How to Make Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

This cupcake cone recipe teaches you how to make cupcake cones and how to make them look and taste their absolute best. If you want to learn how to make ice cream cone cupcakes then you're in the right place!

Anyone else remember eating these growing up? I definitely do. I don't remember them looking this pretty but I remember LOVING every bite.

These cupcake cones are an ice cream cone baked full of whatever kind of cake you desire, topped with your favorite kind of frosting, that's piped on top of the cake to look exactly like a soft serve ice cream cone.

We only were given them on special occasions and I usually requested them at my birthday parties. Honestly, this cupcake cone recipe is that good.

What's amazing about them too is that they are so versatile. Any cake mix and any decorations will work beautifully.

My son used to be so serious and when these cupcake cones were being made for him. He would take his time to consider all of his options.

I loved seeing his serious face when he was little. Too cute.

Cupcake Cones Recipe

We made these cupcake cones at Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Valentines, July 4th and basically any excuse will do. You simply adjust the cake and decorations to suit the occasion, if any, and that is it.

Just wait until you see the looks on kids faces when serving these at a birthday party. Whether you have them already decorated or you allow the kids to decorate these ice cream cone cupcakes themselves.

Totally priceless I tell you.

I used to LOVE fruit loops so I chose to use that cereal for the purposes of this post but I assure you that any cereal will do.

As for the top of the cones you're not looking at ice cream! It's frosting from a piping bag. They are cheap and easy to use too. Don't be intimidated, grab a piping bag and give it a try.

It's easier than you think.

If a piping bag isn't an option you can press frosting into the corner of a resealable bag and after snipping the corner, squeeze the frosting on top of your cone like a soft serve ice cream.

All of that being said, I have used a knife and just spread a pile of frosting on top and there wasn't a single complaint. I mean, why would there be?

These ice cream cone cupcakes are so good. Just you wait and see.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Our neighbors had a pool when we were young and growing up. We spent so many summers there just playing in my friend Robert's pool. His mother Helen, as I later came to know her by, used to make this cupcake cones recipe all of the time too, especially throughout the summer.

Always different cake flavors with treats inside and on top. We couldn't get enough of them. I believe she never made the same ice cream cone cupcakes twice. EVER.

I was always so impressed believing that to be true. It definitely isn't likely although possible.

Tips For the Best Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

• Use the biggest ice cream cones you can find, unless you prefer a smaller size
• Wrap cones with foil to help hold the cones in place while baking in the oven, heavy duty foil will work better to make your cupcakes sturdier
• Do not overfill your cones more than one inch from the top edge of the cone or they will overflow and you'll have a mess on your hands
• Try using different cake mixes, frosting and decorations
• Involve kids in adding ice cream and decorating, they love it, make an ice cream cone cupcake bar with different frosting and different candies for decorating, they create their favorite everything on a cone
• No cutlery needed for this incredible edible adventure
• You can bake cupcake batter from scratch and experience the same amazing results but a mix is easier
• Use a large open star tip to pipe on the frosting but a round tip would work too. Featherweight piping bags are my favorite for cake decorating, because they clean up easily with hot, soapy water. But you could also use the disposable kind! No cleanup required, just toss ’em when you’re done!
• Any flavor of cake mix or frosting will do
• Consider using different kinds of cake in batches of cones for variety
• Disposable foil covered pans with a lid at local supermarket or dollar store
• Watch for cones that are missing pieces of top rim or edge, even the smallest chips can cause the batter to run over the sides of your ice cream cone. Always have a look before adding batter

Baking Cupcakes in Ice Cream Cones

Bake in an ice cream cone cupcake pan  or and you don't have to just use the ice cream cones with a flat bottom.

Honestly, there are lots of options as far as ice cream cone cupcake pans go. I hope you'll search.

Just be careful to check cone size before purchasing. Makes serving and transportation so much easier. Otherwise purchase a 13x9 inch foil pan and flip it over cutting or creating holes (a sharp knife creates an X and presses each cone through, foil needs to hold each cone and not push all the way through.

How To Make Store Bought Frosting Taste Better

Although store bought frosting is super convenient and fairly inexpensive, there are still a few things you can easily do to make it taste more like homemade.

I urge you to do it. You'll be so glad you did.

Adjusting the look and more importantly the consistency of your frosting could not be easier.

