I’m sure this will bring back all sorts of memories for other children of the 1980s. I remember when cupcake cones were all the rage (AND it was before Pinterest–how did our mothers do stuff like this/spiral into a “failure as a mother” shame cycle without it??) But really, they were ingenious–perfectly portioned cupcakes, no waste, AND they look like ice cream cones? Sign me up.
Being a lover of funfetti (which is kind of a mystery–have you ever just tasted sprinkles?
They’re kind of terrible. Yet I am inexplicably drawn to sprinkles. On my cakes. On my cupcakes. On my ice cream cones.), I decided for these cupcake cones, I’d dress up my favorite yellow cake with some sprinkles. However, you can use your favorite yellow or white cake, doctored-up cake mix, whatever works best for you.
But for this particular recipe, you’ll need cake flour (I promise, a special trip to the store is worth it), baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, buttermilk, butter, vegetable oil, vanilla, eggs, and cream of tartar.
Adjust oven racks to the medium position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 1/2 cups of the sugar together. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, vegetable oil, vanilla, buttermilk, and (this is where I gave up the first time around) 6 egg yolks. Set aside.
Place 3 egg whites (discard the others, or use them for something healthy like an egg white omelet to negate the cake. Or something.) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add a pinch of cream of tartar. Using the whisk attachment, beat on medium-low for about a minute or until they become frothy. Increase the speed to medium-high until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until the whites are glossy and stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl.
Place the flour mixture into the bowl of the stand mixer and slowly add the butter mixture, mixing over low speed. Scrape down the bowl and then mix on medium-low until smooth and fully mixed. Add the sprinkles and mix until just combined.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Use a rubber spatula to fold in 1/3 of the egg whites, fold in another 1/3, mix, then fold in the remaining 1/3  of the egg whites and gently fold until no white streaks remain.
Now. For the cones, you want the cheap-o cake cones that stand up on their own, not the heavier waffle cones. I would get more than you think you’ll need because some of the cones will inevitably be broken. The box may say “Baked with Care,” but it says nothing about the shipping and handling…
Place the cones on a baking sheet
and add about 2 tablespoons of batter per cone (so each cone is about 3/4 full).
CAREFULLY place the pan in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top and a pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
Immediately before serving, swirl the frosting onto the cupcakes using this tutorial.
Sprinkle with additional sprinkles (if desired) and serve immediately. Don’t try and transport these after frosting them unless you have a way of securing each individual cupcake. Trust me. No good will come from it. Do you want to see what bad words look like in a picture?
Here you go:
So don’t be like me. Learn from my mistakes and don’t try and move these after they’ve been frosted because they are woefully top-heavy and will only bring you sorrow and pain. But when they’re frosted and not upside down, they will bring gleeful joy to all around them.
Confetti Cupcake Cones
Recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Baking Book
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) cake flour (people at very high elevations should add an additional 2 tablespoons)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
10 tablespoons salted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
6 room temperature eggs, separated (you’ll need 6 yolks and 3 whites; you can discard the extra whites)
Pinch of cream of tartar
1 cup rainbow sprinkles, plus more for decorating
36 sugar cones
Your favorite frosting (Double batches of our Perfect Cupcake Frosting, the frosting from our Sugar Cookie Bars, the frosting from our Tim Riggins Brownies, this chocolate frosting, or this cream cheese frosting would all be excellent choices)
Instructions:
Adjust oven racks to the medium position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 1/2 cups of the sugar together. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, vegetable oil, vanilla, almond extract, buttermilk, and 6 egg yolks. Set aside.
Place 3 egg whites (discard the others, or save them for another use) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add a pinch of cream of tartar. Using the whisk attachment, beat on medium-low for about a minute or until they become frothy. Increase the speed to medium-high until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until the whites are glossy and stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl.
Place the flour mixture into the bowl of the stand mixer and slowly add the butter mixture, mixing over low speed. Scrape down the bowl and then mix on medium-low until smooth and fully mixed. Add the sprinkles and mix until just combined.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Use a rubber spatula to fold in 1/3 of the egg whites, fold in another 1/3, mix, then fold in the remaining 1/3  of the egg whites and gently fold until no white streaks remain.
