I♥cuppycakes!

Dippity Doo Dots Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Le sigh…

I had high hopes for this one.

But alas it didn’t come out quite as I planned in my head. Don’t you hate when that happens…?

I confess I was “this” close to scrapping the draft that I started writing more than a week ago when Melissa (twitter@petalsntwigs) gave me the FABULOUS idea of using Dippin’ Dots for the 2nd annual Ice Cream+Cupcakes event hosted by Steph of Cupcake Project and Tina and Bethany of Scoopalicous.

For those not familiar with Dippin’ Dots. Let me explain. Dippin’ Dots are tiny beads of ice cream, yogurt, sherbet and flavored ice. They come in variety of flavors. I used the banana split one although I really wanted the bubble gum but it wasn’t available. {sad face} The fact that they remind me of sprinkles makes them 10x cuter. I’m a sucker for sprinkles.

But leave it to me to enter on the absolute LAST DAY of the event with no time to improvise or do-overs. Ugh! I am so bad at deadlines. I think I need a 12 step program. Or maybe a book? The 7 Habits Of Consistently Ahead Of Schedule People.

Why did you publish it then, Clara? <– you ask?

Well… I guess for 2 reasons.

(1) Ice Cream+Cupcake is one of my FAVORITE events to participate in every year. Steph is a good friend of mine (at least I like to think so, right Steph?) and I love supporting my friends. Also as mentioned above I didn’t exactly have much time to left to support said friend with another trial. CB=bad friend.

(2) I love Bakerella but she’s TOO perfect! Don’t get me wrong. She’s the awesome-est chick ever (Nothing but love for you, Angie!) but I feel so inadequate next to her that sometimes I wouldn’t mind knowing that she has flops like me. So I figured some of my readers wouldn’t mind seeing that I am FAR from perfect too.

Ok enough stalling. Here’s my ice cream cone cupcake. Melted mess and all.

No! Wait!! Before you scroll down to pictures. I just wanna say… Man those little ice cream beads melt fast! It certainly wasn’t the operator’s fault. But licking melted ice cream off your hand and arms is the best part of eating an ice cream cone IMO. Am I right?

Just nod your head yes. That’s a good reader.

Recipe adapted from Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman & Betty Crocker

Makes about 12 cupcake cones

INGREDIENTS

For chocolate cupcake
1-1/4 cup AP flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk (I used half-and-half)

For vanilla buttercream
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temp
7 cups powder sugar, sifted
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

[NOTES: Buttercream recipe makes a good amount. You could probably half recipe if you don't plan to use alot of frosting per ice cream cupcake cone but I'm a frosting addict so...]

12 ice cream cones
Dippin’ Dots, garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

To make ice cream cone cupcakes—
Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift AP flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, fitted with a flat beater, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition. Add vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions, ending with the flour mixture. Mix until flour just incorporated into batter.

Option 1: Line cupcake pan with liners. Fill liners about 1/2 full. Place ice cream cone upside down on batter in each cup.

Option 2: Stand cones upright in cupcake pan. Fill cone about 2/3 full.

Bake cupcakes for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

To make frosting—
Beat butter until creamy, scrape bowl. Add 7 cups of powdered sugar, milk and vanilla, beat until combined. Add more powdered sugar until you get to the consistency you want (but not too stiff so that its hard to pipe/spread). You can add more milk for a thinner consistency too.

To assemble cupcakes—
Generously frost cupcake with vanilla buttercream with an offset spatula. Garnish with ice cream dipping dots.

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A
He thought the ice cream cone cupcake was darn cute and preferred the “fill the cone with batter” method more than the upside down method b/c you get cupcake with every bite of cone.

Wifey rating: A
I thought these turned out SO cute but I would have preferred if the dipping dots had retained their bead shape to resemble sprinkles for longer. These cupcakes you really have to make and eat right away! I agree with Hubs that I liked the fill method better b/c you get more cupcake per cone ratio but the upside down cone method made it easier to frost and didn’t make the cone as soggy over time. Soggy cone=no bueno. Thanks for tip, A! Maybe next time I might do a combo of both methods. Fill the cone with batter a little bit before turning it upside?