These Nutella cupcakes are made with chocolate Nutella cupcakes, filled with Nutella, and topped with Nutella buttercream frosting.
These cupcakes are a dream come true for Nutella lovers! The base is a rich chocolate cupcake made with Nutella, giving it an intense chocolate-hazelnut flavor.
But that's not all! Each cupcake is filled with a dollop of creamy Nutella in the center, creating a delightful surprise with every bite.
To top it off, these cupcakes are frosted with a smooth Nutella buttercream and sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts.
The combination of flavors and textures is simply irresistible. Whether you're a Nutella fanatic or just love indulgent desserts, these cupcakes are sure to satisfy your sweet cravings.
For more Nutella desserts, check out my No-bake Nutella cheesecake-, 3 Ingredient Nutella brownies, Nutella mug cake, and my Nutella tart.
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Why this recipe works
- Nutella flavor- these cupcakes are perfect for Nutella lovers and are made with Nutella and chocolate cupcakes, filled with gooey Nutella, and topped with a luscious Nutella frosting.
- Texture- the texture of these cupcakes is absolutely dreamy. The cupcakes are moist and tender with a soft crumb that melts in your mouth with the creamy Nutella buttercream and Nutella center.
- Nutella filling- these cupcakes are filled with Nutella filling that adds a delicious Nutella flavor and texture in every bite.
- Nutella buttercream- these cupcakes are finally topped with the most delicious and creamy Nutella buttercream which is made with cocoa powder and Nutella for maximum flavor.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
For the cupcakes
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
Dutch cocoa powder– I like to use Dutch-process cocoa powder for our chocolate cake because I like the deep and rich chocolate taste, but the natural cocoa powder will work great as well!
Baking powder and baking soda – to allow the cupcakes to rise. Make sure that the baking powder and baking soda are not expired.
Granulated sugar– I like to use granulated sugar, the most common sugar in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Vegetable oil – I used vegetable oil for this recipe. Canola oil will work great for this recipe.
Nutella- you will need ⅓ cup of Nutella for this recipe. I like using Nutella for this recipe, but if you don’t like Nutella or are allergic to one of the ingredients, you can use any kind of chocolate hazelnut spread.
Eggs– To give the cake a good structure. Make sure you’re using room-temperature eggs.
Hot coffee- make a strong hot coffee, you can use espresso, or instant coffee, both will work.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor. You can use vanilla bean extract or pure vanilla extract for better flavor!
Salt- I used kosher salt for this recipe. Salt doesn’t give the cake a salty taste, it helps to enhance the chocolate flavor.
For the Nutella buttercream
Butter- make sure you are using room temperate butter.
Powder sugar- is known as confectioners sugar. For a smoother buttercream, sift it before adding it to the butter.
Cocoa powder- I used Dutch cocoa powder. You can use natural cocoa powder as well.
Heavy cream- makes this frosting extra silky smooth and fluffy.
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 350f (180c) and prep a cupcake pan with liners.
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, kosher salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar and mix with a whisk until well combined.
In a separate large mixing bowl, add the Nutella, oil, vanilla, and eggs. Mix until well combined.
Add the hot coffee and mix until well combined and smooth.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined and there are no visible lumps of flour. Do not overmix to keep the cupcakes moist.
Use an ice cream scoop to fill out the cupcake ⅔ full (do not overfill) and bake the cupcakes in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes for 10 minutes and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the Nutella buttercream
Into a large bowl add room temperature butter and mix with a hand mixer or a stand mixer until the butter is light and fluffy.
Add half of the powder sugar and the cocoa powder and carefully mix until combined.
Add the other half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add the Nutella to the mixture and mix until well combined and smooth.
Make a small hole in the middle of each cupcake. You can use a piping tip, a butter knife, or a cupcake corer.
Fill the holes with Nutella. I filled a piping bag and cut off the edge.
Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a star tip and pipe the cupcakes with the frosting. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on top for decoration and serve.
Expert Tips
- Don’t skip the coffee in the chocolate cupcake, you can’t taste the coffee, it simply enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cupcakes and not dense and dry cupcakes.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making the buttercream, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the dough.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat and frost these cupcakes as they are pulled out of the oven, but let these cupcakes cool for at least 30 minutes so they will be more firm and won’t crumble up.
- I suggest letting these cupcakes cool for 5 minutes and then transferring them to a wire rack to cool for at least 20 more minutes. This step ensures that the frosting won't melt off the cupcakes.
Faq's
No! you can’t taste the coffee. Adding the coffee simply enhances the chocolate flavor. So, don’t skip the coffee in the cupcake!
