Nutella Cupcakes

These Nutella Cupcakes are filled with Nutella, topped with a delicious Nutella Buttercream. They are easy to make, stunning, rich, and delicious.

I will show you how to make this delicious recipe, with a rich chocolate flavor, creamy indulgent Nutella filling, and an irresistible Nutella frosting.

How to make Nutella Cupcakes

To make the chocolate cupcakes, you will need the following ingredients:

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Cocoa powder
• Salt
• Egg
• Milk
• Vegetable oil
• Vanilla extract
• Coffee (or water)

This recipe comes together in just a few minutes. You don’t even need a mixer to make these cupcakes.

Simply mix the wet ingredients: vegetable oil, vanilla, milk, egg, in a bowl. Then in another bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.

Pour the wet ingredient mixture over the dry mixture, and whisk to combine.

Lastly, add the hot coffee or hot water to the bowl and whisk.

The batter will be runny, and that’s normal.

This is a very liquidy batter. Because of this, I like to put the batter in a cup with a spout to pour it into the cupcake pan. It’s easier than scooping with a cookie scoop, and makes way less of a mess.

Bake the cupcakes in the pre-heated oven for 18 minutes or so, until you can touch the top and they spring back, or a toothpick comes out clean once inserted into the cupcakes.

Let the cupcakes cool down before proceeding with the filling and frosting.

These cupcakes turn out fluffy, soft, and delicious.

Can I use dutch-process cocoa powder to make chocolate cupcakes?

Not always dutch processed cocoa powder and natural cocoa powder are interchangeable, that’s because of the way each reacts with leavening agents. Natural cocoa powder is acidic and reacts better with baking soda, and dutch processed is neutral and reacts better with baking powder.

For the purposes of this Nutella Cupcake recipe, you can use either. I have used both, and had success. Usually I use natural.

Nutella Frosting Instructions

Once the cupcakes are cooled down, it’s time to make the frosting.

These Nutella Cupcakes are frosted with a delicious Nutella Buttercream. The buttercream is very easy to make. You will only need butter, Nutella, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and heavy cream.

Beat the butter with a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Once the butter is creamy and fluffy, add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, heavy cream to the bowl.

Mix on low speed to combine. Then, raise the speed to medium, or medium-high. Beat until fluffy. If the frosting is too dry, add a bit more heavy cream by the tablespoon. And if the frosting is too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar.

Nutella Buttercream Tips

• Make sure the butter is at about 72ºF. If the butter is too soft, the frosting might be too runny.
• Measure the powdered sugar using a scale instead of cups.
• You can always add a bit more powdered sugar to make the frosting become stiffer, but you really shouldn’t have to if you measure the sugar by weight instead of cups.
• If needed, add a bit more heavy cream to the frosting, in case it is too dry.

Assembling the cupcakes

To fill and frost the cupcakes, start by removing the center of each cupcake.

You can use a cupcake corer, an apple corer, just a spoon, or even a small pairing knife to do this. Make sure the cupcakes have cooled down before you remove the center.

Pipe Nutella in the center of the cupcakes. You can also use a spoon to do this, but it’s much better to pipe the Nutella instead.

Place the Nutella Buttercream in a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice. I used tip 2D.

Pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes, around the edges. I did this so I could fill the top with more Nutella. After all, you can never have too much Nutella.

Tips on making Nutella Cupcakes

• When making the cupcake batter, don’t over mix once you add the wet ingredients into the dry. This will help prevent dry cupcakes.
• You can use hot water instead of coffee when making the batter. The coffee will help enhance the chocolate taste, but the cupcake will still be delicious without it.
• Don’t over bake the cupcake, it can result in dry cupcakes.
• Only fill the cupcake liners halfway full. If too full, they will overflow when baking.
• Keep the Nutella frosting covered when not using, because it can get dry and develop a skin.
• When storing the cupcakes, make sure to keep them in an air tight container in the fridge.
• Let the cupcakes sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

I used this jumbo cupcake pan to make the cupcakes. It made 8 jumbo cupcakes. Using a regular size cupcake pan it will make 14 cupcakes.

Can you freeze Nutella Cupcakes?

Yes, these cupcakes will freeze well. To freeze the assembled cupcakes, place them in an air tight container, and then place them in the freezer. Keep them frozen for up to 1 to 2 months. To thaw, let them sit in the fridge overnight.

You can also freeze the cupcakes and the frosting separately, and thaw them in the fridge overnight.

