All-the-Way Nutella Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Nutella is my favorite flavor, so I went all-in and created these All-the-Way Nutella Cupcakes — Nutella in the cupcake batter, a luscious Nutella filling hidden inside, AND the silkiest Nutella buttercream frosting piled on top. 🤩 For all the nutella lovers out there, these are basically your dream come true.

Nutella is my favorite thing in the world. I mean… there is my daughter. And my husband. Ok. It’s my third favorite thing in the world. (on a good day, anyway!) But can we talk about how every time I went looking for a delicious Nutella cupcakes recipe, I walked away completely unsatisfied? I’d find chocolate cupcakes with Nutella buttercream, or chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and just a touch of Nutella. Sometimes even just a chocolate cupcake frosted with it. And while I love anything with Nutella — more is always better. So I made these delicious chocolate Nutella cupcakes with Nutella all. the. way.

Why These Are the Best Cupcakes for All-the-Way Nutella Cupcakes Fans

These aren’t just good cupcake ideas — they are THE cupcake idea for anyone obsessed with Nutella. We’re talking moist chocolate cupcakes with a rich chocolate flavor from unsweetened cocoa powder and just a hint of instant coffee (or espresso powder, which is a great option for boosting that chocolatey depth). I love adding a splash of hot coffee or hot water to bloom the cocoa — it makes such a difference and keeps you from ending up with dry cupcakes. Nobody wants those! The batter comes together beautifully: just whisk your dry ingredients in a large bowl, mix your wet ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, and combine. Super simple, super fluffy cupcake magic happening right here. 🙌

Tips for Perfect Cupcakes Every Time

Okay, let’s talk tips because I want you to get the best texture possible! First: use room temperature ingredients — large eggs, sour cream, and unsalted butter should all be out of the fridge ahead of time. Cold ingredients don’t blend as well and can mess with your crumb. You can use vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, or even coconut oil in the batter — all keep things moist and gorgeous. If you don’t have buttermilk, make your own buttermilk by adding a splash of vinegar to regular milk! When you scoop batter into your lined muffin tins (paper liners work great), fill each about ⅔ full. Bake in a 12-cup cupcake pan for 18-20 minutes and keep a close eye — you want a clean toothpick in the middle of the cupcakes. Then cool completely on a wire rack before filling or frosting. Step 3 – bake, cool, fill. That’s the mantra! 😄

How to Make the Nutella Filling and Frosting

This is my favorite extra step and absolutely worth it — I promise! To make the cupcake filling, use a cupcake corer or an apple corer to hollow out the center of each cupcake. No corer? A small knife works perfectly fine! Just cut a little well in the center of the cupcake and fill it with a generous spoonful of cup Nutella. Pure heaven. For the creamy Nutella frosting — oh my gosh, be still my heart — beat unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add your cup Nutella, powdered sugar, heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream), and vanilla extract. Mix on low speed to start, then crank it to medium-high speed until you get that silkiest Nutella buttercream frosting imaginable. A hand mixer or electric mixer works great too — just scrape the sides of the bowl as you go. If you love peanut butter, you can even swap half the Nutella for peanut butter in the frosting — kind of like my Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Cake vibes! And if you want even more Nutella inspo, check out my Nutella Mousse Layer Cake — it is absolutely ridiculous in the best way.

Assembling Your Filled Cupcakes Like a Pro

Once your filled cupcakes are ready, it’s time to frost! Load that silkiest Nutella buttercream frosting into a piping bag or pastry bag fitted with your favorite piping tip — I love an M tip for big, gorgeous swirls. Pipe a dreamy cloud of fluffy Nutella buttercream right on top. These are perfect cupcakes for special occasions like birthdays, holidays, or even World Nutella Day (yes, that’s a real thing and YES we celebrate it here 🎉). You can also just use a measuring cup to scoop batter neatly into your cupcake tin, and use a small bowl to prep your filling station. If you love these, you’ll also go crazy for my 3-Ingredient Nutella Brownies and my Baked Pumpkin Nutella Donuts — so many amazing Nutella recipes in one place! Store any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.

Make This Nutella Cupcakes Recipe Today

Honestly, I literally can’t even with how good these are. Whether you’re making them for a crowd or just for yourself on a Tuesday (no judgment — that’s real life), this nutella cupcakes recipe is a total showstopper. The purpose flour base, baking soda lift, and touch of cocoa powder all work together in that cupcake batter to create the most luscious, moist chocolate cupcakes you’ve ever tasted. The wet ingredients blend seamlessly into the dry ingredients, and the whole thing comes together in one large bowl situation. These are the chocolate dessert of my actual dreams. Check out the printable recipe card below for all the measurements! If you want even more chocolate inspiration, my Chocolate Frosting for Brownies or Sheet Cake and Oprah’s Favorite Brownies are calling your name. Now go make these — you absolutely have to make this! 😍🍫

Nutella Cupcakes Recipe

Yield: 24 Servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 19 minutes

Bake Time: 19 minutes

Total Time: 58 minutes

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These indulgent Nutella Cupcakes are a chocolate-hazelnut lover's dream, featuring a rich and moist cupcake base loaded with Nutella flavor. Each cupcake is filled with a gooey Nutella center and topped with a creamy Nutella buttercream frosting that will have everyone coming back for more!

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Ingredients

Nutella Cupcakes

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup nutella
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 pinch salt

Nutella Buttercream

• 3/4 c. Nutella
• 1/4 c. shortening
• 3-4 c. powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Filling

• 1 small jar of Nutella

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line or grease cupcake tins.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, shortening, and Nutella until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add in the vanilla extract.
3. Add the flour, milk, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.
5. Bake for 19 minutes, then let cool on a wire rack.
6. For the Buttercream: Whisk together the Nutella and shortening until smooth.
7. Alternate whisking in the powdered sugar and milk until the frosting reaches a smooth, pipeable consistency.
8. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
9. For Assembly: Hollow out the top center of each cooled cupcake with a knife.
10. Fill each hollow with approximately 1 tablespoon of Nutella.
11. Pipe the Nutella buttercream onto the top of each cupcake and serve.

Notes

Make sure your cupcakes are completely cooled before filling and frosting, or the buttercream will melt. You can adjust the consistency of the buttercream by adding more powdered sugar to thicken or more milk to thin it out. Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.