HOLIDAYS
HOLIDAYS
Other than cakes made to look like a football field and football-shaped cookies, the sweets on most Super Bowl party tables never score big. Try this new dessert strategy with winning cupcakes that I designed themed for the Big Game and other sporty occasions!
While whipping up these cupcakes, I learned a couple of tips such as how much batter to pour into the baking cups and how to bake up cupcakes that are nice and rounded at the top.
- Use not 1 but 3 baking paper cups in your cupcake pan per cupcake. The extra cups will help support the cupcake as it bakes, causing it to puff a bit higher and creating a nice rounded top.
- Fill baking cups so the batter line is 1/2-inch down from the top rim. I don't know about you, but I have trouble telling when a baking cup is 2/3 full as is the wording in many directions.
- Allow cupcakes to cool completely before decorating and make sure the kitchen has cooled off as well.
Pizza always tops the list at Super Bowl parties. Serve up a pie that's hot, fresh, and sweet with this Pizza Cupcake that has a Raspberry and Coconut White Chocolate topping.
Pizza Cupcake!
Photo Credit: John Sparano
To Make These Cupcakes:
- Bake a batch of vanilla or yellow cupcakes.
- Stir raspberry jam until smooth and spread it on top of the cupcakes.
- I used a Lindt Coconut White Chocolate bar to make the "cheese" on top. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the chocolate into shreds. For best results, the chocolate must be at room temperature.
- For the pizza delivery box, I purchased a small favor box at Michaels. I cut off the lid and trimmed the top so it wasn't too deep. Then, I created the label on my computer and slapped it on the front to look like the real deal!
Laces out! Give a cupcake the winning edge by wrapping it in paper that looks and feels like a football.
Football Cupcake
Photo Credit: John Sparano
To Make These Cupcakes:
- Bake a batch of chocolate cupcakes and ice them with white frosting.
- I purchased the football paper at Michaels - it actually feels like plastic, which makes it more durable.
- Make a pattern for the cupcake wrap by wrapping white paper (or cardstock) around the cupcake and trimming it to fit.
- Place the cupcake wrap pattern on the football paper and cut it out.
- Cut 4 vertical slits into the front of the cupcake wrap for the laces. Make 2 slits on top and 2 slits on the bottom as in the picture.
- Insert the shoelace tip into a top slit from the backside of the cupcake wrap and gently pull it through to the front (think sewing!). Pull the lace almost to the end leaving about an inch tail.
- Then, insert the shoelace tip from the front-side of the cupcake wrap into the other top slit that is horizontally across from the first slit and pull the lace through.
- Repeat the lacing that you just did for the remaining 2 bottom slits. Then bring the lace under the wrap to the front and thread the lace under the horizontal laces that are on the cupcake wrap so it resembles a football.
- Bring the excess lace over the top rim of the wrap and tape all lace ends into place on the backside of the cupcake wrap. Trim off the excess lace. (Tip: Use the shoelace tip as if it were a needle as the slits can be tricky to thread. If you accidentally cut off the tip, just wrap scotch tape around the shoelace to make the lacing process easier.)
- Wrap the cupcake in the football wrap and tape the back to keep it closed.
Go Team! Root for your favorite football team at a Super Bowl party with these cheerleader-inspired cupcakes topped with fondant pom-poms and wrapped in grass paper.
Cheerleader Cupcake!
Photo Credit: John Sparano
To Make These Cupcakes:
- Bake a batch of your favorite cupcakes and ice them with white frosting.
- Tint a couple of batches of white fondant in your team's colors by kneading food coloring into the fondant until the color is even. Or purchased colored fondant if available in your desired colors.
- Spray your work surface and rolling pin with a light coat if non-stick cooking spray. Roll out fondant and cut into thin (@ 1/4-inch) strips (I like to use a pizza cutter!). Then cut strips into 1 1/2-inch lengths.
- Pile strips on top of cupcake to resemble a pom-pom (see photo).
- Make a pattern for the cupcake wrap by wrapping white paper (or cardstock) around the cupcake and trimming it to fit.
- Print a grass image from you computer and place the cupcake wrap pattern on the image; cut it out.
- Wrap the cupcake in the grass wrap and tape the back to keep it closed.
Go gorgeous on the gridiron with cupcakes that have been double-dipped in white chocolate, dollopped with icing, and accented in team colors.
Team Color Cupcake!