I like to use Dutch processed cocoa powder because it gives the cupcake a deeper rich chocolate taste, and natural cocoa powder will work! It’s just a personal preference.
We use all-purpose flour for this cupcake, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
Storing
These cupcakes will last up to 5 days in the fridge (dairy needs to be stored in the fridge). Cover them with plastic wrap or foil to prevent them from drying out.
Freezing
Freeze with the frosting- first, ensure that the cupcakes are completely cooled. Place them on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze them for about 1-2 hours until the frosting is firm.
Once firm, wrap each cupcake individually in plastic wrap and then place them in an airtight container or freezer bag.
Label the container with the date and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw by letting them sit at room temperature for about 1-2 hours before serving.
Freezing without the frosting- allow the cupcakes to cool completely after baking. Once cooled, place them on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze for about 1 hour to set.
Then, wrap each cupcake individually in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours.
Making ahead instructions
You can make these cupcakes 1-2 days ahead of time and store them in an airtight container in the fridge so they won't dry out.
Or, you can make the cupcakes ahead of time freeze them according to the freezing instructions, and thaw them before serving.
Substitutions
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Dairy-free- you can make this cupcake recipe dairy-free by replacing the butter with vegan butter and replacing the Nutella with your favorite chocolate spread.
Variations
Frosting- You can use any kind of your favorite frosting on these cupcakes, these are very versatile so you can turn them into whatever you want! You can use dark chocolate frosting, vanilla frosting, caramel frosting, etc.
Chocolate- make these double chocolate by adding chocolate chunks or chocolate chips to the batter!
Nutella swirl- instead of filling the cupcakes with Nutella, make a Nutella swirl. Before baking the cupcakes, top each cupcake batter with 1 tablespoon of Nutella and make a swirl using a toothpick or a butter knife, creating a marbled effect.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls- best glass mixing bowls.
- Whisk set- my favorite copper whisk set.
- Cupcakes tins- my favorite Wilton cupcake tins.
- Cupcake corer
- Open star piping tip- my favorite Wilton piping tip for cupcake decoration.
- Electric hand mixer
- Rubber spatula
More cupcake recipes
Honey cupcakes- These honey cupcakes are made with soft and moist cupcakes, topped with freshly made whipped cream and more honey!
Strawberry filled cupcakes- These strawberry filled cupcakes are made with vanilla fresh strawberry cupcakes, filled with chopped ripe strawberries, and topped with strawberry buttercream frosting.
Pumpkin cupcakes- These super moist pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are soft, delicious, and stay moist for 3 days.
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If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Best Nutella Cupcakes W/ Nutella Buttercream
Ingredients
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cups Granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ⅓ cups Cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ⅓ cup Nutella
- ⅓ cups Vegetable oil
- 1 cups Hot coffee
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Nutella buttercream:
- 1 cup Butter soften, unsalted
- 1 ½ cups Powder sugar
- ⅓ cup Cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup Nutella
- ⅓ cup Heavy cream
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat an oven to 350f (180c) and prep a cupcake pan with liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, kosher salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar and mix with a whisk until well combined.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, add the Nutella, oil, vanilla, and eggs. Mix until well combined.
- Add the hot coffee and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined and there are no visible lumps of flour. Do not overmix to keep the cupcakes moist.
- Use an ice cream scoop to fill out the cupcake ⅔ full (do not overfill) and bake the cupcakes in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes for 10 minutes and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the nutella buttercream frosting
- Into a large bowl add room temperature butter and mix with a hand mixer or a stand mixer until the butter is light and fluffy.
- Add half of the powder sugar and the cocoa powder and carefully mix until combined.
- Add the other half of the powder sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add the Nutella to the mixture and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Make a small hole in the middle of each cupcake. You can use a piping tip, a butter knife, or a cupcake corer.
- Fill the holes with Nutella. We filled a sandwich plastic bag and cut off the edge to do so.
- Fill the holes with Nutella. I filled a piping bag and cut off the edge.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a star tip and pipe the cupcakes with the frosting. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on top for decoration and serve.
Notes
- Don’t skip the coffee in the chocolate cupcake, you can’t taste the coffee, it simply enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cupcakes and not dense and dry cupcakes.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making the buttercream, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the dough.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat and frost these cupcakes as they are pulled out of the oven, but let these cupcakes cool for at least 30 minutes so they will be more firm and won’t crumble up.
- I suggest letting these cupcakes cool for 5 minutes and then transferring them to a wire rack to cool for at least 20 more minutes. This step ensures that the frosting won't melt off the cupcakes.
Louella says
Do we use unsalted butter?
RichandDelish says
Yes!