Nutella Hazlenut & Chocolate Cupcakes

Nutella Hazlenut & Chocolate Cupcakes - makes 12

from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients:

cupcake

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour

2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

a scant 3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

a pinch of salt

3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup whole milk

1 egg

1/2 cup Nutella

12 - 36 shelled hazelnuts, to decorate

hazelnut and chocolate frosting

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons whole milk

1/3 cup Nutella

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Put the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined.

Slowly pour the milk into the flour mixture, beating well until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add the egg and beat well (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.)

Spoon the batter into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cake bounces back when touched. Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cupcakes are cold, hollow out a small section in the center of each one and fill with a dollop of Nutella.

For the hazelnut and chocolate frosting:

Beat the confectioners' sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Turn the mixer down to a slower speed. Slowly pour in the milk, then when it is all incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

Stir in the Nutella spread by hand until evenly mixed into the frosting.   When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the frosting on top and finish with 1 – 3 hazelnuts per cupcake. 

Thoughts:

This cupcake was good if you like Nutella.  This was the first time I tried Nutella and I didn't like it.  It tastes like some candybar or something that I can't put my finger on it so I can't eat it because it will eat away at me everytime I taste it trying to figure out what it reminds me of.  The sugary Nutella frosting tasted really good.  I prefer that to the plain Nutella filling.  I also don't think I'm really a chocolate cupcake person.  Even though the people who tried it like them, I probably wouldn't make them again.

Overall Rating (1 – 10, 1 being “blech” and 10 being “YUUMMMMM!!!!”)

Nutella Chocolate Cupcake: 5

The cupake was light and fluffy and the frosting was good but it help me realize I don't like chocolate cupakes or Nutella.

"Accidentally In Love" Funfetti Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

"Accidentally In Love" Funfetti Ice Cream Cone cupcakes

So this weekend I made some chocolate hazelnut cupcakes (I'll update about that tomorrow) but because I wasn't sure how I'd like a chocolate cupcake and because we had box funfetti mix and frosting, I decided to make funfetti ice cream cone cupcakes.  I wanted to make the funfetti from scratch but we wanted to get rid of the box mix sooner than later.

Ingredients:
funfetti mix (and the water, oil and eggs the mix calls for to make the batter)
funfetti frosting
ice cream cones

Topping optional, I decorated one with chocolate chips.  You could use sprinkles or caramel or chocolate sauce.

1.) Take a cake pan and cover it with aluminum foil, folding the ends of foil tightly around the edges of the pan.

2.) Using a knife poke holes in the aluminum foil the size of the bottom of the ice cream cones.  I used a 13 x 9 pan and was able to make 3 rows of 5 holes.

3.) Place ice cream cones in the holes.
4.)  Following the directions on the funfetti box, combine the ingredients to make the batter.
5.)  Pour 2 tablespoons of batter into the ice cream cones.
6.) Bake for 22 - 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  They take a little longer than usual because the batter in the bottom of the cone needs to bake completely.  The top of the cupcake will look done but make sure to test to see if it really is done by sticking a toothpick in all the way to the bottom.  If it comes out clean then it's done but if it doesn't, leave it in for a few more minutes.  Let cool for 20 minutes.

7.) Frost the top of the cupcake sticking out of the cone.  Also frost any cupcake that is dripping down the sides of the cone.  This makes it look like the ice cream is melting.  You may want to add food coloring to the frosting to make it look like a certain flavor of ice cream.

8.) Add topping such as chocolate chips or sprinkles.

Preston LOVES ice cream and cupcakes, so this is an ideal treat to him!