Football Cupcakes Cake {And Football Party}
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Easy pull apart football cupcakes cake, homemade with simple ingredients. Serve them at a fun football party and enjoy the big game, along with a dessert table full of candies, cookies, marshmallows, popcorn.
*Thank you Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser for sponsoring today’s post. As always, all opinions are mine.*
The big game will be here soon and in preparation, I have put together a football party and dessert table. The highlight will definitely be these pull apart cupcakes. They are arranged in the shape of a football and all the details are added with chocolate and vanilla frosting. They are very similar in terms of arrangement to these Pull Apart Watermelon Cupcakes. Rather than cutting into big football cake, your guests can just take one cupcake from the whole platter.
The fun doesn’t end there. I hid candies in the center of each cupcake. Some were filled with m&m and Skittles and others were filled with Snickers and Starburst. My favorite were the ones filled with mini Snickers.
What is pull apart cupcake cake?
It’s an arrangement of cupcakes to create something big like a flower or a butterfly or anything else you like!
How to make football cupcakes?
- Bake cupcakes– Chocolate cupcakes are always a good choice.
- Let them cool- Until room temperature.
- Make icing- Chocolate and vanilla are delicious.
- Arrange them- In the shape of a football.
- Pipe cupcakes– With chocolate icing.
- Add details- With vanilla icing.
Variations for pull apart football cupcake cake
Use mini cupcakes- The number of cupcakes needed to create the correct shape would obviously be more but the same instructions will apply. Also, the baking time for mini cupcakes is shorter.
Make other sports balls- Just play around with the cupcake arrangement and use different color of icing. E.g. orange for basketball, black and white for soccer e.t.c.
Try other cupcake flavors– Such as Brownie Cupcakes or Oreo Cupcakes.
Pair with other frostings- Such as Cooked Flour Buttercream (Ermine Frosting) or Chocolate Ganache Frosting.
Try other fillings- Such as jams and preserves, Chocolate Ganache or even Homemade Caramel Sauce.
Use another decorating tip- I used Wilton’s Tip# 1M and Tip# 366 but you can use any other decorating tips you like.
Tips and Techniques
Use a big tray or cake board- This will allow you to have enough space to create the correct arrangement and it also makes it easy to move the tray around during the party, if necessary.
Make sure your icing is not too thick nor too thin- Because if it’s thick, it will be hard to pipe and if it’s thin, it will be too runny to create a proper design.
Make sure cupcakes cool fully before decorating- Because if you don’t do this, the heat will melt the icing and make a sticky mess.
Filling cupcakes is optional- You don’t have to do it, if you don’t feel like it. The cupcakes will still taste delicious.
Storage
Refrigerate– Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
Freeze- Unfrosted cupcakes and frosting can be frozen separately in sealed containers. When you are ready to enjoy them, let them thaw overnight in the fridge and then, follow the decorating instructions below.
Room temperature– Decorated cupcakes can be stored in a cardboard box for up to 24 hours as long as there is no perishable filling.
Make ahead instructions- These cupcakes can be baked and decorated 1 day in advance and stored in the fridge or room temperature until you are ready to serve.
I went a little overboard with my party plans. There was so much more deliciousness happening at this football dessert table. I used a rustic backdrop with a game day themed tablecloth and then, arranged all the food items at varying heights. The taller items was at the back and the shorter items was near the front.
This is what I like to call “Party Munch.” It’s something I serve at all of my parties and it’s always a hit. I threw in candies (m&m, Skittles, Starburst, Snickers), mini pretzels, colorful cereal, mini cookies and popcorn. It’s sweet, salty and oh so crunchy.
These football marshmallows ended up looking really cute. Just use edible markers to draw a football and goal post on fluffy marshmallows!
A party won’t be complete without a platter of cookies and mini cupcakes. Stick a few themed toothpick flags all over and you are set!
Candies are the best way to add a pop of COLOR on a dessert table. Use clear containers and simply fill them up. I like to fill the bottom of the containers with some colored tissue paper.
How about some football almonds? Just use melted white chocolate to draw out the details on some almonds.
There’s no decoration easier in this world than just using store bought cupcake toppers. You can easily find these sugary football toppers at your local grocery store or online and they are so simple to use. Just frost your cupcakes and stick them on top.
Every party needs goodie bags. I got a little crafty and cut out strips of white paper and glued them on brown paper lunch bags.Now, they look like footballs!
I put together this little Tic-Tac-Toe game that you can play with Starburst candies. Just use a black edible marker to draw the X and O. You guys are gonna have such a blast! Click here to download the printable.
More Sports Desserts/ Ideas
- Sports Cookies (Basketball, Baseball, Soccer, Tennis)
- Spicy Chocolate Fudge Footballs
- Homemade Football Gift Basket
Pull Apart Football Cupcakes Cake
Ingredients
Instructions
- Bake cupcakes and allow them to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes and baking and cooling, make the frosting.
- Optional: Hollow out the center of the cupcakes and add a filling like mini candy bars.
- Arrange cupcakes on a large tray in the shape of a football.
- Fill a piping bag with chocolate icing and attach Tip # 1M.
- Pipe the top of all the cupcakes to create a ruffle pattern.
- Fill another piping bag with American buttercream and attach Tip# 366.
- Pipe details on top of the chocolate frosting. Enjoy!
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Just follow along and have FUN!
