Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes

This post is sponsored by Peanut Butter & Co. – thank you for supporting the brands that make Dinner at the Zoo possible!

This recipe for chocolate hazelnut cupcakes is chocolate cupcakes filled with milk chocolate hazelnut spread, then finished off with chocolate hazelnut frosting and fresh berries. The perfect treat for a special occasion!

It is celebration season in my family – between April and July we have a ton of birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions! My husband recently had a birthday and he is a chocolate lover, so I knew some kind of chocolate cake was in order. I decided to make these chocolate hazelnut cupcakes to celebrate his special day. These are no ordinary cupcakes – they’re stuffed with Chocmeister® milk chocolately hazelnut spread and are also topped off with a chocolate hazelnut frosting. These cupcakes are a decadent treat that are actually quite simple to make.

MY LATEST VIDEOS

This recipe starts with a basic chocolate cupcake. The next step is to cut a hole in the middle of the cupcakes – I have a little cupcake coring tool that I bought for less than $5 at a kitchen store, but you could also use the back of a piping tip or a small cookie cutter to cut the holes. The cupcakes are filled with Chocmeister® milk chocolately hazelnut spread which makes for a fun surprise when you bite into them.

Have you tried Chocmeister® milk chocolatey spread yet? It’s a chocolate hazelnut spread with 25% less sugar and double the protein of other chocolate hazelnut spreads. It’s perfect in desserts like these cupcakes but also wholesome enough that I feel good about feeding it to my kids. We use Chocmeister® milk chocolately hazelnut spread as a dip for fruit, spread on toast or topping for pancakes.

After the cupcakes are stuffed with Chocmeister®, it’s time to make the frosting. The frosting is a simple buttercream that’s flavored with a healthy dose of Chocmeister® milky chocolately hazelnut spread which makes a great complement to the cupcake base. The finish touch is an assortment of fresh berries – the kids helped me decorate these chocolate hazelnut cupcakes and were so excited to show them to their dad!

Ready to get in the kitchen and bake some cupcakes? I’m giving away 2 jars of Chocmeister® milk chocolately hazelnut spread to one lucky reader! All you have to do is enter in the giveaway below. Happy baking!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Still hungry? Follow Dinner at the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!

4.8 from 5 votes

Print

Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes

This recipe for chocolate hazelnut cupcakes is chocolate cupcakes filled with milk chocolate hazelnut spread, then finished off with chocolate hazelnut frosting and fresh berries. Cupcake base adapted from www.sallysbakingaddiction.com

Course Dessert

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 12 cupcakes

Calories 613 kcal

Author Dinner at the Zoo

Ingredients

• For the cupcakes:
• 1/2 cup Chocolate hazelnut spread
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• For the frosting:
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup Choclate hazelnut spread
• 3 tablespoons milk or more if needed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For garnish: fresh berries and mint sprigs

Instructions

1. For the cupcakes:
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
3. Stir together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.
4. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla together until smooth. Whisk in the buttermilk until completely incorporated. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
5. Pour the batter into the liners until each cup is halfway full.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
7. Cut a hole into the top of each cupcake with a cupcake corer, small cookie cutter or the back of a piping tip. Reserve the cupcake cores. Spoon 2 teaspoons of Chocmeister® milk chocolately hazelnut spread into each hole. Place the cupcake cores back into the holes - you may need to trim a bit off the bottom so that they fit.
8. For the frosting:
9. Beat butter at medium speed with a stand mixer or hand mixer for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat on medium speed until combined. Add the Chocmeister® milk chocolately hazelnut spread and beat for 30 more seconds. Add the milk and vanilla and beat until combined. If you need to thin the frosting you can add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
10. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes with a piping tip and bag. I used an open star tip. Decorate the cupcakes with fresh berries and mint sprigs as desired.

Nutrition Facts

Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 613 Calories from Fat 342

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 38g 58%

Saturated Fat 19g 95%

Polyunsaturated Fat 5g

Monounsaturated Fat 6g

Cholesterol 73mg 24%

Sodium 111mg 5%

Total Carbohydrates 66g 22%

Dietary Fiber 6g 24%

Sugars 53g

Protein 7g 14%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.