Barca Soccer Ball Cake Tutorial
Calories: 29
Adjust Servings Here: 20 servings
Description
If you've got a Barça fan in your life (or you are the fan), this is the cake to impress. A perfect chocolate soccer ball, decked out in red and blue glory. Here's how I built mine from the ground up — with tips to keep that spherical beauty standing tall (and not turning into a sad, saggy pancake).
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake (2 half-spheres for 6-inch or 7-inch ball pans)
- 2 ½ cups (310 g) All-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (65 g) Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 cup (227 g) Butter
- 2 cups (400 g) Sugar
- 4 large Eggs
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
- 1 cups (240 ml) Buttermilk (or milk + 1 tbsp vinegar)
- 1 cup (240 ml) Hot coffee (or hot water for milder flavor)
? For the Buttercream Filling:
- 1 cup (227 g) Unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups (360 g) Powdered sugar sifted
- 2 - 3 tbsp Heavy cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp Pinch of salt
? For the Ganache Coating:
- 400 g Dark chocolate (bittersweet or semi-sweet) chopped
- 200 ml Heavy cream
? For Decorating:
- 900 grams White fondant (approx. for an 8-inch ball)
- Red and blue airbrush color (or gel color diluted with vodka)
- 8-inch ball Foam core cut to size wrapped in foil) for internal support
Instructions
Step 1: Make the two chocolate half-spheres
- Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F. Grease and line your ball pans.
- In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs and vanilla. Alternately, add the dry ingredients and buttermilk. Stir in the hot coffee last.
- Divide into the two pans and bake for 45–55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely before handling.
- Step 2: Support with Foam Core - Trim a third off the bottom cake (so the ball doesn’t roll away!). Replace that portion with your foil-wrapped foam core. This acts as a dummy so your cake won’t collapse under its own weight — trust me, I’ve been there.
- Step 3: Fill and Stack - Spread buttercream over the flat side of each cake half. Sandwich them together with the foam core underneath. Press gently to secure.
- Step 4: Make and Coat with Ganache - Microwave or heat on the stove until melted smooth and pourable but thick. Let cool completely to peanut butter consistency. Spread a smooth layer of ganache all over the cake — it locks in crumbs and gives your fondant a flawless surface. Chill until firm.
- Step 5: Fondant Time - Roll out your white fondant to about 3mm thick. Drape over your chilled cake. Smooth it down carefully — top to bottom — trimming excess as needed.
- Step 6: Add the Soccer Ball Pattern - Before airbrushing, create the classic soccer ball design using hexagon and pentagon shapes. I used a cardstock template to mark out shapes. Gently press the shapes onto the fondant-covered cake, spacing them out evenly — don’t worry about making it perfect; just suggest the look. I recommend starting from the top center and working your way down, like a globe pattern. Pro tip - If you’re going full Barça, you can do the traditional black and white with fondant and skip the airbrushing completely.
- Step 7: Paint the Passion—Once your fondant is dry, airbrush bold streaks of red and blue to represent FC Barcelona's colors. Start from the top and bottom and then make your way towards the center.
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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