“When I go make sure I’m wearing green & gold”
I first made these cupcakes pre-blog when the Timbers got to the Western Conference Final back in 2013. This year we’ve defied the odds and are ending the season in the MLS Cup Final on Sunday. For a team with such deep-rooted soccer history with the most passionate fan base in all of North America (I’m talking about you, Timbers Army), this is a big deal.
The Timbers have been around for 40 years, but only became a professional MLS team 5 years ago and this will be the team’s first appearance in the cup final.
This year the team has overcome injuries, an up-and-down season and a ridiculous 11 round penalty shootout to get to the final where they’ll face the Columbus Crew in Columbus, Ohio.
To celebrate, these slightly chocolatey chocolate chip cupcakes with green & gold frosting are making their second appearance in my kitchen.
In order to get the green & gold swirl frosting, I put green frosting in one small piping bag, gold frosting in another, then placed both of them in a larger piping bag and piped them out together. Feel free to pipe one colour on top of the other if you’d prefer that.
Go Timbers!
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 2 eggs
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
Frosting:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium size bowl, lightly beat the eggs, add butter and sugar, then mix until light and fluffy.
- Add milk and flour, stir to combine. Add the chocolate chips and cocoa powder and stir through the mixture. Beat until light and creamy.
- Divide mixture between cupcake liners (depending on how full you fill them, between 12 and fifteen liners). Bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and firm to the touch, stick a toothpick in the middle to make sure they're cooked through. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool fully before frosting.
Frosting:
- Combine butter and powdered sugar. Add cream and vanilla and combine.
- Divide frosting in half and colour one half yellow and one half green (I used gel food colouring).
- Pipe frosting onto cupcakes.
