Ice Cream Cone Cupcake Cake

Ingredients:

• 6.5 tbsp. butter cream
• Ivory gel food coloring
• Brown gel food coloring
• Red gel food coloring
• 23 of Your Favorite Cupcakes
• 1 large red gummy candy
• Colored confetti sprinkles for decoration
• Special equipment: a pastry bag with a large star-shaped tip

Preparation:

1. Place about 1 cup of white buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Tint about 2 cups of the buttercream dark/light brown (for the cone) using a mixture of brown and ivory food coloring. Tint about 3.5 cups of the buttercream light pink (for the ice cream) using red food coloring.
2. Arrange 8 cupcakes for the cone: One row of 3 cupcakes, two rows of 2 cupcakes, and one cupcake on the bottom. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, spoon about 1/4 cup of brown frosting onto each cupcake and smooth it over the top and sides of the cupcakes (avoiding the paper liners), creating a cone-shaped cupcake with a pointed bottom. Use the back of a butter knife to create a waffle pattern, like an ice cream cone.
3. Wash and dry your ice cream scoop and offset spatula. Arrange 15 cupcakes over the cone to create domed ice cream balls. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, spoon about 1/4 cup of pink frosting onto each of the 15 cupcakes and spread it with an offset spatula, creating swirls in the frosting to resemble ice cream balls.
4. Using a piping bag, pipe random star-shaped icing onto the tops of the ice cream balls to resemble whipped cream. Attach a red gummy candy to the very top. This will be the cherry. Sprinkle the icing with confetti.