Nutella Cupcakes

As a lover of all things baked and dessert, I have a hard time picking a favorite.

It feels like every time I try something new, I declare it my favorite, have a brief love affair while I eat way too many of said cupcakes/cookies/cakes/somedeliciousbakedgood, and then discover my “new” favorite thing. Like this past weekend. I picked up a shift at the bakery to help out, and since I left there a few weeks ago, they’ve made a lot of new things – pumpkin, maple, brown sugar, etc. The thing that caught my eye? Pumpkin whoopie pies. I fell in love. And then yesterday I made cookie dough swirl marshmallows from The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook (post coming soon!) and I called them my new favorite. Get the idea?

But these.. These have become my basis of comparison for all other cupcakes. (It’s hard to compare cupcakes to cookies, so I don’t bother.) So, were they as good, better, or not quite as good but still delicious as these Nutella cupcakes?

They set the bar high. Real high.

While these are probably my favorite cupcakes (I’ve made them at least 3 times), I can’t possibly eat 2 dozen cupcakes. Well… don’t test me on that. So I try and make them whenever I have someone to share them with.

The first time I made them, I made them with a friend at school since I had been wanting to try My Baking Addiction’s Nutella Buttercream for months and since my boyfriend was coming to visit and I love having (freshly) baked goods around. I can ship cookies and things like that, but it’s hard to send cupcakes – I don’t even try – so when he comes around, I like to have things made.

The second time I made these for two of my friends’ birthdays and they disappeared in no time.

The third time? I made miniature versions for a housewarming party my mom had. We had about 40 people over and people couldn’t stop eating them. Thank god, because the few leftover cupcakes we had disappeared within 2 days because I couldn’t stop eating them.

I love them. SO much. So if you have someone you love, make these for them. They’ll love you back.

Yum.

Nutella Cupcakes

makes 24 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
2 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup butter, melted
4 tablespoons sour cream

For the filling:
2 cups marshmallow fluff
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar (sifted)
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 13-ounce jar Nutella
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
6-8 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the Cupcakes: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until it’s smooth and no lumps remain. Add the milk, cream, butter, and vanilla, and mix until it’s combined. Stir in the sour cream. Sift the dry ingredients together over the wet ingredients, and mix the batter until it’s smooth.

Line a muffin tin with liners and fill each well with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before filling and frosting.

For the Filling: While the cupcakes cool, make the filling. In a mixing bowl, beat the fluff and butter together on medium/medium-high speed until smooth. Sift in the confectioner’s sugar and salt, and whip for a minute. Add in the cream and vanilla, and whip until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes more.

Core the cupcakes using a sharp knife, an apple corer, or a fancy little cupcake corer (I use a knife), by cutting a cylindrical hole into the center of the cupcake. Be careful not to go all the way down. Repeat this with all of the cupcakes.

Take the marshmallow filling and spoon it into a plastic baggie with a corner cut off or a frosting bag with the tip cut off. Squeeze enough of the mixture into each hole until it’s filled.

For the Frosting: In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and Nutella for about 4-5 minutes until thick, fluffy, and smooth. Slowly add and sift in the confectioners’ sugar in multiple parts, taking time to mix after each addition. Continue mixing until well blended. Add in the salt, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk. Mix on low speed. Add an additional 3-5 tablespoons until the desired consistency is reached. Beat at medium-high/high speed for about 3 minutes until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.

Transfer the frosting into a pastry bag (or however else you prefer to frost cupcakes), and generously frost the 24 cupcakes.

Next, eat one. and then another. and then another. And then you can thank me.

[sources/adapted from: How Sweet Eats, My Baking Addiction, and Annie’s Eats]