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Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream

Simple chocolate cupcakes, filled with a heaping mound of Nutella, and topped with fluffy Nutella frosting. These Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream are an explosion of chocolate and hazelnut.
Course Cupcakes
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 24 cupcakes
Author Sarah

Ingredients

For chocolate cupcakes:

  • 1 box chocolate fudge or devil's food cake mix
  • 3.4 oz. box instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3/4 cup whole or 2% milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 cup Nutella or similar chocolate hazelnut spread

For Nutella buttercream:

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups Nutella or similar chocolate hazelnut spread
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 3-4 tbsp. heavy cream
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips optional garnish

Instructions

For chocolate cupcakes:

  • In a large bowl, stir together cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, milk, and oil.
  • Line 24 regular-sized muffin cups with paper liners.
  • Fill muffin cups halfway with batter.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until tops appear set, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
  • Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
  • Using a teaspoon or small spoon (a grapefruit spoon works best!), hollow out a 1-inch ball in the center of each cupcake. Set aside cake crumbs for another use (cake balls, maybe?).
  • Spoon a rounded teaspoonful of Nutella into the center of each cupcake. The easiest way to do this is with a small cookie scoop!

For Nutella buttercream:

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and Nutella.
  • Add vanilla, 3 tbsp. heavy cream, and 3 cups powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
  • Add additional powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time, if needed, to achieve a thick, but fluffy frosting. It will be stiff, but should be fluffy and pipable. If frosting is too thick, add additional heavy cream 1 tbsp. at a time. 
  • Pipe or spread onto cupcakes. I use a piping bag fitted with a large star tip, Wilton 1M!
  • If desired, top cupcakes with a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips.