Let me show you how to make these super cute Easy Football Cupcakes for Game Day or Super Bowl! They are decorated with buttercream green grass and a peanut butter chocolate football on top that brings the cupcakes to the next level!
These cupcakes are easy to make and perfect for Super Bowl Sunday or any game day you watch! Make these for your family or a Super Bowl party and enjoy while you cheer on your favorite team!
WHY I LOVE THESE EASY FOOTBALL CUPCAKES FOR GAME DAY OR SUPER BOWL
• If you need an easy game day recipe to share, these are perfect and will satisfy your sweet tooth!
• I love how they have the cute green buttercream frosting! It is the best part about these cupcakes!
• Fun to make and create with your family! I always have a good time making these with family
• If you are a football fan and love chocolate, these are for you!
• One of my favorite easy recipes for football season. It is the ultimate game-day snack!
• Perfect party finger foods to have for your party guests during the half-time show or great to enjoy after the main dish!
• These are such a crowd pleaser for game day or the big day!
• One of the best super bowl snacks to bring to watch the game
INGREDIENT NOTES
Cupcakes: Use your favorite cupcake mix or make the cupcakes homemade that make a dozen cupcakes! I have a good chocolate cake recipe that you can make into cupcakes called "Aunt Emily's Chocolate Fudge Cake". Or use your favorite homemade chocolate cupcake recipe if you decide to make them from scratch! However, using a cake mix does result in minimal effort!
Butter: 2 sticks of room temperature, softened unsalted butter for the buttercream
Food coloring: You will need to use green food coloring. I recommend using Wilton food coloring gel, but if all you have is regular food coloring that works fine too!
Piping tips: For the frosting textures you will need a #233 Wilton tip for the green grass and a #3 tip for the white football laces.
Chocolate Footballs: I used Reese's chocolate eggs to make the mini football garnish. Find them at local grocery stores in the Easter holiday section. If you can't find them, try making them at home with a football candy mold.
HOW TO MAKE THESE EASY FOOTBALL CUPCAKES FOR GAME DAY OR SUPER BOWL
1. For the cupcakes, prepare your cake mix according to the instructions on the package or your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe! Let cool.
2. While the cupcakes are cooling, make your buttercream. Set aside about ½ cup of white frosting for the chocolate footballs. Then tint the rest of the buttercream green with 3 drops of the green food coloring gel.
3. Insert a #233 Wilton tip into a piping bag and then pour in your green buttercream.
4. Holding the piping bag at a 45-degree angle, gently squeeze with your hand as you pull away from the cupcake and release. Repeat this process until the whole top of the cupcake is frosted with the grass buttercream.
5. For the chocolate footballs, make by pouring the leftover ½ cup of white frosting into a piping bag with a #3 Wilton tip inside. Pipe the football laces by piping one white line vertically in the middle of the Reese's egg then piping about 4 lines across the line you just made (horizontally). Place chocolate football in the middle of your grass cupcake and serve! Store in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days or in the fridge for up to a week.
QUICK TIPS
Thick buttercream: If your buttercream comes out too thick, add a little more cream to it. Do so by adding one tablespoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until you get the right consistency.
Food coloring gel: I highly recommend using gel food coloring for this simple recipe, it is the best thing to use because the color shows off much more vibrant. However, if you do not own any gel food coloring, you will need to use more than 3 drops to get the vibrant grass green color.
Piping tips: You will need a #233 piping tip for the grass texture and a #3 Wilton tip for the football laces on the chocolate egg. Find these tips at your local craft store, Walmart, or Amazon.
Room temp ingredients: Ensure all your ingredients are at room temperature before using. This includes butter and heavy cream. Using cold heavy cream can result in buttercream that is way too thick. Slightly heat up the heavy cream in a small microwave safe bowl for under 10 seconds to get it to room temperature (not warm) or leave out your heavy cream and wait until it hits room temperature.
Piping bag: Inserting the buttercream into the piping bag can be a little difficult sometimes. A smart way and a great way to pour the frosting into the bag is to insert the empty bag into a tall glass. Fold the top of the bag that hands out of the cup to fit around the edges of the cup. This makes it easier to insert the buttercream.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I store these? Store cupcakes in an airtight container. If you want to store all of them, do so by storing them in a large Tupperware or placing all the cupcakes into a cupcake box. You can find these at Walmart or on Amazon.