Photo Credit: Jeanne Benedict
To Make These Cupcakes:
- Bake a batch of cupcakes, cool, and remove the paper cup.
- You'll need about 1/2 cup of white chocolate Candy Melt chips (available at Michaels or Wilton online) for each cupcake.
- Melt Candy Melt chips in 1-cup batches in a small microwaveable bowl. Restock your chocolate as necessary throughout the decorating process.
- Place a sheet of wax paper on your work surface. Dip the bottoms of the cupcakes in the melted white chocolate and place them on the wax paper to set.
- When chocolate has hardened, pick up the cupcakes and gently break off any excess from the bottom. Re-melt the chocolate it necessary and dip the cupcakes again. If the chocolate isn't as smooth as you would like, use a small offset spatula or butter knife to smooth the surface. Or you can give them another dip! Allow chocolate to harden before decorating.
- Ice the top of the cupcakes with frosting tinted in one of your team colors using food coloring. I used a pastry bag fitted with a wide rosette tip to top the cupcake in the photo.
- Wrap a team color ribbon around the cupcake along the top edge of the chocolate and tape the back to keep it closed. Add a fun team color accent on the front of the ribbon, like the blue star sticker I used on the pictured cupcake. Or use a simple football sticker to finish it off!
Win big by topping chocolate cupcakes with trophies. These are great for a Super Bowl party as well as a celebration to end a local team's championship sport season.
Big Winner Trophy Cupcake!
Photo Credit: John Sparano
To Make These Cupcakes:
- Bake a batch of chocolate cupcakes and ice them with chocolate frosting.
- Make a pattern for the cupcake wrap by wrapping white paper (or cardstock) around the cupcake and trimming it to fit.
- Place the cupcake wrap pattern on gold metallic cardstock and cut it out. I also used a decorative-edged scissor along the top of the wrap to give it a little more style.
- Wrap the cupcake in the gold wrap and tape the back to keep it closed.
- Place a small plastic trophy on top. You should be able to find trophies like the one I used in the party favor or sport section of a party store.
These chocolate cupcakes, dipped in orange chocolate to resemble a bun and garnished with fruit roll-up lettuce and tomatoes, will be a big hit with kids. Try them at a Super Bowl party or a tailgating event.
Hamburger Cupcake!
Photo Credit: Jeanne Benedict
To Make These Cupcakes:
- Bake a batch of chocolate cupcakes, cool, and remove the paper cup. Cut the tops off half of the cupcakes to use as the top hamburger buns.
- You'll need about 1/2 cup of orange chocolate Candy Melt chips (available at Michaels or Wilton online) for each cupcake.
- Melt Candy Melt chips in 1-cup batches in a small microwaveable bowl. Restock your chocolate as necessary throughout the decorating process.
- Place a sheet of wax paper on your work surface. Dip the bottoms of the whole cupcakes in the melted orange chocolate and place them on the wax paper to set.
- Dip the entire cupcake tops in melted orange chocolate and place them on the wax paper to set.
- When chocolate has hardened, pick up the cupcakes and gently break off any excess from the bottom. Re-melt the chocolate it necessary and dip the cupcakes again. If the chocolate isn't as smooth as you would like, use a small offset spatula or butter knife to smooth the surface.
- Immediately after the final dip of the cupcake tops, sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Allow chocolate to harden on all cupcakes before decorating.
- Cut green fruit roll-ups into circles for lettuce and red fruit roll-ups into smaller circles for tomatoes.
- To assemble Hamburger Cupcakes, place fruit roll-up lettuce and tomatoes directly on chocolate cupcake, which should resemble the beef patty, and top with a chocolate-dipped "bun."
For this sporty cupcake design, create a cupcake wrap out of black and white striped paper to pay tribute to the guys that keeps thing fair on the field.
Ref Cupcake!
Photo Credit: John Sparano
To Make These Cupcakes:
- Bake a batch of your favorite cupcakes and ice them.
Make a pattern for the cupcake wrap by wrapping white paper (or cardstock) around the cupcake and trimming it to fit. - Place the cupcake wrap pattern on black and white striped paper and cut it out.
- Wrap the cupcake in the striped wrap and tape the back to keep it closed.
- Place a small plastic whistle on top. You should be able to find whistles like the one I used in the party favor or sport section of a party store.
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Thanks for all of these cupcake ideas, Jeanne! I made the Team Color ones for my Super Bowl party and they were a huge hit...love the pictures you shared as it made visualizing the end design so easy!...