Dreamsicle Cupcakes with Lighthouse Ice Cream Cones

You'll be the star of the beach party dessert spread with these adorable and oh-so creative lighthouse cupcakes from Pie Crust and Pixie Dust.

Dreamsicle Cupcakes with Lighthouse Ice Cream Cones
Photo: Emily Mingledorff, Pie Crust & Pixie Dust
Active Time:
1 hrs
Total Time:
1 hrs 30 mins
Yield:
12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 eggs

  • 1/3 cup shortening

  • 2 cups all purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/3 cup orange juice

  • 1/3 cup water

  • 1 container store-bought buttercream frosting

Lighthouses

  • 12 old-fashioned ice cream cones

  • 12 yellow gumdrops

  • 1 tablespoon corn syrup, for attaching gum drops to ice cream cones

Royal Icing

  • 1 16-ounce box confectioners' sugar

  • 2 tablespoons meringue powder

  • 1/3 cup water

  • food coloring in colors of your choice

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. To Make the Cupcakes: Combine sugar, eggs, and shortening in a stand mixer. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and vanilla, and pour into mixer with wet ingredients. Add orange juice, lemon juice, and water, to the mixer, and combine.

  3. Once combined, pour batter into paper cupcake cups, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are slightly browned.

  4. While cupcakes are baking, add a splash of blue food coloring to store-bought buttercream frosting. Once cupcakes are baked and completely cooled, pipe frosting onto cupcakes.

  5. To Make the Lighthouses: Make royal icing (you will decorate the ice cream cones with it) by combining confectioners' sugar, meringue powder, and water. Add a bit of food coloring to create your favorite colors (we used red and blue) for decorating.

  6. Turn the ice cream cones upside down. Paint stripes or other designs of your choice onto the ice cream cones. (We used clear squeeze bottles for decorating, but you can also use a paintbrush for a more whimsical look.) Affix a yellow gum drop (this is the light!) on the bottom of each cone with a drop of corn syrup. Place the upside down cone on the iced cupcake.

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