Nutella Cupcakes

by Jamie on February 5, 2011

Post image for Nutella Cupcakes

Today is World Nutella Day, so you knew there was no way I’d forgo posting something that utilizes this delicious Chocolate Hazlenut spread. As I have stated once or twice, I love Nutella and I’m pretty certain you could smear the stuff on a piece of cardboard and I’d be completely content!

Taking a simple chocolate cupcake recipe and filling the middle with that awesome Nutella lusciousness, definitely quenches that hazelnut craving that I get more frequently than I’d like to admit.  Top off with Nutella buttercream, and these are truly irresistible to those Nutella fanatics that I know are plentiful! Just a word of caution…these babies are rich, so have a glass of milk near by and don’t be tempted to eat more than one in a single sitting.

This post is not your typical MBA post; meaning it’s not a complete recipe. This is more like a framework which will help you to build your Nutella masterpiece. Essentially, you’ll bake 24 chocolate cupcakes using your fave recipe and I’ll walk you through the rest! Sound like a plan? Alright, let’s get to it.

The Method:

-I made one of my favorite chocolate cupcake recipes according to the recipe directions (you’ll see my fave in an upcoming fundamentals post). Use whatever recipe floats your boat. Cool them completely.
-Hollow out a small circle in the center of each cupcake; I use an apple corer because I am anal and obsessed with symmetry. You can also use this piping tip from Wilton which allows you to inject things into cupcakes.  -Fill a piping bag with one 13-ounce jar of nutella. This sounds like a lot, but trust me, you’ll need to fill all of the cupcakes.
-Pipe the nutella into each hollowed center of the cupcake or if you’re using the tip method, simply push the tip down into the center of the cupcake, pipe in the filling until the cupcake swells slightly on the top.
-Prepare the Nutella Buttercream Recipe below and pipe it on your cupcakes.
-Top each frosted cupcake with a piece of chocolate hazelnut candy bar.

A Few Notes:

-New to making buttercream frosting? Check out my Fundamentals: Buttercream post.
-I piped the frosting using the large round tip from Bake It Pretty. You can check out my video piping tutorial found in this post.
-The chocolate brown liners are also from Bake It Pretty.

Looking for more Nutella Deliciousness? Check out these posts:

Mocha Shortbread with Nutella from My Baking Addiction
Nutella Crepes from Dine & Dish
Nutella Fudge Brownies from Wenderly

*Recipe edited 7/1/12: Due to several readers have issues with the thickness of the frosting, we have adjusted the amount of confectioners’ sugar to 1.5 pounds. The thickness of the Nutella Buttercream will depend on the amount of heavy cream that is added.

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Nutella Buttercream Frosting

Yield: enough buttercream to frost 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 13-ounce jar of Nutella
pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
1.5 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted
6-8 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and Nutella until well combined, thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar, and continue mixing until well blended.

2. Add salt, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 3-5 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Notes:

- This recipe will make enough frosting to generously frost 24 cupcakes or one 9 inch layer cake.
- You can easily adjust the consistency of this recipe by simply adding in more heavy cream or milk.
- Covered and refrigerated frosting can be stored for up to three days. Simply bring it to room temperature and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. You may need to add a couple of teaspoons of heavy cream or milk to revive the consistency.

- Recipe edited 7/1/12: Due to several readers having issues with the thickness of the frosting, we have adjusted the amount of confectioners' sugar to 1.5 pounds. The thickness of the Nutella Buttercream will also depend on the amount of heavy cream that is added.

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{ 89 comments… read them below or add one }

avatar 1 HeatherS February 5, 2011 at 7:54 pm

You are a great woman. This recipe is so simple, so necessary. Love the Nutella!

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avatar 2 Robynski February 5, 2011 at 7:58 pm

Jamie, the simplicity of these is fabulous. Your pictures just jump off the page. I especially love that baking pan in the last photo. serious pan envy here!

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avatar 3 Courtney February 5, 2011 at 8:03 pm

Oh how I miss Nutella, and I’m sure these taste amazing! I love that cupcake pan, so retro :)

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avatar 4 Becca February 5, 2011 at 8:07 pm

Just discovered you on the web… searching for chocolate cupcakes and I’ve spent the last 4 hours browsing your site. Amazing. I’m convinced that you and I should be friends.

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avatar 5 Shawna H February 5, 2011 at 8:14 pm

What size of tip do you use for the icing? They look delicious:)

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avatar 6 Mary February 5, 2011 at 8:56 pm

I love the marshmellow apron…very beautiful…great post.

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avatar 7 Francis Robles February 5, 2011 at 9:15 pm

Thanks, for this recipe.
I can’t wait to make cupcakes and taste this frosting… yummy!!!

