Tempt your taste buds with these irresistible Nutella cupcakes, as decadent as a slice of my luscious Nutella cake. Featuring moist chocolate cupcakes, oozing with a rich Nutella center, and topped with a fluffy Nutella mascarpone whipped cream.
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This Nutella cupcake recipe is irresistibly indulgent, boasting a moist chocolate cupcake base, a gooey Nutella center, and a light and creamy Nutella frosting. It's the ultimate dessert for Nutella lovers.
This recipe is incredibly easy to make at home, requiring just two preparations: my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe and a chocolate mascarpone whipped cream flavored with spreadable chocolate.
Get ready to whip up these party-perfect little cakes; they're ideal for pairing with a birthday cake, serving as dessert, or adding to any party spread for all occasions.
Why you'll love this recipe
Looking for more Nutella recipes? Give these a try: Nutella muffins, Nutella linzer cookies, Nutella rolls, Nutella macarons, Nutella cheesecake brownies, Nutella buttercream or Nutella latte.
Ingredients you need
You need these ingredients to make Nutella filled cupcakes:
- Flour: Preferably cake flour, but all-purpose flour works fine too.
- Cocoa: Unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch processed cocoa powder for a richer flavor.
- Leavening agent: Only baking soda, replaceable with a teaspoon of baking powder (see recipe notes).
- Oil: Vegetable oil such as sunflower oil or grape seed oil.
- Eggs: At room temperature.
- Sugar: Preferably white granulated sugar.
- Vanilla and salt: Pure vanilla extract and table salt.
- Buttermilk: preferably or use milk, sour cream or plain yogurt (see recipe card notes)
- Mascarpone: Use full fat mascarpone cheese well chilled.
- Heavy cream: full-fat heavy cream with 30% or 35% fat content (heavy whipping cream).
- Powdered sugar: Only powdered sugar for a smooth frosting.
- Nutella: Chocolate hazelnut spread or a hazelnut chocolate spread of your choice.
*Quantities are in the recipe card (scroll down the page).
Nutella Cupcakes Step-by-step Instructions
Here are some quick visual instructions. Don't forget that full instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the main recipe card below!
Step 1: Mix and sift together the dry ingredients, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk, then add the flour mixture and mix until smooth and liquid
Step 3: Pour the batter into a paper-lined muffin pan, filling it only halfway.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and bake the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes, until they are puffed and a toothpick dipped in the center comes out clean.
Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the cupcake pan before carefully removing from the pan and cooling them completely on a cooling rack.
Fille chocolate cupcake cores with Nutella filling in the center of each cupcake, removed with a cupcake corer or apple corer.
Step 5: Place all ingredients in a bowl: mascarpone, powdered sugar, cold liquid cream, vanilla and Nutella.
Step 6: Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth and firm.
Line a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip with the Nutella icing and decorate the tops of the cupcakes. Decorate with a Nutella drizzle over the topping and sprinkle some caramelized hazelnuts or add Ferrero rocher candies.
Place in the fridge for 1 hour before serving.
Tips for this recipe
Storage
In the fridge/at room temperature: Store Nutella cupcakes with frosting only in the fridge for 3-4 days, covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container. Cupcakes without frosting can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container.
Freezing: Only unfrosted cupcakes without frosting can be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw gently at room temperature.
Variations & Substitutions
More Cupcake Recipes
I hope you love these cupcakes with Nutella filling. If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Happy Baking!
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Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
Description
Gourmet recipe for Chocolate Nutella cupcakes featuring a moist chocolate cake base, a Nutella center, and a light Nutella mascarpone frosting (makes 12-14 cupcakes).
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 100 g of Cake Flour (¾ cup)
- 40 g of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (⅓ cup)
- ½ tsp of Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp of Fine Salt
- 150 g of Granulated Sugar (¾ cup)
- 2 eggs - at room temperature
- 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
- 125 ml of Buttermilk (½ cup)
- 85 ml of Neutral Vegetable Oil (⅓ cup)
Nutella mascarpone frosting
- 200 g of Mascarpone - cold (7 oz)
- 300 ml of Heavy Cream - cold (1 ¼ cups)
- 70-100 g of Nutella (2 ½ - 3 ½ oz)
- 2-3 tbsp of Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
- 2 tsp of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Instructions
Chocolate cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
- In a bowl, mix and sift together the dry ingredients: flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda (or baking powder).
- In another large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients: vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and milk, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients and gently fold them in with a hand whisk until you have a smooth batter.
- Pour the batter into the paper liners, filling them only halfway.
- Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes (without opening the oven door) until they are puffed up; check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center, it should come out clean.
- Let the chocolate cupcakes cool slightly before gently removing them from the pan and allowing them to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Once completely cooled, remove the center using a cupcake corer or an apple corer and fill with Nutella.
Nutella Mascarpone Frosting
- Place all the ingredients in a large bowl: cold mascarpone, cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, unsweetened cocoa powder, and Nutella.
- Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat for about 2 minutes until you have a smooth and firm frosting.
- Fill a large piping bag fitted with a 1M or similar tip with the Nutella frosting and decorate the tops of the cupcakes by piping swirls; sprinkle with crushed hazelnuts and refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving.
Notes
Storage: Up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, up to 3 months in the freezer (without Nutella frosting).
Replace baking soda with approx. 1 tsp baking powder.
Replace the buttermilk with the same quantity of milk with a little lemon juice or white vinegar, or an equal mixture of milk and sour cream or milk and plain yogurt.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: cupcakes
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 299
- Sugar: 17.4 g
- Sodium: 132.6 mg
- Fat: 20.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.9 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
- Cholesterol: 67.5 mg
I cannot afford mascarpone. Would the frosting work with a regular block of cream cheese?
Hi Monika, yes mascarpone can be easily replaced by cream cheese.