Just when you thought a cupcake was as fun as a cupcake could get, I present you with ice cream cone cupcakes! Kids will marvel at your wizard-like baking skills – is it ice cream or is it cake?!
While these ice cream cupcakes look impressive on the party food table, there’s really not a lot of baking work involved. And if you’re time poor (who isn’t?!) there’s NO SHAME whatsoever in using a packet cake mix. In fact, it makes it easier – there’s little user error.
NOTE: For the best icing effect, use pure icing sugar for the buttercream icing. It ‘sets’ firm so won’t squish and will hang on to all those beautiful sprinkles!

Ice cream cone cupcakes recipe
Makes: 18 cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 chocolate cake mix (check the instructions for ingredients needed to make the cake batter)
- 18 ice cream cup cones
- Sprinkles, chocolate balls and wafers to decorate
- Foil, piping bag and icing nozzle
For the icing
- 500g bag of pure icing sugar
- 250g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons of full cream milk
Method
1. Find a roasting pan or a dish deep enough for the cone to stand up in. Cover the top of it in a length of foil. Using a small knife, cut holes to poke the cones through. This will support your batter filled cones as they bake! Preheat the oven to 170°C.
2. Make the cake mix according to packet instructions.
3. Fill the ice cream cones about ¾ of the way full. Bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes. When cooked (light and springy to the touch) remove from the oven and let cool completely. Don’t worry if they look ugly – icing will cover them up!
4. Make the buttercream icing by mixing all the ingredients together with an electric mixer, until smooth and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag fit with a nozzle. Pipe the icing on top of each ice cream cone cupcake to look like soft-serve ice cream
5. After icing each cupcake, decorate with sprinkles and a chocolate ball and wafer on top.
So sweet and you’re done – no cupcake wrapper rubbish to deal with, kids can eat the whole lot!
