with how hot it’s been lately! Seriously a necessity living in Sacramento in the summer… 😉 I actually used to avoid Neapolitan ice cream because I didn’t like my flavors mixing (yes, I used those special divider plates for little kids for half of my life), but thankfully I’ve grown up and that’s done a complete 180°. Can’t wait for your other Neapolitan treats!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
I’m in love with these – they’re so pretty! I never liked Neapolitan when I was a kid, but I do now!
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
DANG I love these bars!
Elizabeth @ Confessions of a Baking Queen says
LOVE how distinctive each color is!! So pretty and I bet they were so tasty too!! And sooooo over this heat!! Let’s just run away to a cool spot ….that has good food of course 🙂
Lisa Foote says
LOVE these! YAY! My mom used to slice neapolitan ice-cream on the end of the square ice cream box- this is years ago obviously! But it tasted special because it was a square of ice cream instead of a scoop AND you could eat each layer separately or together. Good memories!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
Love these bars! Those layers are so fun!