Delicious and moist double chocolate football cupcakes can be an adorable decoration for your next Super bowl gathering or birthday party!
These cupcakes are super delicious and super fun. Unlike some cupcakes that only look good, this recipe not only looks great but it tastes even better. For all those who adore chocolate, you will love these football themed cupcakes.
How to Bake the Best Double Chocolate Football Cupcakes
For the cupcakes you are going to use the muffin method. By the term muffin method, it is a way of mixing the ingredients.
Start by beating liquid then folding in the dry ingredients. This will ensure you have a smooth batter.
Once your batter is made, divide in among cupcake liners, filling each up to ¾ full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes at 350°F. Make sure they are not over baked because they will become too dry. I suggest you start checking your cupcakes at minute 18, by inserting a toothpick. If there is some batter leave them for 2 minutes more, or if the toothpick comes out clean, remove the cupcakes.
How to Make a Delicious Frosting for Your Double Chocolate Football Cupcakes
These cupcakes have creamy and sweet frosting that really elevate the base. The frosting is made with real dark chocolate and not cocoa powder. A good chocolate frosting can make or break the cupcakes and this frosting is the key step in decorating the cupcakes and turning them into a gourmet dessert.
For the best results, follow these steps:
- Watch the temperature; temperature is everything here. Make sure your butter is at room temperature. If cold or colder, it will not beat quite good.
- Beat your butter until fluffy. This is very important because this step will make the base of your frosting.
- Sift sugar; I was guilty a couple of times for not sifting my sugar, but once I saw all those lumps, I learned my lesson. If you want the perfect butter cream, always sift your sugar.
- Use good amount of milk; you will often see 2-4 tbsp of milk in the recipe. I gave measures for mine correctly, but if you add more milk, the frosting will be runny. On the other hand, less milk will make it too thick. Always add a tablespoon of milk at the time, to ensure the correct consistency.
- Use quality chocolate; the buttercream on its own is a great, but for that wow effect, use quality chocolate.
How to Effectively Use A Piping Bag for Your Double Chocolate Football Cupcakes
This recipe calls for a special equipment, and that is a piping bag. Did you ever found yourself standing and looking at the piping bag and all those piping tips, clueless on what to do? Do not worry as I have some great tips for you.
Before you fill your piping bag, make sure you insert your piping tip first. Wiggle the tip into the place and go with scissors around the tip to open the bag. Place your bag, with the tip in a tall glass, folding the bag with the tip at the lower point, so it kind of lays and rest at the bottom of your glass. Scrape the frosting with a spatula and fill the bag. Fill the bag only to ¾ of the way up.
Now, twist the top of the bag and gently press to eliminate the air bubbles. Continue to press until the buttercream starts to come at the piping tip and start decorating. You can give a test on a piece of parchment paper, just to be sure you are using the right tip and practice your move before you go decorating.
How to Choose the Right Piping Tip
Piping tips come in different sizes and shapes. The most common tips are star, round, and petal and leaf tips. For these I used medium star and small round tip.
Double Chocolate Football Cupcakes: Cacao vs. Cocoa Powder?
Should you use cacao or cocoa for your double chocolate football cupcakes? You have probably read this somewhere and wondered what it is. Although some believe it is the same and maybe a typo, these are completely different and bring different properties to baked goods.
Cocoa and cacao are truth to be told very similar, but are processed at different temperature. This heat impacts their final appearance and flavor. Both of these start from beans from the cacao plant, which separated from the fatty parts known as cacao butter. Later, the cacao beans are fermented to develop flavor and texture.
So, cacao powder is made from fermented beans that have not been roasted. They are processed at low temperature and then milled into powder. The result is the powder with bitter taste. Cocoa powder on the other hand is made from the beans that are fermented and roasted, and then processed at much higher temperature. The result is less bitter and slightly darker powder.
So, in the terms of baking, which one to use? You can use any you like, but here are some things to consider:
- Cacao powder has a stronger flavor, so if you want to substitute cacao with cocoa, make sure you use it a bit more.
- Cocoa powder does not absorb as liquid as much as cacao, so remember to use less or more liquid depending on what you are using.
- Cocoa powder is less acidic, so it will not react well with baking soda. When baking with cocoa use baking powder, and when baking with cacao, use baking soda or at least one part of baking soda.
Enjoy these double chocolate cupcakes at your next Super Bowl party!
Ingredients
- 4oz. butter, room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar (frosting)
- 4 tbsp milk (frosting)
- 1 tsp vanilla (frosting)
- 4oz. butter, room temperature (frosting)
- 4oz. melted chocolate (frosting)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12-hole muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar and brown sugar until fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at the time, beating well after each addition.
- Sift in flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder. Stir briefly and whisk in buttermilk and vanilla. Stir until you have a smooth batter.
- Scoop the batter into the paper liners, filling each up to ¾ full.
- Bake the muffins for 20 minutes at 350°F.
- Make the buttercream; in a mixing bowl, beat powdered sugar, milk, butter and vanilla until fluffy and pale.
- Reserve ¼ cup of the frosting.
- Drizzle the melted chocolate into the rest of the frosting and stir until well combined.
- Assemble; cool the cupcakes completely before decorating. If your buttercream is a bit too soft, pop it in a fridge for 10 minutes before use.
- Fill the piping bag with a star shaped nozzle, up to ¾ fill with a chocolate cream. Fill the piping bag with a small round tip with the plain buttercream frosting.
- Pipe the chocolate frosting over cupcakes in a zig-zag motion.
- Pipe out the white frosting to “draw” a football lace.
- Serve cupcakes and enjoy.