DIY: Football Cupcakes

Just in time for Super Bowl 2014, here's a DIY for some football cupcakes that are a perfect treat to whip up for game day. With just a few additional ingredients, you can transform a batch of frosted cupcakes into mini football fields - complete with a field goal post, football, and playing field. Head on over to your local grocery store to pick up the additional materials, and get ready to wow your guests on Super Bowl Sunday!MATERIALS NEEDED:

Fresh batch of cupcakes
Buttercream Frosting
Green Sanding Sugar
Royal Icing (Decorating Icing)
Fondant (or Modeling Chocolate): Brown + Yellow
Toothpicks

DIRECTIONS:First, get all of your ingredients together. While I prefer to whip up my own batch of buttercream, the royal icing I use is the pre-made decorating icing you can buy in the cake aisle at your local grocery store. Even though the taste may be inferior to a homemade batch, I only end up using a small amount, so the store-bought icing works great and saves a lot of time. For the fondant, if you can’t find the pre-made batches in yellow and brown, just add a little gel coloring to the white fondant to achieve each of your colors. Modeling chocolate also works great and tastes a bit better – even though it can be more expensive.Step #1: Frost your cupcake with buttercream. Use a spatula to apply the buttercream evenly across the cupcake’s surface.Step # 2: Pour some of the green sanding sugar onto a plate, then hold your cupcake at the wrapper, and gently dunk the cupcake’s top into the green sanding sugar.Step #3: Once you have your cupcake completely topped in green sugar (the field!), go ahead and use the decorating icing to add a line of icing down the center for the yard line and then add a number as well to mark the down on the field. Set the cupcake aside to allow the icing to set.Step #4: While your cupcake field is setting, use your hands to work a small amount of brown fondant into a football shape. Once you’ve achieved the perfect shape for your ball, add a toothpick into the center. Next, use the decorating icing to add one vertical line down your ball and three or four horizontal lines to create the laces of the football. Set in the fridge to allow the fondant and icing to set.Step #5: For the goal post, roll out two individual pieces of yellow fondant and work one of the pieces into the top of the goal post (basically 3 sides of a square). Roll out second piece into one long and rounded piece, about 3” long. Use a small amount of decorating icing to secure the two pieces together to create the post, and set aside to dry. Since you’re working with just a bit of fondant, you can also set the posts in the fridge to advance the drying process. You want your goal post to be nice and firm before adding it to your cupcake.Step #6: Once your fondant goal post and football are firm, add them to your cupcake. Apply a bit of pressure to stick the end of the goal post into one side of your cupcake and then use the toothpick to secure the football into the other end of the cupcake.And there you have it; your festive football cupcakes are ready to be served on game day!

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