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Nutella Cupcakes are rich, moist, and filled with gooey nutella. Top them with a swirl of creamy nutella frosting for the most irresistible dessert! Nutella lovers will flip over these delicious chocolate nutella cupcakes.
Why you’ll love these Nutella Cupcakes:
- Moist Chocolate Cupcakes – These tender chocolate cupcakes come together in one bowl with no mixer needed, and have a rich chocolate flavor.
- Fluffy Nutella Buttercream – This frosting is ultra creamy thanks to a combo of cream cheese and butter, and is bursting with nutella flavor.
- Nutella Filling – Each cupcake is filled with a generous dollop of creamy nutella!
Ingredient Overview:
- Nutella – Use whatever brand of nutella you like – I’ve tried a few of the off-brand varieties and they are great options.
- Salted Butter – I always use salted butter for the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted if you prefer.
- Cake Flour – Cake flour keeps these cupcakes light and fluffy. I recommend using it for all cakes and cupcakes over all-purpose flour.
- Sour Cream – Use full fat sour cream for best results.
- Milk – I used 2% milk.
Ingredient Substitutions:
- Sour Cream – You can use full fat greek yogurt in place of the sour cream.
- Dairy-free – Use your favorite dairy-free butter, milk, and sour cream to keep these cupcakes dairy-free.
- Other Nut Butters – Don’t like nutella? Feel free to swap in peanut butter or your favorite nut butter for the filling and frosting.
- Vanilla Nutella Cupcakes – Make my Better-Than-Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes and pair them with this Nutella frosting.
How to Make Nutella Cupcakes:
Step 1: Make the Cupcake Batter. Whisk together your dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. You’ll have a runny batter.
Step 2: Bake the Cupcakes. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full and bake as directed in the recipe card below. Let the cupcake pan cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes or so, then remove the cupcakes and let them cool completely.
Step 3: Fill the Cupcakes. Once the cupcakes have cooled, use an apple corer or a teaspoon to remove the center, and fill each with a generous dollop of nutella.
Step 4: Make the Nutella Frosting. Cream together softened butter and cream cheese in a hand or stand mixer. Cream in the nutella. Mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Pipe this onto the cooled cupcakes and dig in!
Serving + Storing:
Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Let come to room temp a bit before serving as the frosting will be quite solid.
Nutella lovers will flip for my Double Nutella Stuffed Cookies and my Nutella Cheesecake!
Expert Success Tips:
- Don’t Over Mix – Don’t over mix the cake batter as it can make the cupcakes turn out a bit dense.
- Nutella Frosting – Be sure to cream the nutella in with the butter and cream cheese. If you add it after the powdered sugar the texture won’t be quite as creamy.
- Warm Cupcakes – Never frost warm cupcakes – the frosting will completely melt.
FAQs:
Yes, the cupcakes can be baked, cooled at room temperature, and stored in an airtight container for 1 day before decorating and serving. Frosting can also be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge. Let it sit out at room temperature for a bit to soften before using – give it a mix with your hand mixer to smooth it back out.
Special Tools:
- Piping Tip – I used an Ateco Open Star #849 piping tip for the frosting.
- Piping Bag – I like to use a reusable piping bag like this one.
More of my Best Cupcakes:
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting
- Peach Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Maple Bacon Cupcakes
- Samoa Cupcakes
- Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
More Nutella Recipes:
- Deep Dish Nutella Dessert Pizza
- Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
- Nutella Pop Tarts
- No-Bake Nutella Tart
Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo and leave a comment!
Click the little stars in the header of the recipe card below to leave a comment & star rating, letting me know how you liked the recipe. I take all feedback seriously, & leaving a rating helps my small business immensely!
Nutella Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1/2 cup hot water, 120 grams
- 1/3 cup natural cocoa powder, 37 grams
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out , 130 grams
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar , 105 grams
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed, 110 grams
- 1 tsp baking soda, 5 grams
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature , 120 grams
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 54 grams
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Nutella Filling
- 1 26 ounce jar nutella
For the Nutella Frosting
- 1 and 1/2 cups salted butter, softened at room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups nutella
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1-2 tbsp heavy cream
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350℉. Place cupcake liners in your cupcake tin.
- Make the Cupcake Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and sugars, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar as best you can. Then, whisk in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt.Check that the water & cocoa mixture is just lukewarm (not hot!), and if it is, whisk in the oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. (If your measuring cup wasn't large enough for this, just add all the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry and whisk – but do lightly beat the eggs first, as in the next line.)In one of the measuring cups you just dirtied that's now empty, add the eggs and lightly beat with a fork. Pour the cocoa liquid mixture and the lightly beaten eggs over the dry ingredients. Whisk gently to combine, making sure to get any dry bits hiding in the bottom of the bowl. (I like to lift up the bowl and look through the clear glass bottom and sides to check for this, haha!).1/2 cup hot water, 1/3 cup natural cocoa powder, 1 tsp espresso powder, 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out , 1/2 cup granulated sugar , 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature , 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 large egg, at room temperature , 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Bake: Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full, or go by weight – you'll want 42 to 45 grams of batter per cupcake – more than this, and they can overflow a bit or deflate. Bake cupcakes for 14-18 minutes. The tops will be set and should be slightly domed. They'll lightly spring back when gently poked, and a toothpick inserted into the middle will come out with moist crumbs – not wet batter.Once the cupcake pan is out of the oven, I like to use a butter knife to pop the hot cupcakes out of the cavities and place them on a wire rack to cool completely. I don't want them to continue baking in the hot pan. (You can wait a few minutes to do this so they aren't as hot.)
- Fill the Cupcakes: Use a teaspoon to core out the center of each cooled cupcake, and fill with a generous dollop of nutella (2 tsp or so).1 26 ounce jar nutella
- Make the Nutella Frosting: Cream butter and cream cheese together in a large mixing bowl for 2-3 minutes, until well combined and very creamy. Mix in the nutella. Add the powdered sugar, 2 cups at a time, mixing until well combined. Add the vanilla, cocoa powder, heavy cream, and pinch of salt and mix until combined.1 and 1/2 cups salted butter, softened at room temperature , 8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature , 1 and 1/2 cups nutella, 5 cups powdered sugar , 1 tbsp vanilla extract, 3 tbsp cocoa powder, 1-2 tbsp heavy cream, pinch of salt
- Frost the Cupcakes: Use a piping bag and piping tip, or an offset spatula or butter knife to frost your cupcakes. I used an Ateco 849 tip to create the large swirls pictured here.
- Serve + Store: Enjoy immediately! Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge. These stay moist for 4-5 days, and freeze beautifully with or without frosting!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looking to make these this week, what kind of cocoa powder should be used?
Hi Felicia! Use natural unsweetened cocoa powder – not dutch process. The two react differently with baking soda vs. baking powder so they aren’t interchangeable in this recipe. Please let me know how you like the cupcakes!
Hi, I made these cupcakes a few months ago, they were fantastic! This has been my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe I have used to date! As such, I’m curious if you have a version of this recipe for cakes?
Hi Felicia! Thanks so much! Yes – the base cake recipe is the same in my Nutella Cake, Raspberry Chocolate Cake, and Chocolate Truffle Cake.
I took these to a Super Bowl party— they were winners!! I’d make these again for sure!
Thanks so much Sue! ☺️