For a summer party, I decided to revisit the ice cream cone cake.
The last time I made the ice cream cone cake, I used the cake as the cone and real ice cream for the ice cream. This time, I wanted to make the cone pointed, like a waffle cone, so a cake cone was out of the question. I decided to use rice krispies instead.
To hold up the cone and cakes, I used a dowel screwed into a wooden base board. This really helps when cake transportation is required and going 5miles an hour to get to the location is not an option. :)
I started by making the rice krispies treats. What I had learned from previous rice krispies experiments is that you need to cook them right if you want them to harden and not fall apart on you. To do this, cook the butter and marshmallows longer than you normally would. I think I cooked them for at least 10min. in low heat. I constantly stirred it as it bubbled so it would not burn. Then add as much rice krispies as you can…just enough to so that they are sticky but not marshmallowy. I also found spraying the sides of the pot with cooking spray helps with clean-up as it’s not as messy.
Starting at the base of the dowel, press the rice krispies all the way around. Be sure to pack it in real tight since this will be carrying the weight of the cakes. Start with a small amount at the bottom and work your way up, gradually increasing the amount and size (so it resembles a waffle ice cream cone). It gets harder to pack as you go up in height, so as your packing it down, use one hand the grasp the base of the cone to retain its smaller shape. I usually do this at night so the rice krispies can harden overnight.
To get that smooth, brown look of a cone, I softened a whole package of caramels and rolled it out to ~1/8-1/4″ thickness. You can use fondant, but I decided to skip the making and dyeing of it. Wrap the rolled out caramel around the cone at an angle and then trim off the excess using a knife.
For the scoops of ice cream, I made a chocolate cake baked in 1/2 of a ball pan and a vanilla bean cake baked in the other 1/2 of the ball pan. Trim the flat side for easier stacking and trim the edges to shape it more like an ice cream scoop.
For the frosting, I wanted to keep it light since it was a summer cake. Also, I wanted it to have that ice creamy texture, so I decided to use whipped cream. I purposefully over-whipped the cream slightly to give it that rougher look. I tinted 1/2 the frosting pink and kept the other 1/2 white.
Insert the cake domes through the dowels so it rests on top of the cone. Frost the cakes as usual, but add a bit more frosting at the base of the cakes and gently pat the frosting w/ the icing knife. This will give it that “ice cream scooped” look.
I topped off the scoops of ice cream with some licorice pastels I bought from Cost Plus.
And here is my son trying to take the first lick!
