Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

A couple of weeks ago Adam and I received an invite to a going away party for someone at his Hospital. I immediately knew that I wanted to bring a dessert, because it has been so long since I have baked anything! I have been aching to whip something up and was so happy that I got the chance to do so and share it with people. I also knew that I wanted to make cupcakes, and I thought that Ice Cream Cone cupcakes would be a fun treat.

I used the Hersheys 'Perfectly Chocolate' Chocolate Cake (seriously the best chocolate cake you will find) recipe and Magnolia Bakery's Buttercream Icing- recipe below.

I used the sugar cones and found that the best way to bake and transport these is to start off with a deep, oven safe dish.

Take 2 layers of heavy duty aluminum foil and securely fix them onto the top of the dish. Use a pencil/pen/skewer to poke a hole in the foil and place the tip of a cone into the hole. Press down to expand the hole to a size where the cone is halfway in and sturdy. Repeat with remaining cones.

Fill the cone about 3/4 of the way full with batter and bake for about 20 minutes. The cake recipe yielded 24 cones and about 36 mini cupcakes. This is perfect for making and freezing, too.

I used a plain disposable piping bag with the tip cut off for the minis, making just a circular icing top, and then the open star tip for the cones to give it a swirl effect, like soft serve. I think I added 1 cup of milk to the icing instead of 1/2 because my icing would not stiffen, even after a whole bag of sugar. Oops! It still worked out. I used mini m&ms, crushed butterfinger snackers and Hersheys Caramel Topping in a piping bag to decorate. These were a hit and would be cute for a kids party or for adults!

Magnolia's Vanilla Buttercream Icing(taken from Food Network)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.