Soft, moist chocolate cupcakes are filled with Nutella and topped with Nutella buttercream. They’re easy to make but they taste like they came from a bakery. This is the ultimate dessert for Nutella fans!
This post was originally published in June of 2018. I’ve updated the post with new information and step by step photos but the recipe remains the same.
Anyone who loves Nutella desserts needs to try these amazing cupcakes.
They’re super moist, chocolate-y without being too rich, and simple to whip together. With pure Nutella inside and Nutella frosting on top, you can’t go wrong with a batch to satisfy all your chocolate cravings!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Even though the cupcakes are completely homemade, they’re actually easy to make. You don’t even need a mixer for anything but the frosting!
- Using a combination of melted butter and vegetable oil gives the cupcakes delicious flavor and a perfectly moist texture
- All of the ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store
How to make your cupcakes
- Stir together melted butter, oil, and sugar
- Mix in eggs and vanilla
- Stir in the dry ingredients and some lukewarm coffee until the batter is smooth
- Divide between paper-lined muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes
- When the cupcakes are cool, fill them with Nutella
To make the frosting
- Beat room temperature butter until very smooth
- Mix in the remaining ingredients
Then just frost your cupcakes as desired and serve!
Recipe notes and tips
• If your cocoa powder is lumpy, sift it before using in the cupcakes so your cupcakes don’t end up with lumps in them
• Similarly, if your powdered sugar is lumpy, sift it before using the the frosting
• This recipe calls for coffee (decaf is fine!) in the cupcakes. You can substitute flat cola for the coffee but I much prefer the cupcakes made with coffee—the coffee deepens the chocolate flavor and makes it richer. Cola makes the cupcakes quite a bit sweeter
• Take care not to over-bake your cupcakes or they’ll be dry. Take them out as soon as the cake springs back if you touch it lightly with your fingertip
• Be sure your butter is at room temperature before making your frosting! If it’s too cold, your frosting could have lumps of butter in it
How to store your cupcakes
Uneaten cupcakes can be stored at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days.
These cupcakes can also be stored in the fridge, covered, for 3 or 4 days. I recommend bringing them back to room temperature before eating them.
You can also freeze your cupcakes, tightly wrapped, for a couple of months.
To freeze them, set them on a baking sheet and freeze them for about 30 minutes (or until the frosting is set), then you can wrap them tightly with plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil—or use whatever you prefer to wrap your baked goods or freezing.
What is Nutella?
Nutella is the name brand of a particular chocolate hazelnut spread. It’s kind of like peanut butter, but made cocoa and hazelnuts rather than peanuts.
There are tons of generic brands of chocolate hazelnut spread out there—you can use any of those in these cupcakes, you don’t have to buy name-brand.
I don’t have a favorite to recommend because they’re all pretty similar (and delicious!), just use whatever you can find.
A few more Nutella recipes
Chocolate Nutella Cake
Nutella Brownies
Easy Nutella Bars
Banana Nutella Cake
Nutella Fudge
Did you make these Nutella cupcakes? Hooray! Leave me a comment and rating below! And post a pic on Instagram. Tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see!
Nutella cupcakes filled with Nutella and topped with Nutella frosting are a delicious treat for chocolate lovers!
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 cups warm coffee
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/3 cup + 1/2 cup Nutella divided
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 to 5 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line 14 to 15 muffin cups with cupcake liners and set pan aside.
- Combine the sugar, butter, and oil in a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. (These are your dry ingredients.)
- Whisk half of the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture and stir just to combine. Mix in half of the coffee. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients, then the remaining coffee, again mixing just to combine.
- Divide batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about 3/4 full.
- Bake 18 to 22 minutes, until the cupcakes spring back when touched gently with your fingertip. Let cupcakes cool in pans for 15 minutes, then carefully remove from the pans to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add 1/3 cup Nutella and the vanilla and beat for 2 minutes more.
- Add 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and mix on low to combine. Beat in salt and 3 tablespoons milk. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix on medium until frosting is smooth.
- Adjust to desired consistency by adding milk if too thick or more powdered sugar if too thin.
- Once cupcakes are completely cooled, use a small paring knife to cut a hole about 1 1/2 inches wide and 1 inch deep in each of the cupcakes. Reserve the cake you cut out of the holes. Pipe or spoon about 2 teaspoons of Nutella into each cupcake.
- Trim the cake you removed from the holes so it will fit over the Nutella as a sort of plug, then replace the plug in the hole. Pipe or spread frosting onto the cupcakes, then serve and enjoy.
- Uneaten cupcakes can be stored at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days.
- They can also be stored in the fridge, covered, for 3 or 4 days. You can also freeze them, tightly wrapped, for a couple of months.
- If your cocoa powder is lumpy, sift it before using in the cupcakes.
- If your powdered sugar is lumpy, sift it before using the the frosting.
- You can substitute flat cola for the coffee but I much prefer the cupcakes made with coffee (or decaf)—coffee deepens the chocolate flavor and makes it richer. Cola makes the cupcakes quite a bit sweeter.
- Take care not to over-bake your cupcakes or they’ll be dry.
Tina says
How do you think these will taste without the filling? I love Nutella, but I also like to have more cake than frosting
Kelsie says
Hi Tina! I think the cupcakes would taste fine without the filling, you just won’t have as much Nutella flavor. What you could do is spread a layer of Nutella under the frosting to make it a little more prominent, though. Hope you love them either way!