Special Guest Post: Self-Frosting Nutella Cupcakes

Print Recipe

TRB confession: I cannot keep Nutella in the house. It’s just one of those things. All of that hazelnut and chocolate is too much to resist – especially, when there’s a willing spoon handy.

So, when my sister, Laura, sent this recipe along – as she often does because it’s her way of (not-so) politely nudging me to bake something yummy for her tummy – I had to slowly back away. Not only am I under a self-imposed ban from the star ingredient, but having these cupcakes in the house is a dangerous a prospect, even for me.

Much to my surprise (and sheer joy!), though, she took it upon herself to bake these delicious little bites of “self-frosting” goodness. (And, it’s such a good thing she lives out of state in this particular instance). Here, she shares her foray into baking in a special guest post…

Hi there! I’m Laura, TRB’s kid sister, co-author of the blog, Style, She Wroteand a novice baker. I am also recently engaged and, while I’ve never felt inclined to cook or bake before, somehow having a ring on my finger has given me a strong, sudden urge to feed my hungry honey.

The first recipe to make my “to try” list is Self-Frosting Nutella Cupcakes from Babble.com. My fiancé loves Nutella – who doesn’t? – so I thought it would be an easy sell.

Self-Frosting Nutella Cupcakes

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup canola or mild vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 cup Nutella, at room temperature

To start, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. While the oven heats up, beat the butter, oil and sugar with an electric mixer in a medium bowl until light and fluffy.

Now, full disclosure: I had a slight misstep here – I knew I had sugar in my pantry but didn’t realize it was only sugar packets. In case you’ve ever wondered how many packets go into ¾ cup of sugar, it’s about [this] many:

Next, add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

In a second bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. One mixed, add the dry mix to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until combined.

The Babble recipe noted that “the batter will be thick,” but that’s an understatement. If you don’t normally get to hit the gym, this will be the ultimate upper arm workout for you. The batter has to be thick in order to swirl in the Nutella. While it seems like a lot of batter in the bowl, it will only fill a dozen paper-lined cupcake cups.

Once you have filled the cups with batter, add a spoonful of Nutella on top of each cup, and swirl together.

The Babble.com author recommended using “a bamboo skewer, knife or other pointy object”; I used a knife. It is somewhat tricky to mix the two together because they are both thick and sticky, but with a little elbow grease it does happen.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cupcakes are springy to the touch.

Note: If you use this recipe (with ¼ cup butter), the cupcakes won’t be moist and cake-y; they actually have the consistency of muffins. That said, if you want the cupcakes to be fluffier, try one of these two recipes, which call for more butter – Baking Bites and Dishing Up Delights.

Happy baking!

Are you a Nutella fanatic too? Did you try this recipe? Post a comment below.

Style, She Wrote October 19, 2011

Thanks for posting, TRB! I had a lot of fun baking these cupcakes and sharing it on your blog. xo Jackie @ style, she wrote

The Sentimental Suitcase October 19, 2011

Oh man I am in so much trouble! They eat nutella over here in France like it’s going out of style! I like your sister try to avoid it all times!
But man oh man this looks divine!
Xo
Sam

The Rescue Baker October 21, 2011

@Style, She Wrote: We enjoyed reading about your baking adventure!
@The Sentimental Suitcase: Thanks! Glad you liked the post. Nutella is my weakness! :)

Special Guest Post: Self-Frosting Nutella Cupcakes

3 Responses to “Special Guest Post: Self-Frosting Nutella Cupcakes”

Leave a Reply

About Me