Place the cones on a baking sheet and add about 2 tablespoons of batter per cone (so each cone is about 3/4 full). CAREFULLY place the pan in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
Immediately before serving, swirl the frosting onto the cupcakes using this tutorial. Sprinkle with additional sprinkles (if desired) and serve immediately. Don’t try and transport these after frosting them unless you have a way of securing each individual cupcake. Trust me. No good will come from it.
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Questions & Reviews
I LOOVE this recipe and have used this many times. Can I use this batter for a birthday cake?
I made these for my daughter’s ice cream social themed bday party about 4 years ago, but I just used a cake mix. They are pretty fun and nostalgic… To get them in and out of the oven, I used a muffin tin and used a bit of foil around the cone base to keep them steady.
Kate you are so funny! Thanks for the good laugh! I loved the bad words picture. And these brought me back to my childhood. My mom always made us some whenever she baked a cake, she’d usually microwave them for a few seconds.
I’ve been making these for 30+ years. I use a cupcake pan to keep the cones upright. Much easier to move into and out of the oven.
We made these but used a different cake recipe. My kids loved them. I only had the small rainbow nonpareils. We dumped about 2 tbsps in. They looked so festive I made the cake again today to take to the ladies I visit teach. So fun for Spring.
Thank you for posting the blooper pic!
I transported these once in a clean pizza box wrapped in wrapping paper with x’s cut through. It was actually pretty cute.
My mom made these for my birthday when I turned 7. It was the first time I knew she was a genius.
I LOVE your picture with the cupcakes that fell over. My kids would have eaten them anyway. I hope yours did, too.
Yep…I had kids in the 80s and made these for birthdays, class parties, etc. Always a HUGE hit! And, my McGyver-type hubby took a shirt box and cut holes (quite precise, to be exact) in it so the cones would fit perfectly. It was a great way to transport these cute treats to school!
LOVE your disaster cupcake picture. I made these a couple years ago for my son’s party at a park. It was a pure NIGHTMARE!! Than a few weeks later I found a tip on Pinterest on how to bake and transport these without a major meltdown. It’s very similar to what JConnolly shared expect you use a tin foil casserole pan (the ones you find at the dollar store) instead of a shirt box. You can place the cones in it and bake AND transport them without having them tip over. If only I knew that 2 years ago!!
Here’s a link to what I was trying to explain. 🙂
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/571112796466778286/
Too fun! Childhood memories 🙂 Also, my 4 year old daughter and I just had a good giggle over your outtake picture! Sorry for your misfortune, but thanks for the grin 😉
I remember these! And the clown cones at Baskin Robbins that always looked so colorful and yummy but often tasted strange. Just wanted to point out that these are actually cake cones! Sugar cones are the small darker ones with the point. This is my go to yellow cake recipe now! I made a four layer cake using this recipe filled with chocolate ganache and Oreo buttercream for my brother’s birthday and it was excellent!
You’re so right! I felt wrong writing that, haha! Fixed. 🙂
Cracking up over here, you know it’s one of those things you think you don’t have to tell people like on the microwave popcorn where it says “unwrap before placing in microwave” yet inevitably you do need to tell someone 😉 Ha ha ha!
Love the outake/blooper pic! Also super loving your new cook book!
I’m sure I’ve seen an idea somewhere for transporting cupcakes by cutting “X” shaped slits in the top of a shirt box (or similar)…seems like that might work well for these, as long as the “X” was small enough to hold the cone “stem” tightly….or the box was deep enough to hold the wider part of the cone. Now….2 points to the person who figures out a clever way to get them in and out of the oven without tipping them over (or while they’re in the oven, for that matter…my house is old and the floors shake when you walk through the kitchen…just one of the many “charms” of an old home).
To transport them I used one of those super short boxes from Costco, flipped it over, and cut x’s in it. I managed to drive them to the park without a single one falling. It worked great.
“Do you want to see what bad words look like in a picture?”
Kate, you crack me up! Thanks for making me laugh so early in the morning! 🙂
You’re welcome, haha!
These are so much fun. I’ve gotta get me some funfetti! Haven’t seen it in the shops here in the UK. Let’s see is Amazon can come up trumps. I love all kinds of sprinkles and sparkles to put on cakes. Fab post. Sammie
These look so fun and perfect for my daughter’s birthday party. I’m a little confused where the 2- 9 inch pans come into play?
Ha! Just ignore that! 🙂 I fixed it.