Can I make these gluten-free? Yes! You can make these gluten free by using your favorite chocolate cupcake mix or a homemade recipe! My "Best Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake" is good!
What can I use as an alternative to the Reese's chocolate football? If you aren't making these around Easter time and the Chocolate Reese's eggs are not in store, you can mold Tootsie Rolls or chocolate fondant into football shapes or make them at home with a football candy mold.
What is the easiest way to pipe the grass buttercream? Pipe the grass buttercream by squeezing the piping bag to form the grass. Then pull up and away from the cupcake after the grass is about ½ inch long. Once it is long enough let go and pull up. If you are still struggling with piping the grass onto the cupcakes, watch my tutorial video at the bottom of the page! It shows how to properly pipe the grass and football laces!
Can I use a different frosting? The best and better way to create the grass texture is by using buttercream. However, there are cream cheese frosting recipes out there you can use, just make sure it is thick enough so the grass comes out correctly.
Can I "doctor" up my cupcake batter? Sure! You can use my recipe "Doctored Chocolate Cake Mix Recipe With Sour Cream". It creates a delicious light and fluffy texture to the cupcakes!
love this recipe? Check out these easy super bowl snacks!
The Best Football-Themed Cupcake for the Superbowl
Football Shaped Gingerbread Cookies
Chocolate-Covered Goldfish Pretzels
Chocolate Turtle Pretzel Bites
3-Ingredient Bacon Jalapeno Crackers
Mini Bagel Pizzas with Pepperoni
RELATED RECIPES
Love this recipe? If you try it, be sure to tag me on @Instagram! You can also find me on Pinterest, YouTube and Facebook.
Easy Football Cupcakes for Game Day or Super Bowl
Ingredients
- 12 chocolate cupcakes use your favorite mix or recipe
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened or 2 sticks
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream or unsweetened coconut milk from the can
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 drops green food coloring gel
- 12 chocolate peanut butter eggs (we used Reese's)
Instructions
For the cupcakes
- Prepare cake mix according to package instructions and bake as directed in a muffin pan with green cupcake liners. Let cool completely before decorating.
For the frosting
- Beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Add powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla extract with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Note: If the frosting is too thick, you can add a little more cream. Just add one tablespoon at a time, then mix thoroughly until you get the consistency you like. Tint it green (reserving a small amount - about ½ cup - of white frosting for the football laces).
Decorating cupcakes
- Pour green frosting into pastry bag fitted with a grass piping tip such as the Wilton #233. I like the Wilton 16" disposable decorator bags. Once you pour the frosting into the pastry bag, secure the end with a bag tie or rubber band. Now you're ready to pipe grass.
- Holding the bag at a 45° angle, gently squeeze as you pull away from the cupcake and release. Repeat until the top of the cupcake is covered with grass frosting.
- Now for the chocolate footballs. If using the Reese's chocolate eggs as your mini footballs, then just pipe the laces on with white buttercream poured into a pastry bag fitted with a #3 round tip. If you can't find the chocolate eggs, you could use Tootsie Rolls or make your own egg shaped mini footballs out of chocolate fondant, then pipe the laces with buttercream frosting.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
To be perfectly honest, I'm not a huge football fan. But my husband and his friends really enjoy watching the super bowl, so super bowl Sunday here we come. And you know I love to bake anything with a cute theme! These cupcakes are also a perfect halftime snack.
You have several options here. Use your favorite cupcake recipe or cake mix. I actually used the Simple Mills Almond Flour Chocolate Muffin mix for these cupcakes. There are some good recipes on my blog that you could use too. You could totally make Aunt Emily's Chocolate Fudge Cake into cupcakes. If you'd like to make them gluten free, you could make this Chocolate Drip cake into cupcakes as well. It's a super moist and delicious recipe! You could also make vanilla cupcakes, if you prefer.
Rebecca says
These were so easy to make, I made some for a party and they were a hit! They are so cute and delicious! Thank you for the icing tips too!
Lise Ode says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them!