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Three ice cream cones with white soft-serve swirls, adorned with colorful sprinkles, stand in a row. The cones are placed on a blue and white striped surface with additional sprinkles scattered around.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes are the perfect party cupcake. The cupcake cooks inside the cone making a fun ice cream illusion that doesn’t melt.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Decorating Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 24 cupcakes
Course: cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 24 ice cream cones flat bottomed (we find the Keebler brand works best)
  • 1 box cake mix any flavor
Buttercream Frosting
  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 pounds powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup milk (add up to an extra tablespoon of milk if frosting is too thick)
  • candy sprinkles optional

Equipment

  • Mini Muffin Pan

Method
 

  1. Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Step 2: Place ice cream cones into the cups of a mini muffin pan.
  3. Step 3: Prepare cake mix according to box directions.
  4. Step 4: Fill each ice cream cone no more than ¾ full of batter, they will overflow if too much batter is inside! (Helpful Hint: To fill easier and with a lot less mess, put the cake batter into a gallon size zip-lock bag and cut out the bottom corner. Squeeze the batter into each cupcake!) Bake for 15-18 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  5. Step 5: Meanwhile in separate bowl, beat butter with mixer until fluffy.
  6. Step 6: Add vanilla, salt, powdered sugar and milk.
  7. Step 7: Continue beating until smooth.
  8. Step 8: To pipe on frosting to look like ice cream, start on the outside edge of the cupcake and spiral around the outside base making concentric circles towards the middle and then pull it off forming a peak like a soft serve ice cream cone. (For a big swirl, use same zip lock bag method used to fill cupcake batter.)
  9. Step 9: If using candy sprinkles, be sure to add them immediately after frosting so they will stick before the frosting dries. If the frosting does dry, you can use a fine mist spray bottle and mist them with water and then add sprinkles.

Notes

For a cupcake that tastes homemade – and not from a box, use these ingredients instead of what is listed on the box mix.
Dry boxed cake mix, 4 egg whites, ⅓ cup oil, ¾ cup milk, ½ cup sour cream. Mix wet ingredients together then blend in cake mix.