Icecream Cone Cup Cakes

I don't know about you .... but I am already thinking about the next holiday :) It's the 4th of July!!! Yeah!!! To help celebrate that wonderful day with family and friends... I have been thinking about what to take with me to the family gathering :) Well I thought this might be a very fun recipe to try out on them. I am sure some of you have seen or used this idea before. But I thought it was worth the repeat of posting it here. This recipe is from the Martha Stewart blog ;)

Baked inside sugar cones, these cupcakes-in-hiding combine the best aspects of an ice cream sundae (all those great toppings!) in a no-melt treat. The cones are adorned with buttercream and topped with the usual fixings -- whipped cream, colorful sprinkles, chopped nuts, melted chocolate, and even a cherry on top. Any leftover batter can be baked in minimuffin tins. An old-fashioned ice cream cone stand is a charming (and convenient) way to serve the cupcakes.
Ingredients
Makes 12
FOR CUPCAKES
12 sugar cones
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk


FOR DECORATING
Swiss Meringue Buttercream,

Makes about 10 cups
3 cups granulated sugar
12 large egg whites
2 pounds (8 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoon-size pieces
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions
Whisk sugar and egg whites in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until sugar is dissolved and mixture registers 140 degrees.on an instant-read thermometer, 2 to 3 minutes.
Fit an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, and beat the egg-white mixture on high speed until it holds stiff (but not dry) peaks and mixture is fluffy and cooled, about 10 minutes.
Reduce speed to medium-low, and add butter several tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition (meringue will deflate slightly as butter is added). Add vanilla; beat until frosting comes together, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat on lowest speed until air bubbles diminish, about 2 minutes. Stir with a rubber spatula until frosting is smooth.
plus 1/2 recipe chocolate variation (I could not find this instructions for this part of the recipe) Maybe you just drizzle chocolate into it. When making it.
Gel-paste food color, optional
Melted chocolate
Chopped roasted salted peanuts
Maraschino cherries
Assorted candy sprinkles

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove center of a 12-inch tube pan and cover pan with a double layer of heavy-duty foil. Use a skewer or paring knife to poke 12 small holes in the foil, 2 1/2 inches apart.

Gently place a cone in each hole, pushing it down until only about 1 inch of cone is showing.
Make cupcakes: Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each. Fill each cone with 2 to 3 tablespoons batter. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate cupcakes: Tint some of the buttercream pink with gel-paste food color, if desired. Use an ice cream scoop to place buttercream (untinted or pink) on top of cupcake, then top with sprinkles. For "soft-serve" cones, use a pastry bag fitted with only a coupler (or a large plain tip) to pipe buttercream in a swirl over cone, then top with multicolored sprinkles; or, for "sundae" cones, drizzle melted chocolate over buttercream, then sprinkle with peanuts and top with a cherry. For soft-serve "twist" cones, fill a pastry bag fitted with an open-star tip (Ateco No. 828) with untinted and chocolate buttercreams, placing them side by side in bag; pipe two-tone swirls. Serve immediately.

***** Most of the recipes.. I see the women just using regular frosting on these and they turn out nicely :)*****