Nutella filled chocolate cupcakes that are moist, decadent, and great for chocolate lovers! They start with a dark chocolate cupcake, and then are Nutella-stuffed and frosted with chocolate hazelnut buttercream.
I don’t know why this memory lives so fondly in my mind. My first experience with Nutella was in 7th grade French class, when our French teacher brought in a jar of Nutella and a loaf of bread for all of us to try, saying that it was a popular spread there. None of us really knew what it was–this was I think in 2007 before Nutella really took off in the states. Now, I am happy that this creamy chocolate hazelnut spread has woven its way into our hearts and desserts. Thank you so much to my middle school French teacher for introducing it to us awkward 7th graders and influencing our lives in such a delicious way.
These chocolate cupcakes with Nutella capture everything I love about the spread. They’re rich and decadent, with a thick, creamy roasted hazelnut and chocolate flavor throughout. So what really is the composition of this cake?
- The cupcake is a super moist, dark chocolate cake that balances out the sweetness of the Nutella. I love dark chocolate cake and this recipe serves as a base that I experiment off of for many of my other chocolate recipes.
- The cupcakes themselves are filled with pure Nutella.
- They are frosted with a fluffy chocolate-hazelnut buttercream frosting.
If you love chocolate desserts then this is the perfect cupcake for you! They would be great to serve at a party or with a big glass of wine on Friday night. 😉
Ingredients and Equipment Needed
First and foremost, you will need a jar of Nutella–make sure to have a full jar handy because we’ll be using a lot of it! You could also sub out any other favorite Hazelnut spread of yours. Here in Chicago, I really enjoy going to Eataly and buying some of the Italian hazelnut spreads that they sell.
You’ll also need a cupcake pan and some liners.
For the Cupcakes
- Dark cocoa powder-–dark cocoa powder is the foundation for this dark chocolate cake. You can find it in most grocery stores in the baking aisle. However, you can also use regular cocoa powder if that is all you have.
- Boiling water: this will be used to bloom the cocoa powder.
- All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt
- Greek yogurt or sour cream: this will add richness and moisture. If using Greek yogurt, make sure it is plain and unsweetened.
- Milk, of any kind
- Granulated sugar and light brown sugar
- One large egg, at room temperature: to quickly bring an egg to room temperature, soak it in a bowl of very warm water for 10 minutes.
- Vanilla extract
For the Frosting
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Nutella, or other hazelnut spread
- Powdered sugar
- Dark cocoa powder
- Milk
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Nutella Cupcakes
Cupcake Batter
We’ll start by making the chocolate cupcakes. You’ll need a couple small bowls to prep your ingredients, which may seem like a pain but I promise there is a reason and it is worth it!
In one bowl, whisk boiling water and cocoa powder together. This ‘blooms’ the cocoa powder. When you add a hot liquid to cocoa powder, it will dissolve the cocoa to release the flavor particles inside. This leads to a richer, more intense chocolate flavor in this cake.
In another bowl, or a liquid measuring cup, whisk Greek yogurt or sour cream and milk together. Then give it a quick zap in the microwave to bring it to room temperature. Cold ingredients are not your friend here and can affect the texture of your cake, so please make sure that you warm up any ingredients that are usually stored in the fridge!
To make the batter, start by beating sugars, oil, and eggs together. Then add the bloomed cocoa powder and vanilla. Combine the remaining dry ingredients in a bowl, then alternate beating in this flour, the milk, and the remaining flour. Do not over-mix the batter.
Transfer your batter into liners and then bake! The cupcakes will be ready once a toothpick comes our clean, or the tops bounce back when you give them a gentle tap.
Frosting and Assembly
To make the frosting, first beat butter and Nutella together. Then add all of the remaining dry ingredients. You’ll want to start your mixer on low speed so that the cocoa powder and sugar doesn’t spray all over you (I learned this the hard way), but gradually start increasing the speed as the frosting comes together. Add in a few tablespoons of milk as you go, and whip that frosting until it’s very light and fluffy.
To assemble the cupcakes, use a small knife or a cupcake corer to cut a hole out of the middle. Pipe some Nutella into this hole, and then frost your cupcakes! I used Wilton’s 2D tip to do my piping but the world is your oyster in terms of how you want to get the frosting on to there.
Recipe Q&A
Can I use regular cocoa powder instead of dark? Yep! The cupcakes will taste less deep and a little milkier but still 100% delicious.
How should I store leftovers? Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
Can I freeze the cupcakes? You can freeze unfrosted and unfilled cupcakes! Tightly wrap them with plastic wrap and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, you can come back to these instructions to stuff them with Nutella and frost.
Do I need to use an electric mixer? While it certainly helps, you do not need an electric mixer to make these cupcakes. The only step in the recipe you need it for is the frosting. Otherwise, you can make the cupcakes by hand and just use a whisk anywhere I say to use a mixer. I’ve made these plenty of times with just a bowl and a whisk and they turned out great!
If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to ask below in the comments!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a rating and/or comment to spread the love and help others find this recipe.
Also feel free take a picture and share it with me on Instagram @toppedwithhoney. Looking forward to seeing your decadent Nutella cupcakes!
If you’re not ready to bake yet, no problem! Simply hover over any image in this post (pick your favorite), or tap if you’re on mobile, and click the pin icon in the corner to save for later.
Lastly, if you’re just all about the chocolate, I gotchu:
Dark Chocolate Brownie Cookies
Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Nutella Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
Nutella Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp cocoa powder, either regular or dark
- ½ cup boiling water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup oil, canola or vegetable
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine kosher salt
- ¾ cup nutella, for filling
Chocolate Hazelnut Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup Nutella
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder, regular or dark
- 1¾ cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan with wrappers.
- Place the cocoa powder in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Use a fork or whisk to stir the two together until the cocoa powder is fully dissolved. Then, let this mixture cool down until it is at most just warm to the touch.
- Stir the Greek yogurt or sour cream and milk together and microwave for 10-15 seconds to bring to room temperature. Then, in a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together until combined.
- In the bowl of a mixer*, beat the sugars, oil, and egg together until very light and creamy, around 2 minutes. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and vanilla and continue beating until combined.
- On low speed or by hand, alternate folding in half the flour, then all of the milk mixture, and then the remaining flour until the flour is just combined. Do not over-mix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling to no more than ¾ full. This recipe will yield around 15 cupcakes.
- Bake for 19-22 minutes, or until the cupcakes are set and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
Frosting
- In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and nutella together on medium-high speed until fluffy and combined.
- Add the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Start your mixer on low to begin incorporating in the dry ingredients, then gradually increase the speed to medium-high.
- Add the milk, one tablespoon at a time, waiting 15-20 seconds between each addition. Continue beating the frosting until it's very light and fluffy. Pause to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times to ensure an even buttercream.
Assembling the cupcakes
- Using a small knife or cupcake corer, cut a small hole out of the top of each cupcake. If using a knife, I like to go in at an angle to cut out a rough cone shape.
- Pipe ½-1 tbsp of Nutella into each cupcake.
- Once all the cupcakes are filled, use either a piping bag or knife to frost the tops with the Nutella buttercream. Then enjoy!
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