Football Cupcakes
Oh, hello, CHOCOLATE!
These super cute chocolate cupcakes are just the perfect dessert for the Super Bowl, don’t you agree?
Rich delicious chocolate cupcakes with silky smooth, creamy chocolate frosting piped on to look like footballs.
No need to buy football cupcake toppers when you can just make the frosting look like footballs!
With a few squiggles, you’ll have these fun football cupcakes to serve on game day! perfect for all football occasions, game day, Super Bowl, Monday night football, football parties, end of football season parties for kids.
These football themed cupcake will be the hit beat out the halftime show!
Do you fall in the group that loves watching football, loves the food, or both?
I will mention that this silky smooth, creamy, and delicious frosting is sure to win you over to the “dessert” side!
And aren’t these football cupcakes just the cutest ever.
For the chocolate frosting, I used a #506 star piping tip, it has 10 points, any similar piping tip will work, and a #3 for the white laces.
I did find this great pack of frosting tips on Amazon.
I don’t really love traditional American buttercream frosting to eat, I like making it and working with it, but I always find it overly sweet.
It’s funny I never really liked really sweet frosting as a kid.
My mom always made this frosting for cakes, it uses chocolate pudding mix. But I really prefer this silky smooth creamy chocolate frosting recipe.
This frosting is not stiff and firm and does not crust like American Buttercream. But it uses the same ingredients, it’s just a completely different method. It’s so interesting how chemistry works!
And if you’re more of a vanilla cupcake person here is a great Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
This recipe starts with cold butter, and heavy cream, pour it into a small dish and allow it to come to room temp or microwave it for 10 seconds, mixed with 1 cup powdered sugar.
Now the biggest difference is you use less than half the sugar as regular American Buttercream. This recipe is silky smooth, buttery, and rich and can be piped as you can see, it holds its shape and can be made ahead of time and left on the counter covered if you want to keep it ahead of time and not have to re-whip it. YIPPEE, as long as your kitchen is not over 70 degrees, put it in a cool spot.
In the recipe, I mention that you don’t have to make it all chocolate. This batch of frosting will frost 24 cupcakes. You can add more or less cocoa and chocolate to get the desired richness you want. If you split the frosting in half, you can color some to match your favorite team!
There are two recipes to print, the first recipe is the chocolate frosting, the second recipe is the chocolate cupcakes.
Smooth Buttery Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 lb cold butter, which is 4 sticks or 2 cups (cut into 12 pieces) I use salted butter, if you use unsalted butter you'll want to add a pinch of salt.
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened Hershey's cocoa, 1 cup if you want it really rick and chocolatey
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips, melted (1/2 cup for extra rich chocolate flavor) I use Ghiradelli 60% dark chocolate chips, melt in the microwave at 30% power until smooth, and allow to cool.
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- The ingredients might look similar to traditional American buttercream, but the mixing will be a little different. This portion of frosting can frost 24 cupcakes.
- In the bowl of a mixer, place the butter with the beater blade. Mix on low until it's combined, then increase the speed to medium until it starts to blend and smooth out around the bowl. Increase the speed to high and mix for 5 minutes. This will seem like a long time, the butter will whip smooth and light in texture and color. Pause the mixer halfway through the time scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and continue mixing for the remaining time. All the butte should be well whipped, and look whiter in color
- Add in the vanilla, 2 cups of powdered sugar and salt if using unsalted butter. Add a pinch of salt if you like your desserts and frosting less sweet (I use salted butter and still add a pinch of salt). Mix on low to combine, then increase the temperature to medium speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated.
- Place the heavy cream along with 1 cup of powdered sugar into a microwave safe dish and microwave for 20 seconds. The heavy cream should be warm. Stir the powdered sugar so it's absorbed by the cream, it'll be a paste consistency. Heat a few seconds more if needed. Add that to the mixing bowl along with the melted and cooled chocolate. Mix on medium speed until fully combined. Turn up to medium high speed and continue mixing for 3-4 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl ensuring everything will be combined.
- Mix on medium speed for 2 more minutes, longer if needed. The frosting should look smooth and fluffy, not thick and stiff.
- Remove a small portion of white frosting for the football laces 1/3 cup.
- For a light chocolate frosting add 1/2 cup cocoa and 1/4 cup melted chocolate for a really rich chocolate frosting add 1 cup cocoa and 1/2 cup melted chocolate.
- Add the cocoa and melted chocolate and mix until smooth and all absorbed into the frosting, mix by hand or put on mixer and mix on low speed.
- Use a rubber spatula to stir the frosting, pressing any air bubbles out for 2 minutes.
- Cover the frosting with plastic wrap, or place in a dish with a lid until ready to use. The frosting will stay fresh at room temperature for 3 days. As long as the room is not much warmer than 70°.
- Place the white frosting in a piping bag with a #3 piping tip for the football laces.
- Place the chocolate frosting into a piping bag with a star tip. I used a #506. Any star tip will can be used.
- Press the frosting onto the cupcakes moving the piping bag back and forth creating the desired shape. Place the white frosting on top for the laces.
- This frosting will not crust over hard. To be sure you don't mess up the cupcakes, place the frosted cupcakes in the fridge until cold. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
24 Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsweetened Hershey's cocoa
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee (optional)
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Line the cupcake pans with liners
- In a medium bowl combine the cocoa, boiling water, and instant coffee (alternatively, you can use hot coffee) whisk until smooth and allow to cool.
- In a large bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar, and add in the eggs one at a time, mixing on low to incorporate each egg. Add vanilla and mix on medium for 3-4 minutes until the mixture is well combined.
- Add in the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder and mix on low until combined.
- Add in the cocoa mixture and mix on medium to low speed until you feel it won't splash. Then increase to medium speed and mix until just combined about 30 seconds.
- Scrap down the bowl to be sure everything is combined.
- Place 3 tablespoons of batter into each cupcake liner in the pan.
- Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out just clean, do not overbake.