My niece ‘young baker in trainer‘ requested that I add more cupcake recipes to the blog.  Lately, she has a newfound passion for baking and I am ecstatic about this.  You see she is my number one fan and reads all my blog posts from Germany.  Even though we are in different time zones, I aim to please.  One of her requests is a chocolate cupcake with Nutella buttercream frosting and filled with Nutella.  This is right up my alley, chocolate lover, check, Nutella lover check, the perfect combination.

This a very easy recipe. Everything is mixed in one bowl, no creaming of butter and sugar necessary.  The moist and delicious chocolate cake is a perfect pairing with the Nutella buttercream frosting.  Warning for all my Italian Meringue buttercream (IMBC) fans, I used an American buttercream for this recipe.  Why, because kids love this stuff and it is very easy to make.  If you read my buttercream guide, you know how I feel about American buttercream, but don’t let that stop you, this is creamy, delicious, and sweet.

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How to make a chocolate cupcake with Nutella Buttercream Frosting

Like I said before this is a one-bowl recipe.  It will be very hard to resist the urge to lick the Nutella from the spoon.  Originally I was going to add the Nutella to the chocolate batter and at the last minute decided to add it as a filling to the cupcake. I scaled the recipe down for cupcakes because Lord knows it is too dangerous to have chocolate cupcakes just hanging around all willy nilly.

Materials:

• Nutella
• Powdered sugar
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder I use Hershey’s
• Instant espresso powder
• Mixing bowl
• Measuring Cup and Spoon (liquid and dry ingredients)
• Wilton Cookie scoop
• Stand Mixer, Hand Mixer
• Cupcake liners
• Wilton Tip 4B or any other star tip
• Piping Bag
• Sprinkles (optional)

Steps: How to make the chocolate cupcake

Add the all-purpose flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.  Mix all the dry ingredients until combined with a whisk.

Then mix the buttermilk, oil, eggs, together add them to the dry ingredients. 

Add the hot water last and mix well.  This will be a runny batter.  Add exactly 2 cookie scoops to each cupcake wrapper or until it is 1/2 way full.  Bake for about 10-12 minutes.

Steps for Making the Nutella Buttercream Frosting

While the cupcakes are baking, in a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter until pale in color.  Nutella buttercream comes together more effortlessly than any other buttercream.   The creaminess of the Nutella has something to do with it I believe. Then add the Nutella and mix for about 2 minutes.  Add the powdered sugar and mix on low.   The mixture will be very thick, add the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until it is smooth.

This produces a thick, rich, and fluffy frosting that pipes really well.  That’s it a delicious frosting in about 4 minutes.

Decorating the Chocolate Cupcake with Nutella Buttercream

• Add tip 1M or whatever tip you have to a piping bag.  Then fill halfway with the Nutella buttercream.  Use a filler piping tip to remove the middle of the cupcake and add some Nutella. Push the filling down.
• Hold the piping bag at a 90-degree angle.  Squeeze medium pressure to add a small amount of buttercream to the center.
• Then pipe around the circle to create a tall buttercream frosting. When you get to the top release pressure. The final result should look like this.
• Optional: Add some sprinkles to give it a pop of color and before the buttercream crusts over.

Look how beautiful and yummy that looks.  Absolutely delicious.

Chocolate cupcake with Nutella Buttercream Frosting

Easy one-bowl chocolate recipe.  A moist and decadent chocolate cupcake with Nutella Buttercream frosting. 

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 37 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 20 Cupcakes

Equipment

• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Medium bowl

Ingredients

  

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Chocolate Cupcake

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp espresso powder Instant
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup hot water

Nutella Buttercream Frosting

• 1/2 cup Butter (Room temperature) 1 stick butter
• 3/4 cup Nutella
• 2 cups Powdered Sugar sifted
• 2-3 tbsp Heavy Cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 pinch Salt

Instructions

 

Cupcake

• Preheat the oven to 350F.  Add the cupcake liners to a muffin pan.
  
• Mix the dry ingredients together (all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, sugar, espresso powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder) together in a mixing bowl.
  
• Mix the wet ingredients together (buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla) together. 
  
• Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and add the hot water last.  The batter will be liquid.  Add two scoops of batter to each cupcake liner or about halfway.
  

Nutella Buttercream

• Beat the butter until pale color
  
• Add the Nutella and mix until combined.
  
• Then add the powdered sugar one cup at a time.  Add a tablespoon at a time of heavy cream until the buttercream is smooth.
  

Keyword Chocolate cupcake with Nutella buttercream

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!