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Football Cupcakes

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These Football Cupcakes are such a cute and fun addition to your next tailgate or game day get together!

football decorated cupcake on a cutting board

 
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Every game day get together needs a fun dessert. There are always a million dips like Crockpot Queso or Bacon Cheeseburger Dip. Plus you have the classic like Crockpot Chili or Bacon Wrapped Smokies. But dessert tends to get overlooked. But you can make fun and festive game day treats in no time!

These Football Cupcakes will surely be a hit, and trust me, they are super easy to make.

What You’ll Love These Football Cupcakes

  • Easy – These can be as easy or as hard as you want them to be. Use a box cake mix and a tub of frosting, or go all out and make homemade. Completely up to you.
  • Fun – I mean, who isn’t going to love a cupcake that is decorated like a football! They are just fun for the kids and adults at any get together.
  • Delicious – There is just something about a moist chocolate cake with creamy chocolate frosting. You could mix it up and use white cake if that is your favorite, but no matter what, cupcakes are always a tasty idea.
ingredients for football cupcakes

What You’ll Need

Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.

  • Cupcakes
  • Chocolate Frosting
  • Vanilla Frosting

Here is the thing, you can make these from a box mix and a tub of store bought frosting if you want to. You could even buy pre-made cupcakes and just decorate them. In the recipe card I will have the full recipe for my favorite Chocolate Cupcakes and Homemade Chocolate Frosting that I used when making them. But know, you can still get the same effect with less effort if desired.

looking down on a tray of chocolate football cupcakes

How To Make Football Cupcakes

  • Make Cupcakes – Bake your cupcakes according to the recipe below, using a box mix, or whatever your favorite cupcake recipe is. I used green cupcake liners to mimic the grass. But use whatever color you like! Your favorite team’s color would be perfect.
  • Make Frosting – Whip up your chocolate frosting and put into a sturdy plastic bag or piping bag fitted with a decorating tip. You can use a plain round trip, or just cut off the end of your plastic bag. Or you can use a star tip like the Wilton 1M tip I used.
  • Decorate – Pipe the frosting across the top of the cupcake. Then using your vanilla frosting pipe laces onto the top. You can use store bought decorating frosting since you need such a small amount. Of if you made Frosted Sugar Cookies and have leftover frosting, that works great too.
chocolate cupcakes decorated like footballs

Storage

Store your cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They are great to make the day before your party and have ready and waiting. You could add these Football Themed Cake Decorations to the top of a few of them to make your dessert arrangement even more festive.

Can I Use Cake Mix For This Recipe

Absolutely! I personally think homemade is worth the effort, but use whatever you like! Use chocolate, vanilla, yellow….any cupcake type and flavor will work perfectly.

What Can I Use Instead Of Buttermilk In The Cupcakes

You can use plain yogurt or sour cream in its place, but you can also make Homemade Buttermilk in about 5 minutes with ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Can I Freeze Cupcakes?

You definitely can, but I like them better frozen before the frosting is on. Let them cool completely and then place in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let them thaw on the counter before decorating.

white plate with chocolate football cupcake

More Fun Game Day Recipes

Yield: 18

Football Cupcakes

football cupcake on a cutting board

These Football Cupcakes are such a cute and fun addition to your next tailgate or game day get together!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 whole large egg
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup hot water

Chocolate Frosting

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 Tablespoon milk

Football Laces

  • 1/4 cup vanilla frosting

Instructions

To Make Cupcakes

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line muffin tins with 18 liners.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl mix egg, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla together until smooth. Mix in hot water. 
  4. Add egg mixture to the flour and mix until well combined and smooth. 
  5. Divide batter evenly into the prepared muffin tins. Fill about 2/3 full. 
  6. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. 
  7. Remove from the oven and cool completely. 

To Make Frosting

  1. Using a hand mixer or the whisk attachment for an electric stand mixer whip butter until it is smooth and creamy.
  2. Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt until it is combined.
  3. Add vanilla and slowly pour in milk, beating until it is smooth and your desired consistency.
  4. Adjust milk or sugar as necessary if your frosting is to thick or thin.

To Decorate

  1. Add the chocolate frosting to a sturdy plastic bag or a piping bag. You can use a star tip or just cut off the end for a round tip.
  2. Pipe chocolate frosting over the top of each cupcake.
  3. Using white frosting from a store bought squeezable tube, or in a small plastic bag with the end cut off, pipe laces over the top of each cupcake.

Notes

You can use a box cake mix, or premade chocolate cupcakes from the store.

You can use store bought chocolate frosting for an easy shortcut

Nutrition Information

Yield

18

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 457Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 24mgSodium 167mgCarbohydrates 92gFiber 1gSugar 83gProtein 2g

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Erin S
Cuisine: American / Category: Dessert Recipes

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Catalina

Thursday 4th of January 2024

These football cupcakes are such a fun and creative idea! The design is adorable, and they're perfect for game day!

Sandra | A Dash of Sanitycc

Wednesday 3rd of January 2024

Everything about these sounds delicious! Look so yummy!

Beth

Tuesday 2nd of January 2024

These are so cute! I love all that chocolate flavor and decent frosting, and they add such a fun touch to any football party.

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