Nutella Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting
Nutella adds a rich flavor to both the chocolate cupcakes and fluffy buttercream in this recipe for Nutella cupcakes. The cupcakes are so simple to make and that frosting is a dream. Top with a drizzle of the chocolate hazelnut spread and crushed hazelnuts for maximum effect.
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Party On!
I made these Nutella cupcakes for a few reasons. We’ll get to the other reason later (keep reading fellow book nerds), but that main reason was I needed some easy cupcakes to bring to a party. All I knew was that the honoree liked chocolate. Done and done.
There was a partially empty tub of Nutella in the pantry that was screaming, “Use me up!”, so I did. I threw a bit of Nutella into the cupcake batter and the buttercream to create a rich, cozy flavor.
Making Nutella Cupcakes
My vegan chocolate cupcakes are my go to recipe, but I wanted to try something different this time. I took my mini dark chocolate cupcakes recipe and made a few alterations. They came out perfectly moist, tender, and had just a hint of Nutella underneath all that chocolate goodness.
The most important tip I can give you for these Nutella cupcakes is to not overfill the cupcake liners. You should get about 18 cupcakes out of the batter. If you overfill, they will spread out and look a bit ugly. Not the end of the world, but it ain’t pretty. I filled my scoop just to the edge of the scooping mechanism, so not all the way to the top.
Top Tips for Cupcakes
- Do NOT over mix. Once you add the wet and dry ingredients, keep the speed on low and do not beat for longer than 2 minutes.
- Place some dried rice (½ – 1 teaspoon) in the bottom of each cupcake cavity before adding your paper cases.
- Use a large cookie scoop to perfectly portion your cupcake batter. For these Nutella cupcakes, you’ll want to slightly underfill the scoop.
- Use the Ateco 888 piping tip for the perfect swirl and frosting to cupcake ratio.
Fluffy Nutella Frosting
I call this my hybrid buttercream because it is a mash up of a mock Swiss meringue buttercream and American buttercream. The end result is a creamy, fluffy frosting that is not too sweet, nor too buttery. Cocoa powder and Nutella make this buttercream so flavorful and indulgent.
It’s important to note that this recipe makes a ton of frosting. I hate to be short on frosting, and I planned on piping it onto the cupcakes quite liberally. If you will be frosting the cupcakes more conservatively, or just don’t need to cover the entire batch, you could easily halve this portion of the recipe.
Related Reading: Death by Dark Chocolate Cake
Put It All Together
You can absolutely just pipe this gorgeous buttercream right onto the Nutella cupcakes and call it a day. Or you could be just a tiny bit extra. Use a small piping bag to pipe a few swipes of Nutella over the tail of the frosting. Then sprinkle them with crushed hazelnuts!
Making these Nutella cupcakes is pretty dang easy, but want to watch the recipe video anyways? I’ll show you how to make the cupcakes, whip up the buttercream, and then we’ll throw it all together.
Crown of Midnight
Like I said, the celebration I was going to wasn’t the only reason I chose to make Nutella cupcakes. The other reason was Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas. It is the third book in the Throne of Glass series.
In the book, Celaena throws a private birthday dinner for her friend. At the end of the meal, they share his favorite cake, which is chocolate hazelnut. I decided to create cupcakes inspired by this birthday cake.
Enjoy!
Moist Nutella cupcakes topped with a fluffy Nutella frosting are as easy to make as they are to eat. The rich flavors of chocolate and hazelnuts are cozy and comforting. Whip up a batch for the Nutella lover in your life.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also be interested in the Bakes & Blunders YouTube channel. You can find all sorts of recipes, tips, and tutorials on my channel, including playlists like my cupcakes playlist. Check it out!
Nutella Cupcakes & Frosting
Ingredients
Nutella Cupcakes
- 8 fl oz boiling water
- 1.25 oz cocoa powder
- 6 oz sugar
- 2 oz all- purpose flour
- 2 oz cake flour
- 2 Tbsps dried buttermilk
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 oz Nutella
- 1 egg
- 2 fl oz canola oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
Nutella Hybrid Buttercream
- 2 oz pasteurized egg whites
- 20 oz powdered sugar sifted
- 16 oz unsalted butter softened
- 2 oz cocoa powder sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 oz Nutella
Toppings
- Nutella
- Crushed hazelnuts
Instructions
Nutella Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Add a teaspoon of dried rice to each cavity in your cupcake pan. Add the cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a small heatproof bowl, combine the boiling water and cocoa powder. Stir until the cocoa powder is completely dissolved. Set aside.
- Sift together the sugar, flours, dried buttermilk, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Add the Nutella to the warm chocolate mixture. Stir until well combined and the Nutella has melted. Add the egg, oil, and vanilla to the mixture and whisk until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Beat with a hand mixer on low speed for 1- 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl down as needed.
- Use a scoop to distribute the batter in the cupcake pans. Do not overfill! I slightly under-filledfilled my scoop.
- Bake for 22- 24 minutes or until the tops spring back when poked. Let them cool in the cupcake pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Nutella Hybrid Buttercream
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the pasteurized egg whites and about 10 ounces of the sifted powdered sugar and whip for 4- 5 minutes. If powdered sugar gets stuck above the egg whites, scrape it back down.
- With the mixer on a medium speed, whip in the butter one tablespoon at a time. It will look a bit curdled. Once all of the butter has been combined, whip on a medium- high speed for 2- 4 minutes.
- Switch to a paddle attachment and scrape the bowl down. Beat the mixture on a medium speed for about 4 minutes. Scrape the bowl down and add half of the remaining powdered sugar and all of the cocoa powder. Beat on low to combine, then on a medium- low speed for 1- 2 minutes.
- Scrape the bowl down and add the remaining powdered sugar and the vanilla. Beat on low to combine, then on a medium- low speed for 1- 2 minutes.
- Scrape the bowl down and add the Nutella. Beat on a medium- low speed until well combined. Taste and adjust flavors as necessary.
Assembly
- Top each cupcake with a swirl of frosting. Place some Nutella in a small piping bag and pipe a few drizzles over the tail end of the buttercream. Sprinkle with crushed hazelnuts.
Notes
- You can make the frosting in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge. When you want to use it, left it sit on the counter for an hour or two before beating it smooth with a spatula.
- Calorie count only includes half of the frosting. You will not need it all. If you want to just lightly frost each cupcake, you can halve the buttercream portion of the recipe.
- You can use hot coffee instead of hot water for an even more intense flavor.
Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
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