Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes

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These super moist Nutella cupcakes are stuffed with delicious hazelnut cocoa spread, topped with Nutella cream cheese frosting and a Nutella drizzle.

These cupcakes are easy to make and taste like you have stepped into a chocolate hazelnut heaven. The Nutella cream cheese frosting adds a bit of decadence to the Nutella stuffed chocolate cupcake. For a little extra pizzaz drizzle your frost cupcakes with softened Nutella.

Frosted nutella cupcake with a Nutella drizzle.

When I was thinking about a Nutella cupcake...I knew I wanted to stuff a chocolate cupcake (and that I would use my chocolate tray bake cake as the foundation) with Nutella and top it with a delicious frosting. But to take this cupcake to the next level I decided it needed to be a Nutella flavoured cream cheese frosting - the tang of the cream cheese really adds a nice depth of flavour.

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Ingredients
How to Make Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes
Pro Tips for this Recipe
Nutella Cupcakes FAQ
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📖 Recipe

Ingredients

Here are some notes on the ingredients used in this recipe. Please see the recipe card for quantities.

Nutella cream cheese frosting ingredients.

Flour - plain, all-pupose, standard-grade or cake flour (South Africa).
Caster or granulated white sugar to sweeten the cupcake.
Instant coffee or espresso powder to compliment the cocoa flavour.
Unsweetened cocoa powder.
Eggs to bind the cupcakes together.
Butter - used in both the cupcakes and cream cheese frosting.
Cream cheese - I recommend Philidelphia cream cheese blocks.
Milk for both the cake and frosting.
Icing sugar - confectioners or powdered sugar.
Nutella or a generic cocoa hazelnut spread.

Plain/all-purpose/standard grade flour can be substituted on a 1 to 1 basis for recipes that have ½ to 1 teaspoon of baking powder per 125 grams/1 cup of flour. If the recipe requires more than 1 teaspoon per cup, simply add the extra baking powder to the recipe to make up the difference. Self-raising/rising flours may already contain salt so this may need to be omitted from the recipe as well.

Test the freshness of your baking powder or baking soda (bicarbonate of soda or bread soda) by placing a small amount in some boiling water. If it bubbles and fizzes, it's good to use!

Salt is a crucial ingredient in all baked goods. I use table salt in all my recipes. One teaspoon of table salt equals 1.5 teaspoons of Morton Kosher Salt equals 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal.

Room Temperature Ingredients

Use room temperature ingredients! Using room temperature ingredients ensures that ingredients in the batter or dough will incorporate easier. Take note that room temperature refers to around 20°C/68F.

To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, place them into warm water for about 10 to 15 minutes.
To bring butter to room temperature quickly, cut the butter into cubes and zap in the microwave at 20% power in 10-second intervals. Or place the cubes in a bowl over warm water (such as with a double boiler) over low heat for 1 minute!
Milk, buttermilk, and cream can be brought to room temperature by zapping in the microwave at 20% power in 10-second intervals. Or on a low heat for a minute or two swirling every 10-15 seconds.

Weighing Ingredients

Weighing ingredients is more accurate than measuring cups overall, and this is my recommendation for my recipes as they are all developed and tested using grams only.

However, I have activated the grams-to-cup conversions on the recipe card. Simply click on "cups" underneath the ingredient list. For these conversions, cups are equal to 236mL/8 fluid ounces, tablespoons are 15mL and teaspoons are 5mL.

Measuring cups and spoons are an essential addition to every kitchen! Especially if you don't use a kitchen scale. Invest in a set to ensure you add the correct ingredients for accurate measuring. When in doubt - always use a level spoon or cup measure.

Frosted nutella cupcake with a nutella drizzle in front of a cake stand.

How to Make Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes

Cupcakes

Step 1 - Allow ingredients to come to room temperature. Then preheat the oven to 170°C/340F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Step 2 - Toss the vanilla extract and instant coffee or espresso powder into the milk (this helps the instant coffee to dissolve into the milk).

Step 3 - Melt the butter and allow it to cool while continuing with the steps.

Step 4 - Beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy - about 3 to 5 minutes using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer.

Step 5 - Pour in the melted butter and milk. Whisk through to combine.

Step 6 - Sieve in the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk until the cake mixture is combined and smooth. No not overmix.

Step 7 - Divide the cupcake batter between the 12 liners, filling about ⅔ full. Bake the cupcakes for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Take out the oven and allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire cooling rack.

Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting

Step 1 - Allow the butter and cream cheese to come to room temperature.

Step 2 - Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer cream the cream cheese and butter together until light, fluffy and well combined. This will take about 5 minutes.

Step 3 - Add in the Nutella and beat until well combined and smooth.

Step 4 - Sieve in the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Mix on a low speed until combined then crank up the speed and beat for 3 to 5 minutes. If the mixture feels too stiff, add 1 to 3 tablespoons of milk and combine to a piping consistency. If the mixture feels too soft, add in 2 to 5 tablespoons of icing sugar and combine to a piping consistency.

Note - this recipe makes enough frosting for the taller swirls for 12 regular-sized cupcakes.

Nutella cream cheese frosting in a bowl.

Cupcake Assembly

Step 1 - Using an apple corer, removed about 1 to 2cm of the top of the centre of the cupcake. Do this by gently twisting the core into the cake.

Step 2 - Melt the Nutella (75grams) in the microwave to create a pourable consistency. Fill the cored-out centres with Nutella and allow to set.

Chocolate cupcakes stuffed with Nutella.

Step 3 - Fill a piping bag with the Nutella frosting and swirl over the cupcake beginning from the centre and moving out.

Step 4 - Melt about 30 grams of Nutella and drizzle over the top of the frosting either using a piping bag and a really small nozzle or a spoon. Allow the Nutella to set before serving.

Pro Tips for this Recipe

Ovens

The temperatures stated are for conventional ovens. For convection, fan-forced, fan-assisted, or air-fryers, the temperature must be reduced by 20°C/25°F, or the gas mark by 1.

For baking, a general rule is to have the oven rack in the middle of the oven.

For best baking results invest in an oven thermometer, as the temperature dials on the oven may not be accurate. Place the thermometer in the middle of the center rack for the most accurate results. I hang my oven thermometer off the center of my oven rack.

Keep in mind that all ovens work slightly differently and bake times may need to be adjusted slightly for your specific oven.

Bakeware

Metal bakeware is superior when it comes to baking biscuits, cookies, brownies, muffins and quick bread, scones, cakes. These heat up and cool down faster than glassware. Glassware is heavier, heats up and cools down slower than metal and is more suited for bread puddings, pies, crisps, crumbles and cobblers.

Cupcake Baking Tips

Be careful to not overmix the cupcake batter! Mix until the dry ingredients are just incorporated, then just a little more to break up any large lumps.

Only fill the cupcake liners to about ⅔ full.

Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before stuffing and frosting!

I find the Wilton 1M tip is the best for cupcake decorating.

Storage and Freezing

The unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container for a day or two. This means the cupcakes can be baked the day before stuffing and frosting.

Once the cupcakes are frosted they are okay at room temperature for a day, if they need to be kept longer, pop them in the fridge.

Nutella Cupcakes FAQ

Can I use the generic store-brand Nutella or chocolate hazelnut spread?

Yes! Many of the store-brand varieties taste pretty identical to the Nutella we know and love.

Why is Nutella called Nutella?

Nutella is derived from the English word "Nut" and the Latin suffic "ella" for sweet.

Will this frosting and Nutella filling work with a vanilla cupcake?

Yes, a stuffed vanilla cupcake with a Nutella cream-cheese frosting would be amazing!

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Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes