Moist chocolate cupcakes filled with Nutella and decorated with a smooth Nutella butter cream!
Nutella is the absolute favorite chocolate hazelnut spread in my family. It is a no brainer to make the best chocolate cupcakes with it!
These chocolate cupcakes let cocoa bloom in hot water for a more intense chocolate flavor! Also make sure to not overfill the cupcake liners 2/3 full is perfect! They grow a lot while they are baking.
These are the cake pans and my KitchenAid hand mixer that I always use in my recipe videos
A 8 inch cake pan is the traditional choice to make most cake recipes. It creates tall cake layers without making a huge cake! This 6 speed KitchenAid hand mixer is the only one with flex edge beaters for a 2 times faster mixing and to protect your mixing bowl from scratches!
Nutella Frosting
Chocolate buttercream has already a great flavor but adding melted chocolate and Nutella makes it extra rich and delightful! You could just mix in Nutella but it makes it very soft and sweet. Melted dark chocolate also makes it a bit softer but brings an intense chocolate flavor! To stiffen up the butter cream I like to mix in sifted cocoa powder. Whip it or San apart are two corn starch based powders that help stiffen up creams without adding as much sweetness as powdered sugar. My family always brings me some when they come to visit from Germany! Whip it you should be able to find it in a well stocked supermarket.
Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes
Ingredients: for 18 cupcakes
1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
6 tbsp (40 g) cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup (90 ml) water, hot
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (207g) sugar
2 eggs
6 tbsp (90 ml) milk
For the Nutella buttercream:
1 cup (226 g) butter
3 oz (85 g) semi sweet chocolate, melted
1/4 cup (25 g) natural cocoa powder, sifted
3/4 cup (75 g) powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup (150 g) Nutella
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup (300 g) Nutella for filling and decoration
crushed hazelnuts
Check out my full video tutorial with tons of helpful tips!
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Prepare a 12 count cupcake baking pan with cupcake liners. Start off with a large bowl. Combine cocoa powder with vanilla and hot water. Whisk it and let it bloom for a minute. Then add sugar and butter and mix it in. When it is mixed in completely mix in eggs. Sift in flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt and mix until everything is thoroughly incorporated. Mix in milk but do not over mix it!
Step 2:
Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Do not overfill them! It should be enough batter for 14 to 18 cupcakes. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 3:
For the buttercream whisk butter until whipped and lighter in color for about 10 minutes. This will reduce its butter flavor. Mix in powdered sugar and cocoa powder in small portions. Add the slightly cooled melted chocolate and mix it in quickly. Make sure to clean the bowl with a silicone spatula to fully incorporate the chocolate. As a last step add vanilla and Nutella. Mix everything until well incorporated then whip it on a medium high speed for about 3 minutes to make it fluffy. This will cause some air bubbles but results in a lighter and more airy buttercream. To remove most air bubbles spread the frosting against the bowl with a spatula.
Step 4:
To decorate the cupcakes use an apple corer or a piping tip to remove the center of the cupcakes. Fill each cupcake with Nutella. Then pipe a generous swirl on top of each cupcake. Decorate them with Nutella and crushed hazelnuts.
Enjoy!
**PRO-TIPS**
Bloom cocoa powder in hot coffee for a more intense chocolate flavor!
The buttercream can stay at room temperature for about 2 days. Then it should be moved to the fridge.
Chocaholic? Try mini chocolate chips as an addition to the cake batter – triple chocolate is my favorite!
