Recipe courtesy of Sophie Coates

Melting Ice Cream Cone Cake

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  • Level: Intermediate
  • Total: 2 hr (includes chilling and freezing)
  • Active: 1 hr
  • Yield: 1 melting ice cream cone cake
Real ice cream is hard to photograph, but these ganache drips will stick around long enough for you to get a perfect shot. If you share it, you’ll be in good company: #dripcake has been posted almost 1.8 million times on Instagram! Baltimore-based custom cake maker Sophie Coates, who perfected the look, gave us the scoop on how to make one.

Ingredients

Directions

Special equipment:
6- to 8-inch cardboard round, offset spatulas, 1 cake turntable, 1 bench scraper, 1 icing comb with 1-inch grooves, 1 piping bag, 1 squeeze bottle, 1 ice cream scoop and 1 lollipop stick
  1. Trim the tops of the cakes to make them level. Stack the cakes on a cardboard round, spreading buttercream between each with an offset spatula. Set aside 1/2 cup buttercream in the refrigerator for the ice cream scoop.
  2. Transfer the layer cake to a turntable. Cover with a thin layer of buttercream (this is the crumb coat). Refrigerate until just set, 10 minutes. Cover with more buttercream, smoothing it with a bench scraper.
  3. Hold the icing comb against the side of the cake (with the grooves against the frosting) and slowly rotate the turntable to make grooves in the buttercream. Freeze the cake 15 to 20 minutes. 
  4. Tint 1 cup buttercream red. Transfer to a piping bag. Pipe into every other groove on the cake. Smooth with a bench scraper, rotating the turntable (if it looks messy, keep smoothing until the stripes are clean). Freeze the cake 15 minutes. 
  5. Meanwhile, make the ganache: Heat the heavy cream until steaming, then pour over 1 cup white chocolate chips. Let sit for a minute, then stir until smooth. Add a few drops of white food coloring. Pour into a squeeze bottle.
  6. Decorate with more sprinkles around the upside-down ice cream cone. 
  7. Gently squeeze the ganache down the sides of the cake to make drips, then squeeze the remaining ganache over the top; smooth with an offset spatula. Melt the remaining 1/2 cup white chocolate chips in the microwave.
  8. Dip the cone in the white chocolate, then in sprinkles. Scoop the chilled 1/2 cup buttercream onto the cake using an ice cream scoop. Insert a lollipop stick into the scoop and cake; use it to support the cone.