My folks grew up in Bemidji, Minnesota; we still have lots of extended family there and visit as often as possible. I have great memories of going to my grandma and grandpa’s house as a child, and I especially loved to hear about what it was like growing up where the Minnesota Vikings had training camp. See, my grandpa owns a gas station on the main road in Bemidji, and he often had the pleasure of meeting players, coaches—pretty much everyone associated with the team. (Of course this was back in the day when all gas stations were full-service.) Some of the players even came out to their house for dinner!
So as you can see, I was raised to love the game of football. And while my active interests have changed to things like babies and cake, I still enjoy watching a game with my husband when the Minnesota Vikings are on.
Feel free to incorporate your team’s colors into the cake or frosting!
1 recipe White Cake (or your favorite yellow cake recipe)
1 recipe Chocolate Cake
1 recipe Basic Buttercream
Yellow, white, and brown gel food coloring
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
4 6-inch round cake pans; cake leveler or long serrated knife; 3-inch round cookie cutter; paring knife; skewer (optional); rolling pin; offset spatula
DIFFICULTY: Medium
1. Prepare the white cake batter, adding 2 to 4 drops of yellow food coloring to the batter (or prepare a yellow cake recipe instead). Bake two 6-inch round cake layers (you may need to extend the recommended baking time when using 6-inch pans). Cool to room temperature. If your cakes are not level, level them now.
2. Freeze the layers for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, to make the cake texture firm, not crumbly.
3. Bake the chocolate cake in two 6-inch layers. Cool to room temperature. You’ll need only one layer; you can wrap the other in plastic wrap and foil and freeze it for up to 3 months.
4. Prepare the buttercream.
5. Press a 3-inch round cookie cutter into the center of one of the layers to create a shallow guideline.
6. Using a sharp paring knife, go in and add 2 points to the circle shape to extend the circle into a football-shaped guideline. Use a skewer to help keep the cuts even if you like. Repeat on the second layer.
7. Carve out the shape of a football. Make the deepest cut in the cake at the center point, and graduate up and out. Reserve the cake scraps in a bowl.
8. Repeat to cut out a football shape on the second layer.
9. To make the football, crumble one chocolate cake layer and remove the hard bits. Mix in 1 or 2 tablespoons of buttercream to create a pliable cake mixture.
10. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons buttercream and 1 to 4 drops white food coloring to the bowl of reserved yellow cake scraps and combine to make the cake mixture. Roll the cake mixture thin on a piece of parchment.
11. Cut the cake mixture into a single 1-inch strip and five ¼-inch strips.
12. Lay out the seam pattern in one of the cake layers to make sure it fits properly. Cut and adjust as needed, then remove it from the cake and set it aside.
13. Form a rough football shape out of chocolate cake mixture to fit the cavity in the cake. Adjust as needed; the cake mixture should be level with the top of the layer.
14. Remove the football half, turn it over, and make 5 short cuts into the top to fit the 5 white cross-seams. Nestle the 5 shorter white cake strips into the top of the football. They should fit firmly inside the chocolate cake football. Then make one long cut lengthwise across the 5 shorter strips to fit the longer, wider cake strip. Insert the longer white strip into this cut.
15. Turn the football half over and nestle it into the cavity of the cake layer, white strips down. This will be the top layer of the cake.
16. Fill both layers of yellow cake completely with the chocolate cake mixture. Place a dab of buttercream on the bottom layer so you know which is which.
17. Tint a few tablespoons of buttercream yellow (to match the cake interior) and spread it around the perimeter of the bottom cake layer using an offset spatula. Be careful to not get frosting on the chocolate football halves.
18. Gently invert the top layer and place it over the bottom layer, taking care to match the ends of the football. You’ll want to cut the first slice from the side of the football to show the shape, so keep track of the front. Cover the cake in a crumb coat and place it on a cake stand.
19. Cover the cake in a smooth layer of buttercream. Tint the remaining buttercream brown.
20. Insert a #2 decorating tip into a disposable pastry bag and fill it with the brown buttercream. Pipe outlines of people cheering around the bottom perimeter of the cake. If you like, you can draw this design on paper first. Place the drawing behind a piece of wax paper and practice piping. You can also use a toothpick to draw the design directly on the cake. If you make a mistake, simply smooth out the frosting and start over.
21. Fill in the outlines with chocolate buttercream.
22. Chill the cake until serving.
