Chocolate Football Cupcakes

To a large bowl, add the sugars, oil, melted butter, and whisk to combine.

Add the eggs, buttermilk, sour cream, and whisk to combine. Note - Real buttermilk OR powdered buttermilk OR 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar to 1/2 cup milk (2% or whole) and let stand will all work.

Add the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and stir just until the dry ingredients incorporate. Don't overmix or the cupcakes will be crumbly.

Add the coffee and mix until just combined. Note - The batter will be very runny at this point which is expected.

Fill cupcake liners ¾-full with cupcake batter and place into the preheated oven to bake for 18 to 20 minutes. or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Tip - For optimal results rotate pans halfway through baking.

Once baked, remove from the oven and place pans onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Buttercream Frosting - To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and handheld electric mixer) add of the ingredients (except the cocoa) and beat together on high-speed for 2 for 3 minutes or until
smooth and fluffy frosting has formed. Tip - Adjust how thick or thin the frosting is by adding either an extra tablespoon dairy if too thick or add confectioners' sugar if too thin, until desired consistency is reached.

Spoon ¾ cup of the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip. Set aside.

Add the cocoa powder to the remainder of the frosting in the mixing bowl and beat together for 30 to 45 seconds to fully
incorporate.

Spoon the chocolate frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Set aside.

Ganache Filling - Heat the heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl or glass measuring cup for 1 minute on high power.

Add the chocolate chips and let set for 1 minute to allow the chocolate to melt.

Stir the mixture together until a smooth and thick chocolate ganache has formed. Tip - If the ganache is resistant to melting, place the bowl back in the microwave in 10 to 15-second bursts until it came be stirred smooth; set aside.

Incorporating the Ganche - Press the large end of a piping tip into the center of each cupcake about ¾ deep. Tip - Use a cupcake corer to make this job even easier.

Pull the piping tip or corer out of the cupcake and use a toothpick to remove the cupcake piece (or chunk) that is in the piping tip. Save the removed cupcake pieces in a bowl for later. Repeat this process with all 20 cupcakes.

Once the cupcakes are holed out, spoon enough chocolate ganache in each cupcake to fill the holes.

Press the removed cupcake chunks back into the hole on top of the ganache.

Frosting the Cupcakes - To frost the cupcakes, start by piping the chocolate frosting in 2 lines in the shape of a football. This should not cover the entire surface of the cupcake but will reach two opposing ends of the cupcake.

Fill the football shape in with frosting; this will take about 2 more lines of frosting to fill. Use a spoon or knife to smooth the frosting lines out. You may want to go back in and gently clean up the outside edges of the football shape. Repeat with all cupcakes.

Use the white frosting to pipe a line down the center of the football from one pointed end to the other.

Pipe small horizontal lines across the white center line to create the football laces (or stitches or grips whatever you want to call them). Tips - Be sure to leave ½ cm of space between each line for differentiation. You can vary the amount of small lines you pipe onto each football.

Cupcakes will keep airtight at room temp for up to 2 to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. I resist storing cakes and cupcakes in the fridge because it dries them out.