Frieling Soccer Ball Pan

There are all kinds of pans out there for sports fans and even stadium-shaped pans for fans who want to get a little bit of the stadium experience at home. I like a lot of sports, but I’m a soccer fan and with the Los Angeles Galaxy home season opening this past weekend, I decided that a batch of soccer ball cakes was in order. I used my Frieling Soccer Ball Pan, a sturdy nonstick pan that makes a dozen soccer ball shaped cakes.

The cakes are about the size of standard muffin cups (although they seem a bit larger because of their shape) and both bake and release well. I recommend lightly greasing and flouring the pan for the best release and the cleanest finished product even though the pan is nonstick. Let them cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes to firm up a bit before removing them, so you can carefully pull them out without cracking the cakes. They looked great just out of the pan.

I have to admit that the most difficult part of the soccer ball cakes is decorating them. Although the lines come out quite clearly on the little cakes, once you put a glaze on them to make them look more realistic, it is very difficult to see them! I love the suggestion of the manufacturer (right on the packaging) to sandwich the cake halves together to make actual balls, but it was tricky enough to decorate them when they were flat on one side! At least I have the whole soccer season to practice – and should be good enough to bring them to game-watching parties by the next FIFA World Cup!