This post may contain affiliate links, please see the privacy policy for details.
Ice cream cone cupcakes don’t get much more colorful than these beauties, with their bright frosting and rainbow sprinkles. They’re fun to make and you can get as creative in the kitchen as you like. Unlike soft serve ice cream which melts if you don’t eat it immediately, these mini cone cupcakes keep for days, so you’ll want to make plenty!
An ice cream cone cupcake is a delicious treat. This cute idea for cupcakes is a breeze to make and the colorful treats are simply irresistible!
If you are looking for other recipes for a birthday, you might like this Funfetti cheesecake, some cream cheese brownies, larger-sized Funfetti ice cream cone cupcakes, or these chocolate peanut butter kitchen sink cupcakes. Oh, and this lemon poppyseed loaf is also delicious (and just like the Starbucks version!)
Why You’ll Love These
Easy: As these are ice cream themed rather than actual ice cream, there’s no churning required! Instead you just make the cupcakes inside ice cream cones and frost them.
A fun project: Whether you’re making these solo or as a cute family project, it’s always fun making something this creative.
Delicious: Of course, it doesn’t matter how pretty something is if it doesn’t taste amazing. And these definitely taste great! They’re a wonderful treat for a warm day, and the soft cupcake baked into the cone and rich buttercream frosting are so yummy.
Mini Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below
Greek yogurt: To keep the ice cream cone cupcakes moist and give them a tangy taste. You could try vegan Greek yogurt, too.
Cupcake batter: The usual suspects – flour, sugar, baking powder, milk, and an egg – make up the cupcake batter. Save time by using a box of cake mix if you prefer.
Vanilla extract: Used in both the cupcake cones batter and the frosting for a delicious flavor. Make sure you’re using natural extract and not synthetic “vanilla essence”.
Powdered sugar: To sweeten the frosting. Regular sugar would be too grainy, so powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar) is key.
Decorations: Any food coloring shades work well here and you’ll also need candies and sprinkles to decorate the cone cupcakes.
Ice cream cones: To hold the cupcake batter. Make sure you get mini flat bottom cones (here)!
How to Make Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card
Make the cupcake batter: Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, and then mix in the milk, oil, yogurt, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
Fill the ice cream cones with cupcake batter: Divide the batter between the ice cream cones with a piping bag, ice cream scoop or spoon.
Bake them: Put the filled cones in a cupcake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let them cool completely.
Make the buttercream frosting: Beat the butter and then beat in half the powdered sugar and then the rest of it along with the vanilla and salt.
Frost the ice cream cone cupcakes: Pipe on the frosting using a piping bag and decorate as liked.
Substitutions and Variations
Change the flavor: Although vanilla is a classic ice cream flavor, you can use any flavor cake you want, perhaps adding cocoa to make it chocolate or swapping the vanilla for rum extract and adding same raisins!
A handy shortcut: Use a boxed cake mix instead of making your own cake batter if you prefer.
Another shortcut: Store-bought frosting would work instead of the homemade one, but bear in mind it melts faster if the weather is hot.
Make them gluten free: Use gluten free cones (here) and a gluten free cake mix (here) to enjoy these sans gluten!
Serving Suggestions
Ice cream cone cupcakes make a nice treat paired with any drink you like. Or perhaps you want to make it for a picnic or any kind of gathering. Here are some ideas:
Drinks: Enjoy an ice cream cone cupcake with anything from homemade Italian limoncello to fruit smoothies.
Snacks: Contrasting savory dishes that would be good served with your prepared ice cream cones include jalapeno popcorn, Mexican street corn nachos and antipasto skewers. If you’re feeding a crowd, any of these party appetizer recipes would work.
How to Store Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
Store: Leftovers should be fine for up to 4 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Freeze: To freeze them, put them in an airtight container and use within 2 months.
Thaw: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Top Tips
Get creative with decorating: Decorating these cupcakes that look like ice cream cones is the fun part! Take your pick from all kinds of fun food colorings, candies, and sprinkles to customize them.
Mix everything thoroughly: Both the cupcake batter and the frosting need to be well combined. A stand mixer is ideal if you have one!
FAQs
Yes, you can, but bear in mind they’ll take a few extra minutes to cook through if they’re bigger.
Cupcakes in Mini Ice Cream Cones
Mini Cone Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 1/4 Cups all purpose flour
- 1 Cup granulated sugar
- 1 Teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon salt
- 1/2 Cup milk, at room temperature
- 1/4 Cup vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons Greek yogurt, or sour cream
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
- 24 mini cones, flat-bottomed
For the Frosting:
- 1 Cup butter, softened
- 2 1/2 Cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 Teaspoon salt
- gel food coloring
- sprinkles and candies for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Add the milk, vegetable oil, yogurt, egg and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.
- Fill each ice cream cone about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. The amount you use will completely depend on the brand of cone but I was able to put approximately 2 tablespoons of batter in each cup. You could also transfer the batter to a piping or Ziploc bag to make the process less messy.
- Place each cone into the cavities of your cupcake pan. With the weight of the batter, they should stand upright without any issues but if you are concerned, just use a tin foil balls around the base of the cone to hold them in place.
- Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out cleanly from the cupcake.
- Cool on a cooling rack until room temperature and lets start preparing the buttercream frosting.
- In the bowl to your stand mixer, beat the butter on high until smooth and creamy. Add one cup of powdered sugar and beat on low until combined.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar, vanilla and salt and starting beating on low until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag.
- Pipe the frosting on the top of the cooled cupcake so that it looks just like an ice cream cone and decorate with sprinkles and a candy cherry.
Notes
Nutrition
These mini cupcake cones are so cute and pretty. In fact they’re almost too pretty to eat, but you won’t want to miss out on these delicious ice cream cone cupcakes because they are seriously good! There’s nothing difficult about making ice cream cone cupcakes and decorating them is also lots of fun. Whether you’re making these for the family, for friends or for a gathering or celebration of some kind, they’re sure to catch everyone’s eye.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
I made it for my son and he enjoyed it so much. Thanks for the recipe!
So easy to make and it tastes exceptionally good!