Ok, so this isn’t really a recipe. It’s a set of instructions. I end up making these ice cream cone cupcakes once a year for someone’s birthday and I always dread it because I can never remember how much batter to put into each cone. I find myself making several test cones before I arrive at the right amount, and at 15 minutes a test cone, the project takes forever which is not good for me because I inevitably make the cupcakes either the night before or on the day that they’re needed, not leaving much margin for error. Wouldn’t you figure I’d learn after all these years?  Well this year was different. I found a couple of tricks online that made this project fairly easy!

Here’s the first trick: cover a cupcake tin with aluminum foil, then punch a hole in the center of the foil where each cupcake should be.   If your cupcake tin makes 12 cupcakes, you should have 12 holes.   You can use scissors, or the end of a spoon, or anything you can find that will make a small hole. You may then need to stick your finger in the hole to make it a little larger. You then take your ice cream cones and push them into the holes until they’re standing up straight. The aluminum foil will hold the cupcakes so they don’t tip over during baking. This, for me, was a huge revelation. This simple trick made my life so much easier. I used to have the cones dump over all the time during baking. Not only would I lose a cone, but the batter would inevitably drip all over the bottom of my oven, burn, and fill my kitchen with smoke.

Here are the cones all lined up just after baking.  With the aluminum foil holding them up, not a single one tipped.

The next trick for me was to figure out once and for all, how much batter to put into the cone to end up with a slightly domed cupcake at the top of the cone.  I was sick of cupcakes with batter that cooked as it dripped down the side of the cone (and I’ve made plenty of those!)   The trick for me was to use a small ice cream scoop (1.25″ in diameter), and add 2 level scoops of batter to each cone.    My cones were perfect each time!

The next trick was figuring out how to get the cupcakes to school since I made them for my son’s birthday celebration in class.   I have a nice, big cupcake carrier that my mom gave me as a gift, but these cupcakes don’t stand up straight in a traditional cupcake holder, so my husband engineered this box.    He drilled holes large enough to fit the bottom of each cone, consequently the cones were held perfectly.    Carrying them to school was a breeze.

Here they are ready to be taken to school.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Ice Cream Cones with flat bottoms
One batch of cake batter (you can even cheat and use a mix from a box if you’re in a rush!)
One batch of chocolate frosting
Candy/sprinkles for decorating the cupcakes

Make a batch of your favorite flavor of cake batter and preheat the oven appropriately.

Take a cupcake tin and cover it with aluminum foil. Punch a hole in the center of each of the cupcake cups. Enlarge the hole with your fingers if necessary. Place an empty ice cream cone in each of the cupcake cups. The foil will prevent the cones from tipping over.

Fill each of the cones with two scoops of batter (using a 1.25″ ice cream scoop).

Bake according to recipe directions, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frost the cupcakes with your favorite frosting, and decorate with sprinkles. The combinations of flavors/decorations are endless.

Enjoy!

Yield: one batch of cake batter typically yields ~30 cupcake cones

One year ago: Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
Two years ago: Chocolate Dipped Meringue Cookies
Three years ago: Peppermint Brownies