If you clicked on this post expecting to find a slimmed down, guilt-free treat as usual, you’re going to be disappointed.
Sorry to tempt you, but these cupcakes aren’t “skinny.” They are delicious, though.
Last week it was my friend Melissa’s 24th birthday. I was heading into Boston to celebrate with her. Her roommate was going to be hosting a little pregame with a yummy alcoholic punch and I was in charge of the baked goods.
While normally I would’ve probably made something from scratch, Melissa likes her good ol’ basic foods. Plus, who isn’t obsessed with Funfetti?! I know I am. So yes, I bought the package of Funfetti cake mix. But I wouldn’t exactly call it taking the “easy” route.
I wanted to spice the cupcakes up somehow, so I decided to make them in ice cream cones. I remembered this trick from years back as a little kid. I figured it wouldn’t require that much more effort than baking them in liners.
But then I remembered I’d be transporting them into the city. And walking a good distance to their apartment. And cupcakes-in-a-cone don’t exactly fit in your everyday tupperware container.
How was I going to contain them without a) dropping them, b) getting them stale and c) ruining the presentation?!
I refused to back down from the cone idea just because of logistical issues. So I did some brainstorming. And Pinterest researching.
I was inspired by some of the posts I saw to make my own box to carry them in. I wrapped a large box in birthday wrapping paper, and planned on cutting out holes for the cones to sit sweetly in.
The first difficulty was drawing the circles. I traced a cone onto a piece of paper and cut that out to use as a template. I eyeballed where exactly the circles should go on the box, then traced around the template twenty-four times. Ok, so that part was a little tedious, but whatever.
Then came the cutting.
I figured scissors would work perfectly – stab a hole in the center of each circle and then cut it out. Well, this box was a lot stronger than I anticipated. I switched to a knife. Turns out cutting a perfect circle into cardboard with a knife is no easy task either. Some holes ended up too big for the cones to sit in and I had to use tape to close them up again. Some turned out so jagged that I’d go to rip off a piece to even it out, and some of the wrapping paper would come with it. If you’re going to do this, I would suggest getting an X-Acto knife instead!
For the cupcakes themselves, I filled the cones about 3/4 of the way full with batter. I tried halfway full for the first batch, but the little mounds of cake weren’t looking cute enough for me. Once they were cool, I started to frost them. I wanted them to look cute and ice-creamy, so I tried that whole ‘put frosting into a ziplock/cut the end off/squeeze’ piping thing. It wasn’t working for me, so I just frosted them with a butterknife like a normal person and then topped them with sprinkles.
Carrying the box of cone cupcakes through the streets of Boston on a windy day, while stopping every few blocks to pick up other party necessities, was not as easy as I had hoped. I had put toothpicks in the cupcakes and lightly covered the box with tinfoil. I didn’t want them to get stale, but I also didn’t want to ruin the frosting! The problem was, the wind kept blowing the foil off – one time even molding itself onto my face and requiring assistance.
But all in all, they looked just as cute as when I left my house with them!
They were a hit and made for some very cute photos.
Melissa, if you’re reading this, you might wanna lower your standards for your next birthday. These took a lot out of me!
😉
Colorfully Yours,
Haley
