Fiona Cairn's ice cream cone cakes

Prep: 40 mins

Cook: 15 mins

These adorable cakes that look like ice cream cones by Fiona Cairns are a great way of involving kids in the kitchen. They are perfect for parties but be warned, they won't last very long!

20–25 flat-based ice-cream cones

Few drops of peppermint extract

Green food colouring

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pink (or red) food colouring

Nylon piping bag

Large star nozzle

7–8 chocolate flakes

7 tsp tiny chocolate buttons

5 tsp coloured sugar sprinkles

For the orange drizzle cake batter:

250g unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the tin

250g golden caster sugar

Grated zest of 2 large oranges, plus 75ml orange juice

4 eggs, lightly beaten

250g self-raising flour, sifted

For the buttercream:

300g unsalted butter, softened

400g icing sugar, sifted

Flavourings:

Vanilla: 2 tsp vanilla extract or seeds of 1 vanilla pod

Chocolate: 100g 70% cocoa solids chocolate, melted and cooled, or 2 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted

Coffee: 2 tbsp strong black coffee

Raspberry/blueberry/strawberry: 4 tbsp fresh fruit puree (not too wet)

Lemon/orange/lime: zest of 2 fruits, finely grated, and juice of 1, added slowly at the end

Liqueur: 1 tbsp, added slowly at the end

Nut: 150g roasted, ground and cooled nuts

Preheat the oven to 170ºC/fan 160ºC/340ºF/gas mark 3. Place all the ice cream cones on a baking sheet.

Make the cake batter: cream the butter, sugar and zest until very pale, light and fluffy (it will take at least 5 minutes in an electric mixer). Add the eggs gradually, beating between each addition, along with 1tbsp of the flour to prevent curdling. Fold in the remaining flour and, lastly, slowly mix in the orange juice.

Divide the cake batter evenly between the ice cream cones and bake for 15–17 minutes, or until they spring back to the touch. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Make the buttercream: In an electric mixer, beat the butter until really pale and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and beat for at least 5 minutes, until light and creamy.

Divide the buttercream between 3 bowls. Add a little peppermint extract to the first, to taste, then a dash of green food colour, and mix until you achieve the desired shade. Add the vanilla to the second bowl and mix well. To the third bowl, swirl in a little pink food colour; do not blend it in as you are aiming for the marbled effect of raspberry ripple ice-cream.

Spoon the vanilla buttercream into the piping bag and swirl on to a third of the ice-cream cones. Finish each with a chocolate flake. Wash the bag and nozzle and repeat with the green buttercream; sprinkling with chocolate buttons. Wash the bag and nozzle again. Finally pipe the raspberry ripple buttercream into the remaining cones and decorate with sprinkles.

Arrange on a serving dish or cake stand.

Serves
20-25

Preparation Time
40 minutes

Cooking Time
15 minutes

Main ingredients
Flour, Sugar

Recipe Type
Party Food, Cakes & Baking, Kids Food, Cupcakes

Special Info
Vegetarian

Level of Difficulty
Easy

Top the cakes with chocolate flakes, hundreds and thousands or even flavoured sauces to make them look even more authentic.