Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella, Almond Butter, and Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

March 18, 2011

Yield: 3 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes:

2/3 cup Nutella

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 1/2 cups buttermilk

Note:  All 3, 2 or just 1 of the below frostings can be used…

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

5 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature

1 pound powdered sugar (about 3 3/4 cups), sifted

2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract*

Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting

6 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup Nutella

1 pound confectioners’ sugar (about 3 3/4 cups), sifted

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

black and brown food coloring, optional

Barney Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

6 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup Barney Butter

1 pound confectioners’ sugar (about 3 3/4 cups), sifted

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

*clear vanilla extract is used to maintain a purer white color. If this doesn’t matter to you, then you may use regular vanilla extract.

Directions:

For the Cupcakes

Line 3 dozen muffin cups with cupcake liners or grease using non-stick spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar for 5 minutes, until it is pale and thick. Add in the butter. Mix until combined. Add in the nutella. Now, add in the buttermilk. Beat until well incorporated.

Add the flour mixture in 3 increments and beat until smooth. Divide batter into the cupcake tins. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream the butter and cream cheese in the large mixing bowl of a stand mixture. Add the vanilla. Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar as you continue to cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat on high speed until fluffy and smooth, adding milk or additional sugar (if needed) to reach desired consistency.

Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream the butter and cream cheese in the large mixing bowl of a stand mixture. Add the nutella and vanilla and continue to cream. Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar as you continue to cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat on high speed until fluffy and smooth, adding milk or additional sugar (if needed) to reach desired consistency. For a darker brown add 1 drop brown and 1 drop black food coloring.

Barney Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream the butter and cream cheese in the large mixing bowl of a stand mixture. Add the Barney Butter and vanilla and continue to cream. Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar as you continue to cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat on high speed until fluffy and smooth, adding milk or additional sugar (if needed) to reach desired consistency.

Kitchen Tip: How to Pipe with Two or More Frosting Types

1. Lay your colors or flavors out in different container to keep them separate.

2. Using the tip for filling piping bags in the Cupcake Piping Tricks kitchen tip, fill the bags (I personally like disposable best) with your designated colors or flavors.

You will not add a tip to any of these bags. Just the bag and the frosting.

In this case, I had three frosting flavors: Nutella Cream Cheese, Barney Butter Cream Cheese, and Vanilla Cream Cheese. So after this step I end up with 3 bags each filled with a different flavor.

3. Twist the tops of the bags and cut about a half inch of the ends of each filled bag.

4. Then, you’ll take (in this case) a fourth bag. Snip the end of the bag and add your favorite piping tip to the bag.

5. Now, load all three frosting bags inside the fourth bag with the piping tip.

Twist the top of the fourth bag so nothing escapes and pipe as usual.

I usually do a couple of test pipes on a napkin or a cupcake I don’t care about until all three frostings are evenly coming out and any air has passed.