Moist chocolate cupcakes topped with a creamy dreamy Nutella frosting.
If you have zero self-control when it comes to Nutella, like I do, and if you love cupcakes, which couldn’t possibly be more than I do, then you should absolutely consider these cupcakes for your next baking project!
At a recent bachelorette party I went to, we played one of those silly traditional games where you need to pick a card and answer a random question written on it. The question I got was: What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever carried with you in your bag? Weird, but not too surprising, my answer was a jar of Nutella. The larger jar of Nutella. I’ll save from you the whole story of how it got into my bag, because it didn’t stay there for that long anyway, but that’s just how much I love it.
Let’s talk about these cupcakes, although I‘m pretty sure I don’t need to convince you that these are amazing—especially with the candied hazelnuts added on top. I’m trying hard to keep myself from eating a third cupcake right now. Let’s see how well that works.
These moist, fluffy cupcakes have a deep chocolatey flavor. In fact, they’re my favorite chocolate cupcakes, and they turn out perfect every single time. I’ve been using this recipe for years now, and I tried so many before it, so you can count on my word.
And then… there’s the frosting. I’m drooling just from thinking about it. And please try to keep yourself from picturing that, because it’s not a lovely sight. I ate so much of the frosting before I even started to frost the cupcakes that I barely had enough to finish. And just in case you were wondering, there’s lots of Nutella in that frosting!
- 1⅓ cups (185g/6.5 oz) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (50g/1.7 oz) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick/113g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g/7 oz) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120ml) whole milk
- ½ cup (120ml) hot water
- ½ cup (50g/1.7 oz) hazelnuts, toasted* and chopped, optional
- 1 cup (2 sticks/227g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2¼ cups (270g/9.5 oz) powdered sugar, sifted (plus more as necessary)
- ⅔ cup (200g/7 oz) Nutella
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream (or whole milk)
- Chopped candied hazelnuts, to sprinkle, optional
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. On medium speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Beat in milk until combined. Add the other half of the dry ingredients and beat slowly until combined. Add hot water and beat just until combined. Do not over mix—the less you mix, the lighter the cake will be. The batter should be liquid. Fold in hazelnuts if using.
- Divide batter evenly between cups, filling them about ¾ full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Allow cupcakes to sit for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- For the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar in 2 additions and beat until completely smooth. Add Nutella, vanilla extract, and heavy cream, and beat until combined and creamy. Add powdered sugar as necessary until frosting is spreadable. Frost cupcakes once they’ve cooled, then top with candied hazelnuts. Use frosting immediately to frost cupcakes or store in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat or whisk by hand until smooth again, about a minute.
- Cupcakes are best the same day they’re made, but can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Unfrosted cupcakes can be kept in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw, still covered, on the counter or overnight in the fridge.
- * To toast the hazelnuts, place them in an even layer on a pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F/180C for 5-8 minutes.
27 Comments
Del's cooking twist
May 28, 2015 at 5:17 pmI just stumbled upon these beauties on Foodgawker and they are perfection!! Would love to try one of them right now. Amazing recipe!
Shiran
May 29, 2015 at 6:58 amThank you so much Del!
Jackie @ supermancooks
May 28, 2015 at 9:16 pmYUUUUMMM! I need these now! I have never thought to use nutella for cupcakes! Have I been living under a rock? Lovely pics too!
Shiran
May 29, 2015 at 6:57 amWell, at least you know about it now! Better late than never 🙂 Thank you so much!
Raquel @ My California Roots
May 28, 2015 at 9:57 pmThese cupcakes look so beautiful, and your photos are just gorgeous. I need some of these right now!
Shiran
May 29, 2015 at 6:55 amThank you, Raquel! I need some of these right now, too! They were gone too quickly!
Heather @ The Owl with the Goblet
May 28, 2015 at 10:42 pmThese look DIVINE Shiran! I’m with you on Nutella… and carrying it in your purse isn’t a bad idea at all 🙂 Beautiful pictures and styling too!
Shiran
May 29, 2015 at 6:54 amNot such a bad idea, huh? 😉 Thanks Heather!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
May 28, 2015 at 11:17 pmI think I could devour that frosting by the spoonful. Yum!
Lauren @ Lauren Caris Cooks
May 29, 2015 at 2:20 amWow those look AMAZING!! Such beautiful photographs as well! I agree I would totally devour that frosting before it made it to the cupcakes haha!!
Shiran
May 29, 2015 at 7:00 amHaha I couldn’t help it! 🙂 Thanks Lauren!
Winnie
May 30, 2015 at 2:14 pmשירן – הקאפקייקס ניראים פשוט מעולים!! והתמונות שלך נהדרותתתתתתתתתתתתת
Shiran
May 31, 2015 at 3:33 amThank you so much Winnie 🙂
Jess @ Sweetest Menu
May 31, 2015 at 6:52 amI love ANYTHING with Nutella! These cupcakes are GORGEOUS!
Shiran
May 31, 2015 at 12:40 pmThank you so much, Jess!
Monica
June 3, 2015 at 4:37 amJust about to get started on these! (my farewell gift to students i’ve have for the past 5 years who know all too well my passion for baking and Nutella) 🙂
Shiran
June 3, 2015 at 9:31 amThat’s so exciting Monica! Good Luck! I’m sure you’ll love it 🙂
doc rock
June 28, 2015 at 1:09 pmMy friend tried a recipe for chocolate cake from your blog and simply loved it. I love how you give the measurements by cups and weight and for how long one should exactly beat the ingredients. I have one question for you, I need 24 cupcakes. Can I increase the ingredients by half? Thanks
Shiran
June 28, 2015 at 4:17 pmThank you so much for the sweet words! 🙂 Yes, you should increase the ingredient by half for 24 cupcakes. Cupcake pans are slightly different in their capacity, but when I use standard size of cupcake liners, it yields exactly 16 cupcakes for this recipe.
Janelis
February 13, 2016 at 10:59 pmI made these today using this recipe and it turned out so well. It tasted amazing! I am so going to make them again soon!
Shiran
February 15, 2016 at 6:23 amI’m so glad! Thank you so much for your comment, Janelis 🙂
Zara
March 22, 2016 at 7:19 amOkay I am just about to bake these and what bothers me is that there’s no baking powder in this recipe. Are you sure they will turn out fine without it?
And thanks! Love your recipes.
Shiran
March 22, 2016 at 7:59 amHi Zara! What kind of cocoa powder do you use? Natural unsweetened or Dutch-process?
Zara
March 22, 2016 at 8:16 amI have both but since it’s mentioned in the recipe, I’ll use hershy’s unsweetened cocoa powder. Thankyou for replying so quick.
Shiran
March 22, 2016 at 8:24 amThe cupcakes turn out quite flat, but they’re not dense, so I like them that way. If you prefer them lighter/with more volume you can add baking powder, 3/4 – 1 teaspoon. Alternatively, you can use Dutch-process cocoa powder, omit the baking soda, and use 2 teaspoons baking powder instead. All options are great 🙂
Zara
March 22, 2016 at 8:04 amHey. Thankyou for getting back to me so fast. I have both but I will use the Hershey’s natural unsweetend cocoa for this recipe.
Susan
March 3, 2019 at 3:59 pmI just made these for my husband’s secretary who loves the Rocher chocolates. I froze the candies and put them in the center of the cup and covered with batter. They came out beautifully and tasted even better! Thanks for such a keeper of a recipe!