Football Game Day Cupcakes

Football season is here!  Today I’ve teamed up with Cakes.com to bring you a new recipe perfect for homegating.

We’re almost four Sundays into the new NFL season and that can only mean one thing.  It’s time to gather your friends and family together for some football!  It’s time for spirited rivalries, tailgating, fanatical superstitions that seem crazy (unless of course, they work) and the general excitement that comes when your team dominates.  No matter which team colors you bleed, you need to be prepared with plenty of food and drinks to keep your homegating crowd happy.

That’s where today’s Game Day Cupcakes come in!  Who can resist a moist chocolate cake topped with fluffy marshmallow frosting and dipped in a silky chocolate coating? It’s like a chocolate-covered marshmallow perched on top of a cupcake, which seems like two wins in one, if you ask me.  We’re baking them in black foil wrappers and topping them with team colored sprinkles and football themed toppers, thanks to our friends at Cakes.com.

Cakes.com has an entire line of officially licensed NFL products that will help you create professional looking cupcakes at home.  From NFL Brown Football Cupcake Rings to these NFL Football Helmet Cupcake Rings in any team your heart desires, you’ll find everything you need and more.  These are the same NFL cupcake toppers used at your favorite bakery, now available online to you and me, making it easier than ever to bake up the ultimate football spread!

These cupcakes might look impressive but they’re definitely not too much for you to tackle.  We’re using these NFL Football Helmet Cupcake Rings to create a simple decoration, while adding team spirit and a little flair for your hand once the cupcake is gone.  Who says team rings are only for the kids?  It’s game day and and we’ve got a team to cheer and fans to feed!  So pass around the cupcakes and start planning your touchdown dance!

NFL GAMEDAY CUPCAKES
a DIY by Carrie Sellman
(makes 24 cupcakes)

For the Chocolate Cupcakes:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
2/3 cup boiling water
Black Foil Cupcake Wrappers

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Put a kettle of water on to boil.  Line two muffin tins with 24 Black Foil Cupcake Wrappers.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients: sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Add in eggs, milk, oil, vanilla and espresso powder.  Mix on medium speed for two minutes.
4. Add boiling water and mix to combine.
5. Scoop 1/4 cup of the batter into each of the 24 cupcake wrappers.
6. Bake at 375 for the first 7 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 350.  Bake for another 10-11 minutes (18 minutes total).  Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Cool 5 minutes before removing cupcakes from pans.  Cool completely before assembling cupcakes.

For the Marshmallow Frosting:
1 cup water (split)
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon gelatin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup of water.  Set aside.
2. Heat the remaining 1/2 cup of water in a small pan over medium heat along with the sugar, vanilla and salt.  Bring to a boil and heat to 240 degrees.  Remove pan from heat.
3. With your mixer on low, carefully pour the hot mixture into the mixing bowl.  Mix on high for 10 minutes or until you have a fluffy marshmallow creme.  Use immediately.

For the Chocolate Coating:
24 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons vegetable oil

Combine chocolate and oil in a microwave safe bowl.  Heat in microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power.  Remove and stir.  Heat again for 30 seconds at 50% power and then stir.  Repeat until chocolate is melted, smooth and glossy, being careful not to overheat.  Allow to cool before dipping cupcakes.

For the Assembly:
NFL Brown Football Cupcake Rings
NFL Football Helmet Cupcake Rings
Jimmie Sprinkles in Team Colors
Disposable Pastry Bag
Large Round Piping Tip #806 or #807

Bake chocolate cupcakes according to recipe above and allow to cool.  Prepare marshmallow frosting and immediately spoon frosting into a prepared piping bag fitted with the large round pastry tip.

Pipe a swirl of marshmallow frosting onto each cupcake.

Pipe frosting onto all of your cupcakes before moving on to the next step, as the frosting will set up as time passes.  Place cupcakes into the freezer for roughly 10 minutes while you prepare the chocolate coating, according to the recipe above.

Pour melted and cooled chocolate coating into a narrow but deep bowl, suitable for dipping.  I used a ramekin filled with only a portion of the chocolate, refilling the ramekin as needed.

Remove several cupcakes from the freezer.  Hold one cupcake upside down and dip it into the chocolate coating.  This is where it really gets fun!

Pull cupcake back up and out of the chocolate, allowing any excess chocolate to drip off back into the bowl below.  Then set cupcake back upright.

Sprinkle with jimmies in your team’s color.

Position an NFL Football Helmet Cupcake Ring on top.  Within minutes, the chocolate will set and your cupcake is complete!

Time to dip another cupcake in chocolate, sprinkle and top with the NFL Brown Football Cupcake Ring.

Repeat until all cupcakes are dipped and decorated.  Serve and enjoy!

 

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Disclosure:  This post was sponsored by Cakes.com.  The opinions expressed are 100% mine.  Tutorial, styling and photography by Carrie Sellman for TheCakeBlog.com.