• Food coloring—add once frosting is made and adjust color to exactly what you want. This can make your dessert more appealing. Add little by little, a drop or two at a time. Remember you can use more than one color of food coloring too to make a unique or another color, separate frosting into small bowls and add a drop of different food coloring into each until you reach desired color
• Milk or water—a tablespoon at a time to thin, mil is better in my opinion
• Powdered or icing sugar—thickens store bought frosting
• Granulated sugar thickens too—try a tablespoon or two and blend until fully incorporated
• Cream cheese—improves flavor, add a room temperature brick to a tub of buttercream frosting and taste it
• Lemon, orange or lime, juice or rind—a little goes a long way, add until you've added enough to suit your personal tastes
• Syrups, like chocolate or strawberry can be added to improve taste—you don't need a lot, maybe a teaspoon or two is usually sufficient
• Flavor extracts like vanilla, rum, coffee, maple, almond peppermint, berry and more—add up to a teaspoon at most. Start with ½ teaspoon and go from there, blend until incorporated

Additional Frosting Tips

Here are a few tips for mixing your frosting so it will taste it's absolute best!

• Store ingredients at room temperature before blending together, out of fridge for about 30 minutes prior
• To increase volume of frosting add air and totally mix the frosting with an electric stand or hand mixer in a good sized mixing bowl for best results between 25 and 30 minutes to give the frosting the light fluffy soft serve look
• If needed, return frosting back to bowl and beat some more until you reach your desired result
• For best results use a stand or an electric hand mixer, if not possible a spatula to mix
• Add ⅓ to ⅔ cup of mini chocolate chips, caramel, peanut butter or butterscotch chips, nuts, including coconut
• Add ⅓ to ½ cup hazelnut spread or peanut butter (smooth or crunchy) to your frosting for extra flavor
• Place a soup spoon in the middle of your frosting and make sure it stands up but not so thick you can't stir it easily with same soup spoon
• Make sure store bought frosting is room temperature before you start thickening with ¼ cup icing or powdered sugar and keep adding until you reach desired consistency, err on the side of not enough rather than too much powdered sugar or icing should be on the thin side instead of the thick

Other Great Recipes to Try

Drumstick Ice Cream Cake Dessert Pie
Easy Cream Cheese Stuffed Cupcakes
Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

Looking for yummy desserts? Check out our Summer Cupcake Recipes or our Strawberry Banana Ice Cream recipe.

How to Make Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

This Fruit Loop cupcake cones recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

Prep Time: 15min
Cook Time: 35 min
Cool Time: 15-20 min

Ingredients:

• Froot Loop cereal, or your favorite
• milk
• yellow cake mix, or your favorite variety
• eggs
• vegetable oil
• cereal milk—you will prepare this with the ingredients above
• crushed Froot Loops
• Vanilla Whipped Frosting, or your favorite
• ice cream cones—(flat bottom cones)
• Whole Froot Loops for topping

Supplies: 2-3 inch deep, 9x13 disposable aluminum foil pan.

How to Make Cupcake Cones

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the whole Fruit Loops and the milk.

Allow the cereal to soak in the cereal for about 30 minute. Place the bowl inside the fridge while the cereal is soaking.

When cereal is done soaking, strain 1 cup the milk from the mixture into a separate box. Set to the side. Discard any left-over milk and the left-over cereal.

Begin to make your cake mix

In a medium mixing bowl, combine your cake mix, eggs, oil, 1 cup of cereal milk and finely crushed Froot Loops. Beat mixture with electronic mixture or by hand until well combined.

Prepare your reusable to hold your ice cream cones.

Using a sharp utility knife or kitchen knife, carefully cut approximately a 2”x2” circle in a top corner of the pan.

Cut 12 holes out of the pan in total, 3 across and 4 down. See photo example.

Begin to prepare your cones for baking

Pour 2-3 spoon-fulls of cake batter inside your cones, filling up to about 1” from the top.

Set your cones inside the hole of the pan. This will allow your cones to bake upright and not tip over.

Once 12 cones are loaded inside your pan, place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.

You will be able to stick a toothpick through the top of your cupcake and not have cake batter stuck on it when you pull it back out.

When your cupcakes are done baking, carefully remove the tray from the oven.

Remove your cupcakes from the disposable pan and set aside to cool for about 15-20 minutes. You can continue to bake the remaining cupcakes while your first batch cools off.

After your cupcakes have cooled, top with frosting using either a spreadable knife or an icing bag.

Finish off the cupcakes by topping with whole pieces of Fruit Loops.

Cupcake Cone Recipe Notes

• Be sure to purchase ice cream cones with flat bottoms. I use sugar cones, not waffle cones
• The ice cream cones bake very well inside the oven. They do not warp or become defective
• Cover all the way after cupcakes are complete to lock in freshness
• Enjoy these cupcakes up to 5 days after baking!