I’m not sporty in the least, but I love March Madness. And Basketball Cupcakes!
There’s something about picking brackets and forming an arbitrary, but intense, attachment to a college basketball team. One year, I was completely infatuated with Gonzaga, another with George Mason. Usually though, it’s Duke. Most often, I have no basis for this temporary, sporty little crush.
Wherever your allegiance lies, I hope we can all agree on one thing: Basketball Cupcakes are cute. They are, aren’t they? I had these at a basketball tourney potluck recently, and had to make them for you. Actually, I had to make them so I could eat one—they very nearly disappeared off the counter before dessert was even served.
The technique is one of those “super easy, why didn’t I think of that?” methods. Which is perfect for me, because while many of you are geniuses with a pastry bag, I am not.
Start with a batch of 12 of your favorite cupcakes. I used FUN da-Middles.
Because creamy filled cupcakes are fantastic!
Next, color some frosting. You will need to use quite a bit of liquid food coloring – I used about 10 drops of red and 20 drops of yellow. (Tip: Gel coloring would be a lot more efficient, and deliver a more vibrant color.)
Measure and cut your black licorice for the black dividers on the basketball. I found these little Haribo licorice “wheels” and unwound them to get a single rope, which I then sliced up accordingly. But if you can find black rope licorice, that’ll work great too!
Next, frost your cupcake tops. I didn’t use a ton of frosting (because there’s creamy filling inside), just enough to hold the licorice and the sprinkles. Try to make it as smooth as you can.
Place the licorice on the top of the cupcake.
Dust with orange sprinkles. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
I recommend doing these one at a time, rather than assembly line style, as the licorice and sprinkles adhere best when the frosting is fresh.
Hope you enjoy, and Go Team (whichever team that may be)!
XO, Michelle
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