Chocolate Football Cupcakes — Decadent chocolate cupcakes filled with rich chocolate ganache and topped with creamy chocolate buttercream for a triple-chocolate treat. These football-themed cupcakes are sure to be game day favorites.
Table of Contents
- Chocolate Football Cupcakes Recipe
- Ingredients in Football Cupcakes
- Cupcake Batter
- Ganache Filling
- Frosting
- How to Make Football Cupcakes
- Making the Frosting
- Making the Chocolate Ganache Filling
- How to Frost and Decorate Football Cupcakes
- Recipe Tips
- Recipe FAQs
- Make-Ahead Instructions
- Storage Instructions
- Chocolate Football Cupcakes Recipe
- More Easy Chocolate Cupcake Recipes
Chocolate Football Cupcakes Recipe
If you love chocolate and want a festive treat for game day, these football cupcakes deliver. The cupcakes are moist and tender, filled with chocolate ganache, and finished with chocolate buttercream. White buttercream is piped on as the football laces for a fun touch.
Everything here is made from scratch, but there are optional shortcuts: use a boxed chocolate cake mix and skip the ganache if you prefer a quicker version.
Ingredients in Football Cupcakes
These cupcakes have three components: cupcake batter, ganache filling, and buttercream frosting.
Cupcake Batter
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Oil
- Butter
- Eggs + yolk
- Buttermilk
- Sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Brewed coffee (room temperature or slightly warm)
Ganache Filling
- Heavy cream
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Frosting
- Unsalted butter
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Milk or half-and-half
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Unsweetened natural cocoa powder (for chocolate buttercream)
See the recipe card below for exact amounts and full directions.
How to Make Football Cupcakes
Making the batter is straightforward: combine wet ingredients, whisk in dry ingredients, add coffee, then bake.
- Whisk the sugars, oil, and melted butter together, then add eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream.
- Gently mix in flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and baking soda—avoid overmixing.
- Add the brewed coffee and mix until combined. The batter will be thin.
- Fill lined cupcake pans about 3/4 full and bake at 350°F for 18–20 minutes. Cool completely before filling and frosting.
Making the Frosting
For the buttercream:
- Beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, milk (or half-and-half), vanilla, and salt until smooth and fluffy.
- Reserve a small portion of the pale frosting for the white laces; set it aside in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip.
- Add cocoa powder to the remaining frosting, beat until incorporated, and transfer to a piping bag with a larger round tip for the football shapes.
Making the Chocolate Ganache Filling
To prepare the ganache and fill the cupcakes:
- Heat heavy cream until hot but not boiling, then pour over the chocolate chips. Let sit for a minute, then stir until smooth.
- Core each cooled cupcake about 3/4″ deep using a piping tip or cupcake corer; save the removed crumbs.
- Spoon ganache into each hollow, then press the reserved cupcake pieces back on top to close the hole.
How to Frost and Decorate Football Cupcakes
- Use the chocolate buttercream to pipe a football shape on each cupcake. Start with two curved lines to form the outline, then fill in the center with additional lines of frosting. Smooth gently with a spoon or offset knife if needed.
- With the reserved white buttercream, pipe a line down the center of the football and add short horizontal stitches across it to mimic the laces.
Recipe Tips
Do not overmix the batter—overworking flour creates a tougher texture. Use real buttermilk for the best rise; if you don’t have it, substitute powdered buttermilk or make a DIY version by adding 1/2 tablespoon vinegar to 1/2 cup milk and letting it sit.
Sour cream keeps cupcakes tender; plain Greek yogurt is an acceptable swap. Use unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not hot cocoa mix) for both batter and frosting to avoid added sugar or altered flavor. When adding coffee to the batter, make sure it is room temperature or only slightly warm so it doesn’t affect the eggs or leavening.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Using a boxed chocolate cake mix (Devil’s Food or similar) and following package directions for cupcakes is an easy shortcut. You can still frost and decorate them the same way.
Buttermilk yields the best texture and rise, but you can use powdered buttermilk or the vinegar-plus-milk DIY if needed.
No. Coffee enhances and deepens the chocolate flavor; it won’t leave a noticeable coffee taste. If you must avoid coffee, you can use water, though coffee is recommended.
No. The ganache adds richness and extra moisture, but if you prefer simpler cupcakes, skip the filling and just frost.
Make-Ahead Instructions
After filling and frosting, allow the cupcakes a couple of hours to set. They can be made the day before your event, which eases day-of preparation.
Storage Instructions
Store cupcakes airtight at room temperature for 2–3 days to avoid drying. For longer storage, refrigerate airtight for up to one week, but note refrigeration can dry baked goods.
Chocolate Football Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs + 1 yolk
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup brewed coffee, room temperature or slightly warm
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter (3 sticks), softened
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon half-and-half or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder (for chocolate buttercream)
Ganache Filling
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Cupcake Batter – Preheat oven to 350°F and line two 12-count cupcake pans with liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk sugars, oil, and melted butter until combined. Add eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream; whisk to combine.
- Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir just until incorporated. Don’t overmix.
- Stir in coffee until combined. The batter will be thin.
- Fill liners 3/4 full and bake 18–20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Rotate pans halfway through baking for even results. Cool completely on a rack.
- Buttercream Frosting – Beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, half-and-half (or milk), vanilla, and salt until smooth and fluffy. Adjust consistency with additional dairy or sugar as needed.
- Reserve about 3/4 cup of the pale frosting in a piping bag with a small round tip for the white laces. Add cocoa to the remaining frosting, beat 30–45 seconds, and transfer to a piping bag with a larger round tip for the football shapes.
- Ganache Filling – Heat heavy cream until hot, pour over chocolate chips, let sit 1 minute, then stir until smooth. If needed, microwave in short bursts until fully melted and smooth.
- Core each cooled cupcake about 3/4″ deep using a piping tip or corer and save the removed crumbs. Spoon ganache into each hole and press the removed piece back on top.
- Frosting the Cupcakes – Pipe two curved lines to form a football shape, then fill in the center with additional chocolate frosting. Smooth edges if desired.
- Pipe a white line down the center of the football and add short horizontal stitches across it, leaving small spaces between each stitch.
- Store cupcakes airtight at room temperature for 2–3 days or refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Notes
**Coffee enhances and intensifies chocolate flavor without making the cupcakes taste like coffee. If you must avoid coffee for dietary reasons, water may be used but flavor will be less intense.
Make sure the coffee added to the batter is room temperature or slightly warm—not piping hot—to avoid affecting the batter.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing this recipe is encouraged; copying full recipes to social media is prohibited.
↓ Click the Stars to Rate This Recipe ↓
Tried this recipe? Leave a review!
Consider leaving a 5-star rating if you’ve made and loved this recipe.
More Easy Chocolate Cupcake Recipes:
Kitchen Sink Cupcakes – Rich chocolate cupcakes topped with pretzels, potato chips, toffee, and chocolate chips. A fast option if you use a chocolate cake mix base.
Irish Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes – Chocolate cupcakes with Guinness in the batter, a hint of Irish whiskey in the ganache, and Baileys buttercream for a balanced, not-too-boozy flavor.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins – Muffins with a rich chocolate flavor and the texture of a muffin, loaded with chocolate chips; close to a chocolate cupcake in taste.
Chocolate Cupcakes with Cookies and Cream Frosting – Soft, fluffy cupcakes with an irresistible cookies-and-cream frosting. Surprisingly, no eggs or butter are used in that frosting recipe, so you can go back for seconds!
