Prepare your chocolate cake batter according to my recipe. Divide evenly among your half egg pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in their pans.

Before you begin, I created a football template, and used an Xacto knife to cut a football shape out of foam board.

Using a serrated knife, level your cakes while still in their pans. With your half egg cakes facing flat side up, carve into the shape of your template. Then flip your cakes flat side down and follow this football shape as a guide. You’ll want to taper the rounded end into more of a point, being careful to look at the cake from above to ensure that you’re maintaining the correct slope.

Once you’re happy with the shape, give both the flat and domed side of your cakes a simple syrup shower. Let absorb.

Slide the football foam board under one of the football cakes. Please note: that it should be completely concealed as it should be the same size as your cake. Crumb coat and chill both cakes. Remove from fridge and give your cakes another ice. Return to fridge.

Mix 1 ½ lbs of chocolate fondant with ½ lb of yellow, and ½ lb of pink fondant. This will help give the fondant a warm undertone.

Knead your fondant well and divide into two even pieces. Roll out and use an IKEA drawer liner to add texture. Roll over the liner with a rolling pin, applying enough pressure to leave an imprint in 1-2 rolls.

Pick up your fondant and cover the cake with your hands. Press into place very lightly with your hands. Trim away any excess fondant with a sharp paring knife and tuck underneath to mimic the deep seam of a football. Repeat this process with the second half.

Add the seams to your football. Lay a tape measure from point to point, and use a sculpting tool to run that same line to create the seam. Use a sharp paring knife to lightly mark out stitch marks in even intervals.

Flip this half of the cake over with the board. Take the paring knife and remove the board. This should leave a lip of fondant about ¼ inch higher than the cake. Fill in the lip with frosting, and keep your buttercream flush with the top of the fondant lip. Let chill.

Take both halves out of the fridge and add the top half of the football to the bottom. Then use the tips of your thumbs to press the two seams together. If there are any places that you rubbed the texture out of, go back with your drawer liner, and press along the seam to retexture.

Make the same stitch marks in the side seams. Set your football on your shaping foam, and a non stick mat to keep your cake from wobbling.

Take some black fondant and mix it well with shortening to soften it. Run it through a clay extruder to get a thin rope. Lay your template on the ball to ensure it is centred between the points, and then secure onto the cake with a couple of pins. Brush a thin line of water around the shape of the template.

Make valves where an air pump would be inserted. Roll a bit of fondant and use a piping tip and sculpting tool to make a circle within a circle. Add to cake with a bit of water.  

Use a pin to mark where your lace holes will be, and deepen them with a pointed sculpting tool. Once the holes we in place, roll out white gum paste and cut with a #2 strip cutter. Lace them back and forth across the ball and over the seams, then place two long laces over the top, once again in a back and forth pattern.

Cut out the logo and crest, using a star plunger cutter for the stars. Brush the appropriate pieces with a little bit of vegetable shortening and then dusting with gold lustre. Assemble with a bit of clear piping gel, and then add to the ball with a bit more piping gel.