What piping tip do you use for football laces?

A Wilton 47 or Ateco 45 flat ribbon tip piped smooth side up gives wide, flat laces that look most realistic. A No. 5 round tip works well for a simpler rounded lace, and in a pinch you can snip a 5 mm corner off a zip-top bag filled with white buttercream. Pipe one long centre line first, then add the short crossbars over it.

How do I get a deep brown buttercream without it tasting bitter?

Start with 60 g of cocoa powder per 300 g of butter, which gives a rich chocolate flavour, then deepen the colour with a small amount of brown gel food colouring or 50 g of melted and cooled dark chocolate. Piling in extra cocoa makes the buttercream bitter, dry and hard to spread. Letting the mixed buttercream rest for 30 minutes also darkens the cocoa colour naturally.

Can I make a football cake ahead of time?

Yes. Bake and freeze the undecorated layers up to 3 months ahead, wrapped twice in cling film, and make the buttercream up to 2 days ahead (refrigerate, then re-beat before using). The fully decorated cake keeps for 2 days at cool room temperature under a cake dome, or up to 4 days in the fridge — just let it sit out for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Can I use a boxed cake mix for a buttercream football cake?

Absolutely — one standard chocolate cake mix (around 400-450 g) baked in two 20 cm (8 in) rounds at the temperature on the box swaps straight into this method. For a sturdier crumb that carves better, add an extra egg and swap the water for milk. All the shaping, crumb-coating and lace-piping steps stay exactly the same.

6 Steps to an Easy Buttercream Football Cake

Ella Martin

Recipe Editor

Ingredients 12 Person(s)

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Directions

Step 1: Bake the Chocolate Layers

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and line two 20 cm (8 in) round cake tins with baking paper. Whisk the flour, sugar, 60 g of the cocoa, the bicarbonate of soda and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs, oil, buttermilk and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and beat for 1 minute until smooth, then stir in the hot coffee — the batter will be thin, and that is correct. Divide evenly between the tins and bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.

Step 2: Make the White and Brown Buttercreams

Beat the softened butter with an electric mixer for 2 minutes until pale and creamy. Add the icing sugar in two additions with 2 tablespoons of the milk, the remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, then beat on high for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Spoon 150 g of this white buttercream into a small bowl, cover with cling film and set aside for the laces and stripes. Stir the remaining 60 g of cocoa with 2 tablespoons of warm milk into a smooth paste, beat it into the large batch until evenly brown, and loosen with an extra tablespoon of milk if it feels stiff.

Step 3: Cut the Football Shape

Level any domed tops off both cooled layers with a serrated knife, then freeze the layers for 20 minutes so they carve cleanly. Place one layer on your work surface and cut a straight 5 cm (2 in) wide strip out of the middle of the circle, removing it completely (baker's snack). Slide the two remaining outer pieces together so the flat cut edges meet — the circle instantly becomes a pointed oval, which is your football. Cut the second layer the same way, using the first as a template so the two footballs match exactly.

Step 4: Stack and Crumb Coat

Set the first football layer on your cake board and spread a little brown buttercream along the centre seam where the two pieces meet to glue them together. Spread about 150 g of brown buttercream over the top, then place the second football layer on top, lining up the pointed ends and gluing its seam the same way. Cover the entire cake in a thin, scrappy crumb coat of brown buttercream using an offset spatula, filling the seams as you go. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, until the surface is firm to the touch.

Step 5: Frost the Football

Spread the remaining brown buttercream over the chilled cake in an even layer about 5 mm thick, smoothing the top and sides with an offset spatula and following the pointed football shape. Let it sit for 15 minutes to crust slightly, then gently press a clean paper towel over the surface for a pebbled leather texture, or drag the spatula tip in shallow horizontal lines for a simple striped finish. Using a small palette knife, add a curved white stripe of the reserved buttercream about 2.5 cm (1 in) in from each pointed end.

Step 6: Pipe the Laces

Fit a piping bag with a Wilton 47 flat ribbon tip (smooth side up) or a No. 5 round tip and fill it with the reserved white buttercream. Pipe one straight 10 cm (4 in) line down the centre of the top, then pipe 5 or 6 short crossbars over it, each about 3 cm long and spaced 2 cm apart, to form the laces. If you like, tint any leftover white buttercream with green gel colour and pipe a grass border around the base with a Wilton 233 grass tip, pulling up in short bursts. Chill the finished cake for 15 minutes to set the piping before slicing.

Pro Tips

Buttercream football cake with piped white laces and textured chocolate frosting on a cake board

Freeze the cooled layers for 20 minutes before cutting the football shape — a firm cake carves cleanly instead of tearing, and the strip-cut method works best with a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion. Never skip the crumb coat: a thin layer of buttercream chilled for 30 minutes in the fridge locks in the dark crumbs so your final brown coat stays clean. If your buttercream looks too pale for a football, deepen it with 1 teaspoon of brown gel colour or 50 g of melted and cooled dark chocolate rather than extra cocoa, which turns the frosting bitter and stiff. Before piping the laces, lightly score a centre guide line with a toothpick so they sit perfectly straight down the middle. For the classic pebbled leather look, let the frosted cake sit for 15 minutes until the surface crusts slightly, then press a clean paper towel gently all over it. Keep the reserved white buttercream covered with cling film pressed onto the surface so it does not crust before you need it.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

Chocolate football cake slices being wrapped and stored in an airtight container for make-ahead prep

The undecorated chocolate layers can be baked up to 3 months ahead: cool completely, wrap each layer twice in cling film, freeze flat, then thaw wrapped at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours before shaping. Both buttercreams keep for 2 days in an airtight container in the fridge — bring them back to room temperature and re-beat for 1 to 2 minutes until fluffy before using. The fully decorated football cake sits happily under a cake dome at cool room temperature (below 21°C / 70°F) for up to 2 days, since the high sugar content of buttercream preserves it. In a warm kitchen, refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 4 days and let it stand for 1 to 2 hours before serving so the buttercream softens back to a creamy texture. Leftover slices freeze well for up to 2 months wrapped individually in cling film and foil.

Learn how to make an easy buttercream football cake with two round pans — no special tin needed. Six simple steps, piping tips and storage advice. For more football cake inspiration, browse the full Football Cake Ideas board — every idea there is written for real home kitchens, not professional bakers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Use the strip-cut trick: bake a standard 20 cm (8 in) round cake, cut a 5 cm (2 in) strip out of the centre, remove it, and push the two outer pieces together so the flat edges meet. The circle becomes a pointed oval — exactly the shape of an American football — with no template or novelty tin needed. Chilling the cake for 20 minutes first gives much cleaner cuts.

buttercream

Written by

Ella Martin

Ella Martin is a home recipe writer who loves simple party food, creative cakes, comfort dishes, and desserts that look beautiful in photos without being complicated at home.