Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes with Lemon Pudding

Fill the cones halfway—batter rises and spills over if you’re not careful. Slide them into the oven and wait for that golden dome and the toasted cone smell. Eighteen minutes if you’re watching close. Maybe twelve if your oven runs hot. Either way, it’s weird and it works.

Why You’ll Love Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

They look like dessert before you even taste them. Actual ice cream cones, baked into cupcakes, frosted like soft serve. Your guests will stop mid-conversation.

It’s a party thing that doesn’t feel like you tried hard. Box mix. Instant pudding. Hand mixer. Forty minutes tops and you’ve got something that looks homemade and tastes lemony and light.

Kids help with this one. Filling cones, adding sprinkles, not messing it up. They own it.

Keeps for a day covered. Eat same-day if you want the cones crispy. Wait longer and they soften but the cupcake’s still good.

The lemon pudding does something. It keeps everything moist without being dense. You’re not eating air.

What You Need for Cupcakes Baked in Ice Cream Cones

White cake mix and a small box of instant lemon pudding powder. Don’t skip the pudding—it’s the whole thing. Three large eggs, a third cup of melted coconut oil (not butter, the oil stays tender), three-quarters cup whole milk, a third cup sour cream. The sour cream matters. It’s not optional.

Thirty-two flat-bottom ice cream cones. They need to sit flat and stable. Pointy cones won’t stay upright in a muffin tin. One cup of softened unsalted butter for frosting, three and a half cups powdered sugar, one teaspoon vanilla extract, two tablespoons heavy cream. Sprinkles, whatever kind you like.

That’s it. Nothing weird.

How to Make Lemon Pudding Cupcakes in Cones

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Set up a muffin tin with the cones standing upright in the wells. They’ll stay put and keep their shape.

Dump the white cake mix and lemon pudding powder into a large bowl together. Crack in the eggs, pour in the melted coconut oil, the whole milk, the sour cream. Use a hand mixer on low. Mix until you can’t see any streaks and everything looks combined. Stop there. Keep going and you’ll have tough cupcakes. Not worth it.

Spoon the batter into the cones until they’re about halfway full. This part matters. Too full and it overflows while baking, too messy, too wasteful. Halfway is right.

How to Get the Cones Crispy and Cupcakes Golden

Slide the tin onto the middle rack. Bake for 12 to 18 minutes. You’re looking for a few things at once—a domed, golden top on the cake part, the edges of the cone going firm and tan-colored, and a toothpick inserted into the cupcake part coming out with just a few moist crumbs. The cones should smell toasted. Listen for that subtle crackling sound as they crisp up. You don’t want blackened edges.

Pull the pan out and gently wiggle each cone. They should feel set, not wobbly. Let everything cool completely in the tin before you frost anything. Warm cupcakes and buttercream are a disaster. Frosting melts, runs, looks bad.

Lemon Cone Cupcakes Tips and Common Mistakes

Don’t overmix. I know I said it already. People overmix. Dense cake. Avoid it.

The coconut oil keeps things tender. Butter works but the crumb gets tighter. Your call.

Whip the frosting on low first until it’s combined, then high for about 30 seconds to get it fluffy and cloud-like. The heavy cream in there prevents it from being gritty and chalky. If you skip the heavy cream you’ll taste the sugar crystals. Not ideal.

Pipe the frosting in swirls using a large star tip if you have one. Add sprinkles immediately while it’s sticky. They stick better that way. Waiting five minutes and they just roll off.

Serve same day if you want the cones to stay crispy. One day covered in a container and the cones start softening. The cupcake stays fine but that contrast you came for is gone. Make them the day of the party. Worth it.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes with Lemon Pudding

By Emma

Prep:

35 min

Cook:

18 min

Total:

53 min

Servings:

32 servings

Ingredients

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 small box instant lemon pudding mix
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 32 flat-bottom ice cream cones
• 1 cup softened unsalted butter
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• sprinkles for topping

Method

1. 1 Preheat oven to 400F. Place cones upright in muffin tin wells. This keeps shape, stops tipping.
2. 2 In large bowl, dump cake mix, lemon pudding powder. Add eggs, coconut oil, milk, sour cream. Use hand mixer on low. Mix until ingredients just combined; look for no streaks but stop before batter becomes glossy. Overmix = tough.
3. 3 Spoon batter into cones, filling about halfway. Batter rises but too full = overflow, messy pan.
4. 4 Slide muffin tin on middle rack. Bake 12-18 min. Watch for visual signs: domed, golden tops, edges firm, toothpick inserted comes out with few moist crumbs. The cones smell toasted; listen for subtle crackling, no hardened blackened edges though.
5. 5 Remove pan, gently wiggle cones for firmness. Cool completely in pan to keep shape. Frosting on warm cupcakes = melty disaster.
6. 6 Whip butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream with whisk attachment low speed till mixed. Then high speed 30 sec to get fluffy clouds of frosting. Heavy cream helps avoid gritty buttercream.
7. 7 Load into piping bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe swirls atop cooled cupcakes. Add sprinkles immediately; they stick better.
8. 8 Serve same day. Stored covered 1 day max or frosting softens, cones get soggy.

Nutritional information

Calories

280

Protein

2g

Carbs

40g

Fat

13g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Homemade Cupcakes for Parties

Can I use regular muffin cups instead of ice cream cones? Sure. You get a normal cupcake. Might as well use a different recipe.

Do I have to use coconut oil? Butter works. Vegetable oil works. They change the texture a bit. Coconut oil is softer when cooled, which matters in a cone that’s already crispy.

What if my cones tip over in the oven? Use a smaller tin or pack them tighter. They need actual support or they’ll lean. Make sure the cones fit snug in the wells.

Can I make these ahead? Not really. Frost them the day you serve them. Cones get soggy after that. The cupcakes themselves last two days covered but the whole point is eating them fresh.

How do I know when they’re done? Toothpick in the cake part—a few moist crumbs. The edges of the cone should feel firm when you touch them. Don’t wait for hard. Firm is enough. A minute too long and the cones start charring.

Can I use different pudding flavors? Yeah. Vanilla. Butterscotch. Chocolate. The lemon pudding gives it a specific taste so switching it changes everything. Try it if you want something different.

Do the cones get soggy? Not if you eat them same day. They stay crispy because cones are pretty water-resistant. Overnight and yes, they soften. The cupcake inside is still good though.