"99" Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

I fondly remember the fun ice cream cone cupcakes parents would make for class birthday parties when I was in grade school. Who doesn't love an ice cream cone that doesn't melt? I wanted to recreate this for Miss A's birthday this year, but make it a bit more special.  We used pieces of Cadbury Flake chocolates to make it a "99" ice cream cone cupcake since we also love 99 ice cream cones when we visit family in England.

Miss A was turning seven. We've done several other fun school birthday treats the last few years, including ice cream cone cake pops. She was excited about the idea of ice cream cone cupcakes and requested chocolate cake and strawberry "ice cream" frosting. It was fun and easy. I referenced several different recipes and ways to decorate the cupcakes to make them look like true ice cream cones.  Here is my how-to to create this version:

1) Make the cake batter - I made homemade chocolate cake batter

2) Bake the cake in the cones - I used regular cake cones as they have the flat bottom. I filled the cones 3/4 full with batter and baked them until firm. Let them cool before frosting.

3) Make the buttercream - I always make Martha Stewart's simple buttercream recipe. After making the basic buttercream, add some color. I added some strawberry JELLO gelatin powder to add some color and a little flavor for the "ice cream."

4) Decorate! I piped on the buttercream to look more like ice cream, added some sprinkles and used a red M&M for the "cherry" on top along with the small piece of Cadbury Flake.

After we decorated them so nicely, we realized they weren't going to be so easy to transport to school.  So, my handy husband fashioned a holder from a piece of cardboard to hold  each of them in place in the tray.

The birthday girl was pretty excited (as were her class mates)!