Chocolate Cupcake Cones
I experimented with these cupcakes when my girls were young. Now, I'm a grandmother of nine, and these are still our favorites. They're a great treat for kids to bring to school.
I experimented with these cupcakes when my girls were young. Now, I'm a grandmother of nine, and these are still our favorites. They're a great treat for kids to bring to school.
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup shortening
- frosting:
- 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese softened
- sprinkles
- 1 package chocolate cake mix (regular size)
- 36 ice cream cake cones (about 3 inches tall)
- 3-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
- Carbohydrate 48.2843167064951 g
- Cholesterol 14.7556193495864 mg
- Fat 45.8291517146259 g
- Fiber 4.40533340826507 g
- Protein 3.78126000265102 g
- Saturated Fat 22.8060336979001 g
- Serving Size 1 1 dozen. (136g)
- Sodium 6217.68235116395 mg
- Sugar 43.87898329823 g
- Trans Fat 2.06268990210893 g
- Calories 581 calories
Step-by-step
- Prepare cake mix according to package directions; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth; stir in chocolate chips.
- Place ice-cream cones in muffin cups. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cake batter into each cone; top with a rounded teaspoon of cream cheese mixture. Fill with remaining batter to within 3/4 in. of top.
- Bake at 350degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- In a small bowl, beat the shortening, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add enough milk to achieve spreading consistency. Frost tops of cooled cones and top with sprinkles.
Baking batter inside a flat-bottomed ice cream cone requires managing moisture transfer so the wafer shell stays crisp instead of soggy. Standard paper muffin liners absorb condensation, but waffle or cake cones act as structural vessels that must withstand both liquid batter and dense fillings without softening prematurely. To prevent structural failure, fill the cones only three-quarters full to allow for expansion during the expansion phase in the oven.
Cream cheese introduces high moisture content compared to standard all-butter mixtures, requiring careful incorporation with sugar, eggs, and chocolate chips to prevent separation. When beaten until smooth, the cream cheese acts as a dense core that sinks slightly into the batter during baking, creating a distinct pockets of richness. Incorporating miniature semisweet chocolate chips ensures the pieces distribute evenly throughout the cheese layer rather than sinking to the bottom of the cone.
Operating the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty-five to thirty minutes provides the exact thermal energy needed to set the cake batter while melting the internal chocolate chips. A wooden toothpick inserted into the center must emerge clean without wet crumbs clinging to the surface. Cool the baked cones completely on wire racks before applying any dairy-based toppings, as residual heat will liquefy the frosting.
Shortening-based frostings maintain structural integrity at room temperature better than pure butter emulsions, resisting melting when exposed to ambient conditions. Confectioners' sugar provides the necessary dry bulk, while milk must be added incrementally until a spreadable consistency is reached. Store frosted cones in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or freeze them un-frosted for longer preservation.