How to store Nutella Cupcakes

Store the cupcakes in the fridge, in an air tight container for up to 4 days.

Recipe Substitutions

• You can substitute the coffee for water in the recipe.
• The milk can also be substituted for buttermilk.
• Decorate the cupcake with Ferrero Rocher instead of hazelnuts.
• Use a Vanilla Cupcake base instead of the chocolate cake.
• Use this Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting to top the cupcakes. It’s delicious and slightly tangy.

If you like this recipes, here are some more recipes you may like:

• Nutella Muffins
• Cannoli Cupcakes
• S’mores Cupcakes
• Lindt Truffle Cupcakes
• Chocolate Cupcakes with Russian Buttercream
• Oreo Cupcakes
• Strawberry Nutella Cake
• Nutella Stuffed Brownies

If you make this recipe tag me on Instagram, or leave a comment below! I love hearing from you!

Nutella Cupcakes

Camila Hurst

These Nutella Cupcakes are filled with Nutella, topped with a delicious Nutella Buttercream. They are easy to make, stunning, rich, and delicious.

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Total Time 58 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 14 cupcakes

Calories 310 kcal

Ingredients

  

Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 cup all-purpose flour 127 grams
• 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 33 grams
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk 120 ml
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil 80 ml, such as canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup brewed coffee or hot water 120 ml

Nutella Buttercream

• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (226 grams)
• 2/3 cup Nutella 176 grams
• 3 cups powdered sugar 375 grams
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder 31 grams
• 3 tbsp heavy cream 45 ml
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

To assemble

• 3/4 cup Nutella 200 grams
• 14 hazelnuts

Instructions

 

Chocolate Cupcakes

• Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF.
• Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
• In another medium bowl, or measuring cup, mix the egg, milk, oil, and vanilla extract.
• Pour the wet ingredients over the sifted dry ingredients.
• Whisk until incorporated.
• Pour the hot coffee (or hot water) over the batter. The batter will be very liquidy.
• Pour the batter into cupcake tins, filling up only halfway.
• Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 18 minutes, until you can touch the surface of a cupcake with your finger and it springs right back, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and let the cupcakes cool.

Nutella Buttercream

• To make the Nutella Buttercream, start by beating the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer.
• Beat the butter for 2 minutes.
• Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, Nutella, vanilla, and heavy cream. Start mixing on low to combine. Then raise the speed to medium-high, beat for another two minutes.
• If the frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar. And if the frosting seems too dry, add a bit more heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time.

Fill the cupcakes

• Use an apple corer, a cupcake corer, or a spoon to remove the center of each cupcake.
• Pipe or spoon Nutella in the center of the cupcakes.

Frost the cupcakes

• Place the frosting in a piping bag lined with the piping tip of choice. I used a 2D.
• Pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes. The way I frosted the cupcakes, I piped a ring of frosting around the edges, leaving space in the center. Then I piped more Nutella in the center of each cupcake.

To decorate

• Place a hazelnut on top of the cupcake, and sprinkle chopped hazelnuts over the frosting.

To store

• Store the cupcakes in the fridge for up to 4 days, in a covered container.

Notes

Cocoa powder- You can use dutch processed cocoa powder as well as natural in this recipe. I usually just use natural, but have used dutch processed with success. Typically, recipes using dutch processed cocoa will call for baking powder, since dutch processed cocoa powder is neutral and won’t react with baking soda. However, since this recipe has both baking powder, and baking soda, plus milk, which is acidic, you are safe to use either type of cocoa powder.

Coffee- Substitute the coffee for hot water if desired.

Cupcake batter- The cupcake batter will be very liquidy. Only fill up the cupcake tins halfway.

Nutella Frosting- Here are some tips for the frosting:

• Make sure the butter is at about 72ºF. If the butter is too soft, the frosting might be too runny.
• You can always add a bit more powdered sugar to make the frosting become stiffer, but you really shouldn’t have to if you measure the sugar by weight instead of cups.
• If needed, add a bit more heavy cream to the frosting.

Nutella- You will need about 1 1/4 cups of Nutella for this recipe. So a 13 oz. jar of Nutella will be sufficient.

To freeze- To freeze the assembled cupcakes, place them in an air tight container, and then place them in the freezer. Keep them frozen for up to 1 to 2 months. To thaw, let them sit in the fridge overnight. You can also freeze the cupcakes and the frosting separately, and thaw them in the fridge overnight.

Keyword cupcakes, nutella