Welcome to the August Recipe of the Month: Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes!
These ice cream cone cupcakes are an old favorite that I’ve been making since I was a kid. Today we’re using a homemade vanilla cupcake recipe (and stirring in some colorful sprinkles) and topping everything off with a vanilla and chocolate swirl of cream cheese frosting.
Today’s recipe includes tips for substituting your favorite cake flavor and for using different types of frosting, as well as an alternate recipe of the month option.
Welcome to our fourth Recipe of the Month: Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes!
In case you missed it, each month I’m selecting a different recipe that I’d love for each and every one of you to bake along with me! And, if you participate, you will be entered to win prizes like a $50 Amazon Gift Card, so make sure to check out all of the details that I shared yesterday on how to participate.
For the month of August (and August only, so you’ll have to submit any entries before the end of the month), we are doing these cute Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes.
I wish I could take credit for such a cute, original idea as baking cupcakes inside of ice cream cones, but these were first introduced to me via a printed recipe on the side of a Pillsbury box (I think) over a decade ago. I decided to bring these creations back to life, only with a homemade cupcake recipe and frosting styled to be suggestive of soft serve ice cream.
I have always used a cupcake tin to make my ice cream cone cupcakes and have never had a problem with them toppling over. Simply place one cone in each cupcake cavity and use a steady hand (preferably two steady hands) when filling your cones and when transferring them to and from the oven.
However, if you’re worried about your cones toppling, you can snuggly secure each one by wrapping a piece of crumpled foil around the base of each cone (as I show here with the bottom right cone).
Make sure to let your ice cream cone cupcakes cool completely before covering with frosting.
Giving your ice cream cone cupcakes a soft-serve-style swirl is completely optional (we always just smeared frosting on top of our cupcakes as kids), but I think it adds something special and cute to each cupcake.
When making the frosting flavors, I tried to keep things simple by making one batch of frosting and then flavoring half of it with cocoa powder, rather than making one flavor and starting over to make the second. To achieve the swirl in today’s cupcakes, just fill one piping bag with your vanilla flavor and another with chocolate, snip the ends off the piping bags, and place those piping bags in a third (preferably larger) piping bag that’s been fitted with a Wilton 2D tip.
One thing to keep in mind is that a little frosting goes a long way, and while the swirl is cute, the taller your cupcakes are the harder they will be to store.
To keep these cupcakes fresh you’ll want to store them in an airtight container (I usually keep mine at room temperature unless it’s particularly warm, in which case they go in the fridge). To store mine I turn a tall, flat-topped cake carrier upside-down and use the bottom as the lid, so keep storage in mind as you’re decorating them!
A few more notes for the Recipe of the Month Challenge:
- I used my vanilla cake batter for today’s recipe, but you can use my funfetti cupcake recipe or a half batch of my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe instead. Substitute the batter but otherwise follow the instructions listed in the recipe below for bake time/temp etc.
- I used cream cheese frosting and chocolate cream cheese frosting for these cupcakes because it’s my favorite, but you can use my vanilla frosting instead. Make the frosting as suggested, divide it approximately in half, and then beat 3-4 Tablespoons of cocoa powder into one half so that you have chocolate and vanilla.
- Swirling the cupcake frosting is not mandatory for the challenge! You can do just one flavor and you can even just spread the frosting on top of the cupcakes with a knife!
- If you just aren’t feeling these Ice Cream Cone cupcakes for the Recipe of the Month Contest, you can make my Pinata Cupcakes instead and enter them!
Enjoy!
Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 18 flat bottomed ice cream cones
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (56g)
- ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil (60ml)
- ¾ cup sugar (150g)
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (185g)
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup buttermilk* (160ml)
- 3 Tablespoons colored sprinkles or quinns (not nonpareils) optional
Ice Cream Cone Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened (113g)
- 8 oz cream cheese (brick-style, not spreadable) softened (226g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar (500g)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (33g)
- Additional sprinkles for serving optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and place ice cream cones upright in a cupcake pan. I just place my cones directly in each cupcake cavity and don't have problems with it falling over but if you're worried about that, just use foil to support the base of each ice cream cone (you can see I did this in the bottom right cone in the photo in the post as an example).
- Combine butter, canola oil, and sugar in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until creamy and well-combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and then stir in vanilla extract.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Using a spatula and gently hand-mixing, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined after each addition. Halfway through stirring in the flour, add sprinkles, if using. The batter should be smooth and completely combined, but avoid over-mixing.
- Evenly divide batter into your prepared ice cream cones (I use an ice cream scoop to neatly portion the batter), filling each ice cream cone ¾ of the way full (I fill mine to the first ridge in the cone, see second photo in post. Do NOT overfill) and bake on 350F (175C) for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Do not overbake or they will be dry!Always be careful transferring your cupcake pan to and from the oven so that the ice cream cones don't topple over.
- Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
Ice Cream Cone Frosting
- Combine butter and cream cheese in a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) and use an electric mixer to beat until creamy.
- Sprinkle salt evenly over the butter/cream cheese mixture and add vanilla extract. Stir well to combine.
- Gradually, with mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar until all sugar has been combined. If using a stand mixer, be sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
- Remove approximately ½ of the batter to a separate container and add cocoa powder to the remaining batter. Stir until cocoa powder is well-incorporated and icing is even in color.
- To decorate your cupcakes, place your white frosting in one piping bag and your chocolate in another. Snip the end off of each disposable piping bag and place both piping bags in a separate (preferably larger) piping bag that's been fitted with a Wilton 2D (or similar) tip.
- Always squeezing from the top, squeeze your frosting onto a plate or into one of your used frosting bowls until both colors are evident when you are piping.
- Pipe vanilla/chocolate swirls on top of each cupcake -- remember that the frosting is pretty sweet so don't go overboard with the amount of frosting per cupcake, 2 swirls is usually plenty!
- Top with sprinkles if desired and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This recipe was originally published 08/24/2015
Jennifer
I just finished baking these and the cones are only 2/3 full, if that, coming out of the oven. I think 12 cones would have been just right for cupcakes that bake up closer to the top of the cones.
Lauren
I am wondering how you get both kinds of frosting into your piping bag?
Sam
Hi Lauren! There are actually two smaller piping bags inside the larger piping bag. You can kind of see it in the one photo. Just fill two smaller ones with the 2 different frostings, cut off the end and stick them in the larger piping bag. 🙂
Jenna
2 separate piping bags put into one larger piping bag.
Gayle
Hi, Sam. Can these be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen and then frosted at the day of our party? I’d appreciate any thoughts.
Thanks, Gayle
Sam
Hi Gayle! I haven’t tried. My only concern would be how the ice cream cones would hold up to being frozen then thawed, but I think it could work. If you do try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
Gayle
Thanks, we’ll keep you posted. We made our first batch last night and the funfetti cake recipe you share is so yummy!
Emily
Hi! I’m planning to make these for my daughter’s birthday. I’m wondering if anyone has tried using coconut oil in place of canola/veg oil.
Ginger Long
I’m trying with a box cakre and it’s not working out so far. The tops cooked but started running out and even putting in pick comes out clean the dough is raw in middle ..
Sam
Hi Ginger! It sounds like the cones are being filled with too much batter, I would try adding less and I think you’ll have better results.
Mathew
Hi,
Can you use any cupcake batter and fill it in the cone to bake (i prefer chocolate or red velvet cupcakes )
Sam
Hi Matthew! Yes you can, be sure to check out my chocolate cupcakes and red velvet cupcakes! 🙂
Madeleine Cogbill
Hi I love this idea, and I have a question. Could you use a chocolate cupcake batter in the ice cream cones?
Sam
Yes that would work just fine! Enjoy 🙂
Jude Barrett
Dear Lily, my 8 year old son wanted to add surprises inside his cones for his friends for his birthday…so, he made Regular cupcakes, popped then out of the muffin tin and then got the cones, filled them with his favorite mini Swedish fish candies, then M&M’s on top of those, then put icing on top and stuck the cupcake upside down on top of the icing which acted kind of like “glue” to stick it to the cone and then he got a piping bag and decorated the top of the cone in vanilla icing and put a Swedish Fish on top and I made a little sign that said “Go Fishing Guys!” Since the theme was “fishing” and placed these on my Betty Crocker Ice Cream Cone Cupcake Baking Rack so I get two purposes from it and he also made the pointy cone kind with different candies inside and those I placed/displayed on my Wilton Cupcake Cone Baking Rack since he wanted to do something special. I let him go to town on these cupcakes which turned out perfectly. He was so proud. I’m glad he did these because I was busy making all the fish tacos, guacamole, and stuffing the piñata.
Julie Jarvis
A good way to keep cones from tipping is to place foil over the entire cupcake tray. Cut an X shape slit over each mold and the just pop in the cones.
Sugar Spun Run
That is a great tip, Julie! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Sussnne
Can you use the pointy bottom Ice cream cones instead of the flat bottom cones? I bought a special cone holder that I can use in the oven too.
Sugar Spun Run
Hello! I have never tried it! It shouldn’t be a problem though. Let me know how they turn out. 🙂
Ava Reed
I hear cone get soggy how can I prevent this from happening
Sam
Hi Ava! I have never had the cone become soggy. The cone does become soft after baking, but I don’t think there is a way to prevent that. It’s just a product of the cone being baked. 🙂
Mia
You can poke holes in the cone so they don’t get soggy
Lily
Could you bake the cupcakes separately and then stick them in the cones? I’m not sure.
Sam
Hi Lily! I don’t recommend it. They will probably end up just falling apart.
Lily
Thank you!