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avatar 8 Sandra Lira February 5, 2011 at 9:48 pm

Looks fantastic! I will definitely be making this, my daughter is absolutely crazy about Nutella too :)

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avatar 9 katreece February 5, 2011 at 10:25 pm

wow! these look so awesome, can’t wait to try :)
Thank-you !!!!

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avatar 10 Prerna@IndianSimmer February 5, 2011 at 11:25 pm

This is the kind of holiday I can celebrate all year long and specially if something like this is put in from of me! Lovely recipe!

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avatar 11 Hannah at FleurDeLicious February 6, 2011 at 12:11 am

a whole jar of Nutella in the frosting?? this is my kind of recipe!!!

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avatar 12 merlot February 6, 2011 at 2:07 am

I love nutella! These are going on my baking bucket list asap! Thanks for the recipe!

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avatar 13 Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen February 6, 2011 at 3:52 am

I seriously need to get one of those piping tips from Wilton, I would never stop filling stuff with Nutella or even better Nutella Buttercream frosting. Now why did it never occur to me to put Nutella in buttercream frosting before?!

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avatar 14 Katrina February 6, 2011 at 7:26 am

No flour?! I’ve never made a cupcake without it before! These sound heavenly.

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avatar 15 Nicole H. February 6, 2011 at 8:09 am

This is just the ingredients for the frosting…use any chocolate cupcake recipe you have, fill em with nutella and make this frosting. mmmmmmm :)

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avatar 16 geneva June 14, 2012 at 2:23 pm

I made these yesterday but the icing was to thick maybe it should be 1# of powdered sugar instead of two/ I even added extra milk

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avatar 17 Nicole H. February 6, 2011 at 8:06 am

Yay! I cannot wait to make these!

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avatar 18 Lisa February 6, 2011 at 8:07 am

Can’t wait to make these–I am a Nutella freak, too. I just had a crepe with Nutella, strawberries, bananas and whipped cream at a nearby Market District yesterday…totally delicious. My mom called last week to tell me that she cut a recipe out of her newspaper for a krispy treat made with Nutella. Yikes!

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avatar 19 Kenni February 6, 2011 at 8:09 am

Oh my goodness! I simply must have these in my life!!! I can’t even breathe properly right now.

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avatar 20 alison February 6, 2011 at 9:57 am

Wow! That’s all I can say. Wow!

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avatar 21 Sharlene February 6, 2011 at 10:01 am

Nutella in any shape or form makes me happy. Nutella in chocolate cupcakes makes me really really happy!

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avatar 22 heather February 6, 2011 at 1:10 pm

My fiancée might faint if these were put in front of him. Faint from happiness, of course. Where did you find that wonderful straight-sided cupcake tin?

Cheers,

*Heather*

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avatar 23 Jill February 6, 2011 at 1:55 pm

LOVE the idea of Nutella buttercream!

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avatar 24 Lauren at KeepItSweet February 6, 2011 at 4:20 pm

You did such an amazing piping job!

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avatar 25 Wenderly February 6, 2011 at 4:57 pm

These are just gorgeous Jamie! I can smell the hazelnut chocolaty goodness through the screen! Thanks so much for including mine! :)

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avatar 26 Sukaina February 7, 2011 at 4:37 am

Those cuppies look like they’re almost jumping out of the screen and calling my name. And why oh why didn’t I think of putting Nutella in frosting before? Beautiful. BTW where is your muffin tray from? Looks very vintage!

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avatar 27 Amanda February 7, 2011 at 8:27 am

Your pictures are stunning!! Well done!

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avatar 28 Happy When Not Hungry February 7, 2011 at 9:11 am

These look awesome! Love the Nutella buttercream too!

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avatar 29 Syrah February 7, 2011 at 9:57 am

What an amazing post! Those photos are mouthwatering and I believe provide a perfect salute to the choco-nut-spread we all know and love. I only wish I had seen this before Feb 5th so I could have attempted and shared with only my truly indulgent friends (which will still be done ;) just not on the special day.)
Merci for sharing!

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avatar 30 Heather February 7, 2011 at 11:01 am

I’m definitely making the “Homer Simpson drooling over food” noise over here. :)

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avatar 31 Paula February 7, 2011 at 12:10 pm

I think I could eat this all day long, because I love such delicious looking things :)

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avatar 32 Emily February 7, 2011 at 1:00 pm

This nutella butter cream sounds a lot more promising! Other recipes I’ve seen have maybe a quarter of the nutella that you added. Makes me want to run out to the store and buy some right now!

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avatar 33 Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen February 7, 2011 at 2:46 pm

Oh my, these look absolutely divine!!

