This Football Cupcake Cake features football pull apart cupcakes arranged into a festive, shareable dessert perfect for Super Bowl and game day fun.
Football Cupcake Cake is a fun and festive dessert that’s perfect for game day, tailgates, and Super Bowl parties. Made with easy football pull apart cupcakes, this crowd-pleasing treat comes together quickly while making a big visual impact.
Whether you’re hosting a football party or need a themed dessert for kids and adults alike, this cupcake cake is simple to assemble, easy to serve, and guaranteed to score big with your guests.
Football cupcakes are easy to make, super shareable, and designed to look like a football when arranged together for the big game or Super Bowl party. It’s one of the easiest cupcake recipes and will go perfect with Football Dirt Cups, Football Cookies Recipe and 35 Best Football Cake Ideas.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make – Uses simple football pull apart cupcakes with no special baking skills required.
- Perfect for Game Day – A festive dessert for tailgates, Super Bowl parties, and football gatherings.
- No Cutting Needed – Cupcakes pull apart easily for quick serving and less mess.
- Crowd-Pleasing Design – The football shape makes a big visual impact on any dessert table.
- Great for Sharing – Ideal for feeding a group without extra prep or plating.
- Fully Customizable – Decorate with team colors, favorite frosting flavors, or themed toppings.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cupcakes, prepared and cooled – You can use homemade or store-bought cupcakes as the base for your pull-apart treat.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter, softened – Allow the butter to come to room temperature so it’s easy to whip into a creamy frosting.
- Confectioners’ sugar, sifted – Sifting helps create a smooth, lump-free frosting.
- Unsweetened natural cocoa powder – Brings deep chocolate flavor to the buttercream.
- Clear vanilla extract – Adds a classic vanilla note without tinting the frosting color.
- Milk or heavy cream (optional) – Helps adjust the consistency of the frosting for easier spreading or piping.
You can find the entire ingredient list at the bottom of the page.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1. Heat oven and bake 24 cupcakes in the oven using cupcake pans and regular-size muffin cups. I like to use green cupcake liners for the batter. You can use betty crocker, duncan hines, homemade or anything you like. Allow cupcakes to cool on a wire rack completely at room temperature.
Step 2. While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting in a large bowl. Beat the butter with a paddle attachment until fluffy.
Step 3. Next, add the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Beat on low speed until combined and then increase the speed to medium/high speed and beat for 3-4 minutes until all the ingredients are combined.
Step 4. Gradually add the milk to the mixing bowl until the frosting is the consistency that you prefer. Then remove about ½ cup of the white icing from the bowl and reserve. Next, mix the cocoa powder into the remaining frosting and beat on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Step 5. Arrange the cupcakes on a platter with parchment paper. The configuration should look like a football. Place a small dollop of chocolate frosting on each cupcake.
Step 6. Spread the frosting evenly with an angled spatula so that it looks like one cake.
Step 7. Add the remaining chocolate frosting in a decorating bag. Start at one end of the football shape and pipe a zig-zag shape until the entire top of the football is covered in the chocolate frosting.
Step 8. Finally, place the reserved vanilla frosting in a piping bag fitted with tip. Pipe laces on the football using thick lines. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Guests can pull apart the cupcakes to enjoy.
Expert Tips
- Use a sturdy cupcake base. Bake cupcakes with a dense, moist crumb so they hold their shape when arranged closely together.
- Arrange before frosting. Place the cupcakes in a football shape on your serving board or tray before adding frosting to avoid breaking the cupcakes later.
- Apply a crumb coat first. Lightly frost the tops and sides of the cupcakes to help the final layer of frosting spread smoothly and look seamless.
- Use chocolate frosting for realism. Chocolate buttercream or chocolate frosting gives the pull-apart cupcakes the classic football color and appearance.
- Pipe the laces last. Use white decorating icing or white chocolate to add the football laces after the frosting is fully smoothed.
- Chill briefly before serving. Refrigerating the cupcakes for 20–30 minutes helps the frosting set and keeps the football shape intact.
- Serve with cupcake liners on. Leaving the liners on makes pulling apart and serving the cupcakes quick, clean, and mess-free.
- Plan portions easily. Count one cupcake per serving so guests can grab a piece without cutting or utensils. You can also make mini cupcakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
This recipe can easily be made with a cake mix or homemade Chocolate Cupcakes.
I recommend freezing the cupcakes once cooled and before they are decorated. Then allow to thaw and assemble in the football shape. Decorate as normal.
More Football Desserts
- Football Oreo Balls
- How to Make a Football Cake
- Football Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
- Football Oreo Balls
- Football Rice Krispie Treats Recipe
- Football Brownies
Make these football pull apart cupcakes for your next game day party and watch them disappear before halftime. Save the recipe, grab your frosting, and score big with a dessert everyone will love!
Football Pull Apart Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 24 Chocolate Cupcakes prepared
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter softened
- 3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder
- 2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Prepare a batch of at least 24 cupcakes and cool completely at room temperature.
- Using the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally, beating until the butter is very fluffy.
- Add in the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Beat on low speed until combined and then increase the speed on the mixture to medium/high speed and beat for 3-4 minutes (scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed) until all the ingredients are combined.
- Slowly add in the milk until the frosting is the consistency that you prefer.
- Remove approximately ½ cup of the frosting from the bowl and reserve for the stripes on the football.
- Mix the cocoa powder into the remaining frosting and beat on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to high and beat for 2-3 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Assemble the Cupcakes:
- Set up your cupcakes in the shape of football. Place a small dollop of chocolate frosting on each cupcake and spread evenly with an angled spatula spreading the icing across all the cupcakes to make them look like one cake.
- Place the remaining chocolate frosting in a piping bag fitted with tip 1M (star tip). Start at one end of the football shape and pipe a zig-zag shape until the entire top of the football is covered in the chocolate frosting.
- Place the reserved vanilla frosting in a piping bag fitted with tip #3A. Pipe the football stripes onto the top of the football cake.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Allow your guests to pull apart the cupcakes to enjoy.
