Sundae Fundae Cupcakes

Instructions

1. Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two cupcake trays with cupcake liners.
2. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined using a stand mixer.
3. Next, add the softened butter and mix on low speed until the mixture reaches a crumbly, sand-like texture.
4. Add the eggs, milk, oil, sour cream, and vanilla, and food coloring. Mix on low speed until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Scrape down the side of the bowl, and mix for a final 20 seconds.
5. Fill each cupcake liner three-fourths of the way full. Use an ice cream scoop to transfer the batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting. Note: The original recipe calls for baking these for 40 minutes. Mine were completely done at 18. I am guessing it’s some kind of conversion issue from the equipment Nick uses in Australia.
6. Make the frosting: Add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the butter on low speed to begin with and then switch to high and mix for 5 minutes until the butter is light and fluffy.
7. Stop the mixer and scrape down the side of the bowl using a spatula. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and mix again on low speed to avoid a dust storm.
8. Once incorporated, increase the speed to high again and beat for another 5 minutes until the butter becomes fluffy again. Add milk if necessary, a teaspoon at a time to make smoother.
9. Assemble and Decorate: To prepare the frosting, divide 3/4 of the frosting between two separate bowls. Add the pink food coloring and flavoring to one bowl and mix until well combined. Leave the second bowl of frosting plain. Reserve the remaining 1/4 of frosting for filling the ice cream cones and topping the cupcakes.
10. Transfer the divided pink and plain frostings to separate piping bags, snip off the ends and pipe squiggles of each color into a large deep glass bowl. Tap the bowl on a flat surface to compress the frostings together. Cover with plastic wrap and gently press on top to help flatten even more. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to chill.
11. Use a serrated knife to cut the waffle cones down to about 2 inches tall. Using half of the reserved frosting, pipe a tall swirl into each cone. Add a red heart sprinkle on top and sprinkle with nonpareils. Sit the frosted cones upright and chill. Try placing them in the grid of a cookie sheet that is sitting above the cupcake trays to hold them upright.
12. Use a 2-1/2 inch scoop to scoop out the rippled frosting the same way you would ice cream. Remove frosting from fridge a few minutes before scooping. Place a scoop of frosting on each cupcake.
13. Drizzle or pipe melted candy wafers on top of the frosting and let dry. You can tint white wafers to your desired color by using candy coloring or even mixing in pre-colored candy wafers when melting.
14. Insert a pink wafer cookie toward what will be the backside of each cupcake
15. Use more of the melted candy wafers to attach the cone to the side of the cupcake by gently pressing it into the frosting or to the surface of the liner. Hold in place until the melted wafers are set. Use melted wafers to attach the marshmallows as well.
16. Sprinkle the top with confetti sprinkles. You may need to gently press sprinkles into the frosting so they don’t bounce off.
17. Pipe the remaining vanilla frosting on the very top of each cupcake and top off with a drained maraschino cherry.
18. Insert a striped straw if desired.