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avatar 34 maggie February 7, 2011 at 3:41 pm

Your photos look delish. I wish I could have them right now. That frosting really got me.
Looks like super chocolate!

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avatar 35 wissuta February 7, 2011 at 4:55 pm

I like muffing pan. where did you get it?

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avatar 36 Cookin' Canuck February 7, 2011 at 9:52 pm

These are gorgeous! I would be tempted to lick that frosting right off the cupcake.

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avatar 37 Food Frenzy February 7, 2011 at 9:55 pm

OMG! These look amazing, which is basically the same for everything else on your site. Fantastic baked goods and fabulous photos.

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avatar 38 Cindy February 7, 2011 at 11:26 pm

I have been using this chocolate cake recipe for a handful of years now… Have never been a cupcake kinda girl, and really don’t care for frosting… go figure! BUT… the Nutella buttercream frosting intrigued me (hazelnut & chocolate, what’s not to like? Usually all I need is a spoon & I’m happy!) All I can say is WOW! I am a convert to (only this) frosting! If I knew I wouldn’t go into a come after consuming the whole bowl, it probably would never see the top of those sinfully decadent cupcakes! BRAVO, Jamie! Nicely done, and thank you for sharing!

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avatar 39 CaSaundra February 9, 2011 at 8:23 am

I was looking for a Nutella cupcake–this one sounds perfect!

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avatar 40 Rose Forever February 12, 2011 at 2:38 am

Nutella cupcakes sound good! Nutella is really delicious and I ma sure that these cupcakes do taste delicious too. I can’t wait to try this when my friend visit me with those nutella bottles that she usually give to me whenever she comes here.

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avatar 41 Melanie Schoenhut February 13, 2011 at 10:36 am

This recipe is so simple but it makes my mouth watering. I can’t wait to try this one this coming valentines day. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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avatar 42 Kristen February 15, 2011 at 12:11 pm

Made these for my boyfriend for valentines day TOTAL WIN! They are amazing. Thanks for the post!

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avatar 43 Linsey February 19, 2011 at 12:22 pm
avatar 44 nicole February 19, 2011 at 9:45 pm

I’m glad that I found your blog.. your cupcakes make me drool! amazing

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avatar 45 I'm Delicious... February 23, 2011 at 10:25 am

Thanks for sharing this great recipe! It looks decadent and absolutely delicious!

I also run a food blog and will be featuring your recipe this afternoon.

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avatar 46 Debra March 2, 2011 at 6:14 pm

So, I’m curious if you could color the frosting pink??? It looks fairly light. I might have to try it out and see. My daughters 1st birthday is next weekend and these would be WONDERFUL to make!!! Hmmmmm…

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avatar 47 Maria March 13, 2011 at 4:41 pm

Was excited to try this but had to add much more cream than is called for in this recipe. I don’t recall how much I added, because I just continued pouring until the consistency was edible, perhaps an additional 1/2-3/4 C than the 6-8 T called for. Before adding the extra, my mixture was hard as a rock. I bake regularly, often from scratch, and am not new to frosting by any means. Any thoughts?

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avatar 48 Juliet March 30, 2011 at 3:08 pm

I was googling caramel/choc cupcakes, which led me to “My Kitchen in the Rockies” which mentioned your blog, and now I am in heaven!

I am making these Nutella cupcakes right now for a friend who loves the stuff and is having her birthday tomorrow. Making a 1/2 recipe, and I found a nice “Hazelnuts in milk chocolate” bar at Whole Foods (other stores are available) by Chocolove (other brands are available) for $2.75. It has 18 little squares, which is the perfect amount for 12 cupcakes and some to sample.

Your blog will kill my diet, but I’m hardly complaining.
P.S. If you don’t already own a bakery, you really should.

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avatar 49 Paradai April 29, 2011 at 1:30 am

I have been eye balling this recipe for about a month now and after all my work craziness, I was finally able to make it tonight. I made a devil’s food cupcake, filled them with a little nutella and frosted with your nutella buttercream recipe. They are to die for. I couldn’t stop going in for a taste. So light and I love the hazelnut taste from the nutella. Thank you! The recipe provided, allowed generous frosting to frost 24 regular cupcakes.

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avatar 50 Mel April 30, 2011 at 10:13 pm

These cupcakes were AMAZING!!!! I made them for my friends birthday party and they were a huge hit!!!
Thanks for the recipe!

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avatar 51 Alicia June 9, 2011 at 1:11 pm

Now I know I’ve found the holy grail of baking blogs. Can’t wait to try these.

