The dual optimization problem for the exponential hedging problem is addressed with a cone constraint. Without boundedness conditions on the terminal payoff and the drift of the Ito-type controlled process, the backward stochastic differential equation, which has a quadratic growth term in the drift, is derived as a necessary and sufficient condition for optimality via a variational method and dynamic programming. Further, solvable situations are given, in which the value and the optimizer are expressed in closed forms with the help of the Clark-Haussmann-Ocone formula.