Cupcakes

9 February 2010

This is another recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. The brownies were great, but these chocolate and hazelnut cupcakes are marriage material. They’re also a doddle to make: even the fiddly bit turned out to not be fiddly.
You will need:

100g plain flour
20g cocoa powder
140g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
40g butter, at room temperature
120ml whole milk
1 egg
Nutella

250g icing sugar, sifted
80g unsalted butter, room temperature
25ml whole milk
80g Nutella

Preheat the oven to 170ºC / 325ºF / Gas 3.

Put the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a bowl and handheld electric whisk if you wish you owned a KitchenAid mixer, but sadly have nowhere to keep one).

Beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined.

Slowly pour the milk into the flour mixture.

Beat well until all the ingredients are well mixed.

Add the egg and beat well.

Spoon the mixture into 12 muffin cases and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the sponge bounces back when touched.

Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

When the cupcakes are cold, hollow out a small section in the centre of each one – I used an apple corer.

Fill each hole with a dollop of Nutella. I used two teaspoon handles to get the sticky Nutella off the spoon and into the hole.

For neatness I put the removed piece of cupcake back on top of the Nutella. However I would also recommend the alternative option: eating the crumbs.

For the icing: add the butter to the icing sugar.

Beat together on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.

Turn the mixer down to a slower spped. Slowly pour in the milk, then when it is all incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed.

Continue beating until the icing is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten the longer you must wait for a finished cupcake the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

Warm the Nutella a little in the microwave to soften it.

Add the Nutella to the icing and stir in by hand until evenly mixed in.

When the cupcakes are cold, spoon on the icing. You also could finish the cakes with a few whole hazelnuts on top.

Note: I found that the quantities for the icing made double what I needed, but these cupcakes are so moist and delicious that you’re going to want to make a second batch straight away anyway, so I’ve not altered the amounts from the book.

7 Comments Posted in: food, photography

Comments

7 Responses to “Cupcakes”

Emily
10th February 2010 @ 11:15 am

I was casually reading the ingredients and then Nutella jumped out at me. We just ran out this morning and making these would be a good reason to buy a huge jar!!! Thank you
Kristen
10th February 2010 @ 6:43 pm

This is for people who don’t use two teaspoons (one in each hand) to just eat Nutella from the jar.
lauren
10th February 2010 @ 7:10 pm

So going to make these now. think i also had the same issues with icing quantity with one of their other recipe. great pics btw :)
Daphne
11th February 2010 @ 5:05 pm

I need these cupcakes… my life depends on it. Incidentally, while scrolling through your post Marissa looks over and says, “Nutella? Nutella CUPCAKES?”

So we’ll both be over in an hour or so.
bethany actually
14th February 2010 @ 6:48 am

Nutella cupcakes! How did I miss this post!? I will be trying these one day SOON. Uh, when I have a kitchen again, that is.
Easter cupcakes : dreamdust
7th April 2010 @ 11:28 am

[...] are chocolate and hazelnut cupcakes with a couple of Cadbury’s mini eggs on top. I made them the day that Suzy came over for [...]
Lynda
8th June 2010 @ 12:37 am

Hi there!
I just made this delicious cupcake recipe (converted to Canadian measurements) and blogged about it. Anyway you measure it, they were DELICIOUS! :D I have linked to your blog in my post.
Thank you for sharing,
XO, Lynda