I Discovered an Insane ‘Secret’ DQ Menu Hack in the Hudson Valley

I recently learned about the most incredible ice cream creation that's quietly being made available right here in the Hudson Valley.

Everyone loves Dairy Queen, or as they're known now: DQ. I remember as a kid hopping in the car on a hot summer day and taking the trip to a neighboring town just to get a Dilly Bar, Peanut Buster Parfait, "Mr. Misty" or, my favorite at the time, an old fashioned black and white ice cream soda.

While the menu has evolved over the years and some of the names of my favorite offerings have changed, I still get excited when we pull up to the local DQ and begin to decide just what I'm going to order.

Growing up with Dairy Queen, no special occasion could be observed without one of their famous ice cream cakes. You know it's a DQ cake when the chocolate crunchies in the center are encased in that gooey chocolate fudge. I would count the days until the next celebration when I could sink my fork (never a spoon) into a Dairy Queen cake, which made months without a family birthday seem to last forever.

You could imagine my surprise when I was tipped off about a little-known item quietly available at most Dairy Queen shops that allows customers to enjoy a mini-celebration whenever the mood strikes.

Because it would be crazy to order up an entire ice cream cake for yourself, Dairy Queen has an under-the-radar menu hack that will satisfy that craving in small doses. Apparently, if you ask, select locations will whip together DQ "cupcakes" which are mini versions of a full-sized ice cream cake made just for one single serving.

I can't believe I didn't hear about these until now.

Of course, I had to find out for myself if this was a real thing, so I popped into the Wappingers Falls DQ on Wednesday and was floored when it turned out to be true. Within minutes I walked out with a personal-sized ice cream cake, complete with the crunchy fudge center. It tasted just like a slice of heaven.

As far as I can tell, the cupcake is available at the DQ locations in Wappingers Falls and Middletown. I'm unsure of the others, so you may want to call ahead to find out before you get your hopes up.

The only problem is, now I have one more selection to worry about when deciding what to get during our next family outing to DQ.