Basketball Cupcakes

Moist cupcakes are topped with Swiss meringue buttercream, orange sprinkles, and licorice laces. Any sport loving individual would think these cupcakes are a major slam dunk!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 15

Assemble the cupcakes 30

Total Time 1 20

Servings cupcakes

Calories 152kcal

Author Whitney Wright

Equipment

Ingredients

1/2 batch Swiss meringue buttercream recipe
orange sprinkles
black licorice laces see notes for instructions on dying red licorice laces black.

Cupcakes

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1/2 cup hot water or hot coffee
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pan with liners and set aside. In bowl of an electric mixer whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a large liquid measuring cup whisk the egg, buttermilk, hot water (or coffee), oil and vanilla.
Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and mix for another 30 seconds.
Scoop (pour) the batter into the cupcake liners, the batter is very very thin, filling only halfway full, or up to 2/3 full but no more!
Bake for 13-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.
Remove from the oven and allow cupcakes to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Assemble

Pipe an even amount of frosting onto each cupcake. Using a knife or offset spatula, spread the frosting into a nice roundish dome. .
Place the orange sprinkles in a small bowl.
Dip the frosting covered cupcakes in the sprinkles, rolling the top of the cupcake around to get full sprinkle coverage.
Cut 3 inch strands of black licorice laces. Place 3 parallel to one another, with the outer two laces curved towards the edge. Place a fourth and final lace over the top of the cupcakes, lengthwise or perpendicular to the 3 laces. Gently press the laces into the frosting and sprinkles to adhere.
Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.

Video

Notes

Prep time doesn't include the time it takes to make the Swiss meringue buttercream.

To make black licorice laces using red licorice:

Place 1/2 teaspoon of water and 1-2 drops of black food coloring GEL in a plastic cup or bowl. Mix the gel into the water.

Next, place your hand in a small ziplock bag (or use food safety gloves). This is an important step because it prevents your hands from being completely covered in food coloring.

Place 5-6 licorice laces in the cup (or bowl) and use your ziplock-bag-covered-hand to coat the laces in the food coloring.

Place the colored laces on a large piece of wax paper and let dry before using on the cupcakes.

Nutritional information is based on 1 serving and doesn't include the frosting or licorice.

Nutrition