By The corporate luncheon February 14 went smoothly. The next one is May 9. Brayden is seventy-one weeks old. The week brought the small cake job for Stephanie Yates’s son Theo’s late-second-year birthday-do-over (Stephanie had not done a public birthday party for Theo’s actual second birthday in April 2022 and had decided this week to do a small twenty-two-month-late-celebration before he turns two in April).
The ice cream cone cupcakes are flat-bottomed ice cream cones filled with cupcake batter, baked upright in a muffin tin to support the cones during the bake, frosted to look like a scoop of ice cream on top of a cone. The cupcakes are the showstopper of any kid-birthday-cake category. They are simultaneously cupcakes and ice cream cones (which everyone loves) and they remain stable at room temperature (which actual ice cream does not).
The technique on the ice-cream-cone cupcakes is preventing the cones from tipping over during the bake. The fix is using flat-bottomed waffle-cones rather than the standard pointed cones, baking them in a deep muffin tin where the muffin-tin’s walls support the cone’s sides, and filling each cone only two-thirds full so the batter does not overflow during the rise.
Sunday I made twelve cupcake-cones at the apartment as the test batch for Theo’s party next Saturday. The test went well. Brayden ate the cake-and-cone trimmings (off-shape pieces that I had pulled off the tops to level them). Dustin had two test cupcakes.
Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 24
Ingredients
- 24 flat-bottomed ice cream cones
- 1 box (15.25 oz) strawberry cake mix
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2–3 drops pink food coloring (optional)
- Sprinkles, for topping
- 24 maraschino cherries, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Stand ice cream cones upright in a 24-cup mini muffin tin or arrange snugly in a deep baking dish so they don’t tip.
- Make the batter. In a large bowl, combine the strawberry cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and water. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth and well combined.
- Fill the cones. Spoon or pipe the batter into each ice cream cone, filling about 2/3 of the way full. Do not overfill — the batter will rise as it bakes.
- Bake. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the batter comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- Make the frosting. Beat the softened butter with a hand or stand mixer on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until fluffy. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low between additions. Add heavy cream, vanilla extract, and food coloring if using. Beat on high for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
- Frost and decorate. Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe a generous swirl of frosting on top of each cooled cone cupcake to mimic a soft-serve ice cream swirl. Top each with sprinkles and a maraschino cherry.
- Serve. Serve immediately or store upright in a tall-sided container at room temperature for up to 1 day, or refrigerate for up to 3 days. Let come to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 280 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 40g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 195mg