These Football Cake Pops are the perfect dessert bites for the big game! Cake is mixed with frosting and shaped into footballs, then decorated for a fun and festive party!
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Recipe
These Football Cake Pops are a perfect game day dessert recipe!
Easy to make with a cake mix and store bought frosting for a festive and themed handheld dessert.
You can keep these traditional as classic footballs or even decorate them with team colored sprinkles for the big game!
They are perfect to make ahead and chill so they are ready to go when the game starts and everyone is looking for a sweet snack!
Ingredients
Cake – I like to use chocolate cake to keep with the brown football color, but you can use any color or flavor cake mix as desired. You can either use a cake mix and follow the instructions listed, or even use a cake that is already made.
Frosting – If using a dark cake mix, you will not see a colored frosting no matter what. If a white or yellow cake mix, you can color the frosting or a subtle color filling.
Chocolate Chips – for the coating
White Chocolate Chips or Bright White Candy Melts – to make the football details
Optional – add team colors using colored sprinkles and colored candy melts if desired
Instruction Overview
First make your cake as per package directions.
Let the cake cook and then gently break apart into a large bowl.
Add a half cup of frosting and mix into the cake. Keep adding more frosting 1/4 cup at a time until you can press the cake mixture together and it sticks.
Press the cake mixture into your football molds firmly.
Flatten the top of the mold and scrape away any pieces hanging over the edges or bulging up.
Chill for approximately 20-30 minutes until they firm up some which will make them easier to coat.
Remove the footballs from the mold.
Melt your chocolate in a small or medium bowl in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time. Do not overheat as the chocolate will seize!
Place the cake balls into the chocolate and coat with a fork or spoon.
Scoop out each football resting on a fork and bang on the side of the bowl to remove the excess chocolate.
Place the coated balls on a parchment lined sheet.
Decorate the footballs as desired with sprinkles or white chocolate or white candy melts. Decorate as you go before the chocolate sets up!
Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Alternative Method Without Football Molds
If you want to make these without a specific football shaped mold, there is another option!
First press out the cake mixture all in one large slab approximately 1/2 inch thick. This is great to do on a baking sheet.
Chill the mixture to firm it up a bit, about 1 hour.
Then take your desired sized football cookie cutter and cut out football shapes. You can also free hand the football shape, but this will take much longer than using a cookie cutter.
Put the football cake pieces on another baking sheet or large plate, and continue the process for decorating with coating in chocolate.
Kim’s Tips
The final surface of the cake pop bites will be very susceptible to the surface of the cake before coating. Large bumps or craters will show.
It is easier to work with a cold cake mix. If sticking too much, chill the cake and frosting mixture before pressing into molds.
Do not stack cake pieces on top of each other, nor touching, when chilling. This will prevent them from sticking together.
Modifications and Substitutions
You can use two football shapes to make them 3D if desired, and even sandwich them with a cake pop stick in the middle, if you want to make them into a true cake pop.
With how much the cake mix volume and size is changing these days, you might end up with more or (more likely) less pieces at the end. If you need a certain number of pieces, always aim high to accommodate these package differences and/or production issues.
Use any size football mold that works for you. It just might change the number of pieces you end up with.
FAQs
Colored frosting will only appear with a white or very light colored cake.
Chilling the cake helps the bites set up so they are easier to handle and coat, without breaking apart.
More Game Day Recipes
Game Day Recipes
Football Cake Pops
Equipment
- Football Silicone Mold see note 1
- Measuring Cups
- 2 Forks
- Hand Mixer
- Small Bowls for melting chocolate and candy melts
Ingredients
- 1 batch boxed chocolate cake mix or flavor of choice
- 1 cup frosting about half of a can, any flavor (or more as needed)
- 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips or more as needed
- red candy melts any color as desired
- gold sugar sprinkles any color as desired
Instructions
- Make your cake as per the box directions. Let cool.1 batch boxed chocolate cake mix
- Crumble the cakes into a large bowl.
- Add the frosting to the large bowl.1 cup frosting
- Use an electric hand mixer to combine the frosting and cake. It should look somewhat like wet sand and not be smooth. Approximately 1 minute.
- Press the cake mixture firmly into the football mold. Remove each shaped ball and place on a plate or baking sheet. Repeat with all cake mix.
- Chill the shaped cake 30 minutes for them to harden up some and to make them easier to coat. (This may take many rounds if you have just one mold – it is a great thing to do in advance).
- Melt your chocolate by heating in a small bowl in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.If your chocolate is not melting well, add a Tablespoon of coconut oil or neutral oil (avocado, vegetable) to help get a good texture.2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
- Remove the cake balls from the mold and coat in the chocolate. Lift the cake out of the chocolate with a fork and bang against the bowl rim to knock off the excess chocolate.
- Place the coated cake on a parchment lined baking tray to set.
- Repeat with all cake pieces, melting more chocolate as needed. Decorate the footballs as every 3 or so are coated, before the chocolate sets.
- To decorate, sprinkle with your team color sprinkles or drizzle with colored candy melts. Or to make football markings, melt bright white candy melts in a small plastic bag. Cut off a very small tip and pipe the football lines onto the balls.red candy melts, gold sugar sprinkles
- Store cake bites in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
- I used this football silicone mold which doubles for making shaped ice. You can use any football mold, but end quantity will vary with the football size. You can also choose to press the cake mixture into a large slab (about 1/2 inch thick) and use a small football cookie cutter or shape the footballs by hand instead.
