These Nutella Cupcakes have everything going for them! Featuring moist, chocolatey cupcakes stuffed with Nutella and topped with a rich Nutella buttercream frosting and garnished with hazelnuts. They’re decadent, completely homemade and easy to whip up.
When I say easy to whip up, I mean that. Your electric mixer will literally whip the batter and frosting together and do most of the work leaving you in charge of the fun things like decorating the cupcakes!
NUTELLA STUFFED
Once the cupcakes have cooled, stuff them with some Nutella! To do this, you’ll cut a little chunk out of the top-center of each cupcake. Next, fill the hole with about a teaspoon of Nutella. Place the chunk back on top. The top might pop up a bit since you added the Nutella but that’s fine. It’s all going to get covered with frosting.
ABOUT NUTELLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
This whipped Nutella frosting combines rich, creamy butter with the flavor and sweetness of Nutella. This thick Nutella frosting is incredibly luscious and it goes so well with the moist cupcakes! Best part? It’s super easy to make! It takes less than five minutes and the mixer does all the work.
INGREDIENTS FOR NUTELLA BUTTERCREAM
- Room temperature butter: Leave your butter out a good half hour to an hour before using it.
- Powdered sugar: I know it adds an extra step, but it’s definitely a good idea to sift your powdered sugar before using it. Sifting the sugar will make sure you don’t end with bumps and lumps in your otherwise creamy frosting.
- Nutella: It adds creaminess, sweetness and, of course, more of that Nutella flavor that’s found in the cupcakes!
- Heavy cream or milk: I prefer heavy cream but milk works just fine too.
- Vanilla: I know we get flavor from the Nutella, but the vanilla brings out the flavor of the Nutella even more!
- Salt: Just a little, to balance out the sweetness.
DECORATING THE CUPCAKES
COOL COMPLETELY BEFORE FROSTING
Even though these cupcakes are delicious warm, I strongly recommend letting them cool completely before you frost them! Frosting cooled cupcakes as opposed to warm ones will keep your frosting in place! If you want to speed up the cooling process, you can always place the cupcakes in the fridge for 15 minutes. This will help them cool down faster.
FROSTING THE CUPCAKES
However you choose to frost these, they will look and taste amazing. You can slather the frosting on using a knife or use your favorite piping tip. I wanted to give mine some style, so I used my Wilton Open Star Piping Tip #1M.
CHOCOLATE COVERED HAZELNUTS
To make these cupcakes even more of a treat, top each one with a chocolate dipped hazelnut! I made these as a cute hint to the chocolate-hazelnut flavor of the Nutella but turns out they’re REALLY good too!
To make them, you literally just melt some milk chocolate chips in the microwave for 20 second intervals. Stir after each time and continue til the chips have just melted.
Dip each hazelnut in the chocolate. I like to dip them halfway, so you can still tell that they are hazelnuts. Let them dry on wax paper. That’s it!
CHOPPED HAZELNUTS
Sprinkling chopped hazelnuts on top of the buttercream is definitely a nice finishing touch! It adds a little bit of crunch and is one of those visual clues as to what the flavor is.
I love these Nutella Cupcakes so much because they’re easy enough to make every day but also special enough for birthdays! Let people know they’re Nutella filled or leave that as a yummy surprise for them to bite into!
FOR MORE DELICIOUS CUPCAKE RECIPES, TRY MY:
- BOSTON CREAM PIE CUPCAKES
- POOP EMOJI CUPCAKES
- CUPCAKES WITH HEARTS IN THE MIDDLE
- CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD CUPCAKES WITH WHIPPED CREAM
- BUTTERSCOTCH CREAM CHEESE CUPCAKES
Nutella Cupcakes
Ingredients
- FOR THE CUPCAKES
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder dark, unsweetened natural, or dutch processed
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- Nutella for filling the cupcakes about 1 teaspoon per cupcake
- FOR THE FROSTING
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup Nutella
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- a pinch of salt
- FOR THE HAZELNUTS
- whole hazelnuts one per cupcake
- milk or semi sweet chocolate chips melted (around 2 to 4 tablespoons)
- hazelnuts chopped, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- FOR THE CUPCAKES
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake tin with liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium high for 2 minutes until creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs followed by the vanilla. With the mixer on low, alternatively add the milk and dry ingredients until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the cupcake tin. Fill each cup about 2/3 full.
- Bake 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes in the cupcake tin then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before stuffing and frosting.
- Once cooled, scoop out a chunk of the cupcake from the center.
- Fill each cupcake with about 1 teaspoon of Nutella then place the top chunk of the cupcake back on top. Don't worry about how it looks since you're going to cover it with frosting.
- FOR THE FROSTING
- In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium high speed for one minute. Add the Nutella and beat the Nutella and butter for a minute.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, heavy cream or milk and a pinch of salt. Increase the speed to medium high and beat for two more minutes or until creamy, light and fluffy.
- FOR THE CHOCOLATE DIPPED HAZELNUTS
- Place some chocolate chips in a bowl and microwave them in twenty second intervals. Stir in between intervals and continue until just melted. Dip each hazelnut halfway in the chocolate then place on wax paper to dry. Place one on top of each cupcake.
- FOR THE CHOPPED HAZELNUTS
- Chop desired amount of hazelnuts. Sprinkle on top of frosted cupcakes.
Jenny
These Nutella cupcakes are simply amazing! I made them and everyone loved them … if you haven’t made them yet you’re missing out
Natalie
Thanks so much for making these Nutella cupcakes Jenny! So glad they were a hit! XO Natalie