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avatar 52 Jamie June 9, 2011 at 1:36 pm

Alicia–
Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy baking!
–Jamie

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avatar 53 imane July 27, 2011 at 5:25 pm

thanks so much for you recipe

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avatar 54 Kenzie July 30, 2011 at 5:50 pm

I made these for my dance friends the weekend of my dance recital for after the show. They LOVED them! And I have to say…that Nutella buttercream is the best frosting I have ever had! Love this recipe :)

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avatar 55 Katrina August 19, 2011 at 9:14 pm

Hi Jamie

I love your blog and everything you are doing. I just want to say thank you for the delicious Nutella Buttercream recipe, I adapted it slightly when making my own cupcakes and it was amazing. I hope you don’t mind, I gave a shout out to you in the post. http://www.gigidiaries.com/2011/07/test_24.html
Thank you for inspiring me and so many other!
Katrina

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avatar 56 Kathryn @ Flopoodle October 15, 2011 at 6:36 pm

I just googled for a nutella cupcake recipe and I found your blog! I can’t wait to give this recipe a shot :)

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avatar 57 Sarah November 4, 2011 at 8:18 am

What do we do after mixing the nutella and butter

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avatar 58 Torie November 21, 2011 at 11:33 pm

Is it bad I’ve never tried nutella? I feel like the photo of those cupcakes has convinced me I need to change that…

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avatar 59 Jenn December 9, 2011 at 2:42 pm

I just made these to take to a Christmas party at church tonight and of course I had to test one out. It was SOOO yummy! The frosting is to die for! Thanks for sharing. :)

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avatar 60 Justine Johnson December 24, 2011 at 8:56 am

Thanks so much for this recipe. Just made these for my brother and his girlfriend for Christmas — they are going to FLIP OUT.

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avatar 61 nabokov'snotebook February 6, 2012 at 10:43 pm

These are some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever made; glorious little things, they are. I’m cooking from a cramped dorm space, so I used box cake mix (with cooled hazelnut cream coffee subbed for the water). Delicious.

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avatar 62 Theresa Caponi February 23, 2012 at 7:30 pm

Oh WOW! I’ve never use Nutella but after seeing these yummy cupcakes I’ve already put it down on my grocery list for this weekend…lol

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avatar 63 Patti March 4, 2012 at 11:26 pm

Love, Love, Love, this recipe. Thanks so much for your blog “fantastic”. Can you please tell me where I can find a cupcake tin like yours or where I might get one with straight sides?
Thanks….Patti

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avatar 64 Jamie March 6, 2012 at 8:37 am

Patti-
Thanks for stopping by, the tin was actually purchased at an antique shop. Have a great day.
-Jamie

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avatar 65 alyson March 17, 2012 at 7:46 am

YUM! This looks amazing. I’m a huge nutella addict… have made a few recipes on my blog as well! Thanks so much for sharing. VIsiting from Fab Fatale.

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avatar 66 Princess April 4, 2012 at 5:59 am

Hi I was just wondering exactly how much is 2 pounds of icing sugar? Message asap please and thank you!

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avatar 67 Jamie April 6, 2012 at 11:11 am

It’s about 7.5 cups. Hope this helps.
-Jamie

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avatar 68 Carolina April 25, 2012 at 10:23 pm

I made these tonight for my friend at work. We are celebrating her birthday early.
She is crazy about Nutella. The buttercream frosting is awesome.
I had to use significantly more milk for the frosting. It turned out just fine!
Will make this again!

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avatar 69 Ascia May 16, 2012 at 1:06 am

These look heavenly.. but I’m wondering, 2 lbs of powdered sugar is a lot….

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avatar 70 Jamie May 18, 2012 at 11:38 am

Ascia,

I know it seems like a lot, but I assure you, that’s how much powdered sugar you need to make the frosting the perfect consistency. Trust me on this one.

- Jamie

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avatar 71 Maddie June 12, 2012 at 2:22 pm

Is it possible to do these without filling them with nutela for a less heavy cupcake?

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avatar 72 Jamie July 16, 2012 at 7:14 pm

Maddie-
You can pretty much do whatever you want – make it your own. Have fun and enjoy!
-Jamie

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avatar 73 Eftychia June 27, 2012 at 5:52 am

Delicious frosting recipe. I will give it a try this weekend. Thanks for sharing.

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avatar 74 Jennifer July 23, 2012 at 10:44 pm

I made the frosting last night…everyone loved the cupcakes at work.

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avatar 75 Ani July 26, 2012 at 10:34 pm

These are wonderful! My family and I LOVE them! Very nice and simple and VERY rich! Just make sure you have a nice tall glass of milk beside you, but all in all ver delicious, rich, simple, and easy to make! Thank you so much for this recipe- their truly an all-time favorite!(:

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avatar 76 Ani July 27, 2012 at 2:51 am

do you think I can submit a photo of mine as well to add to the photos? (:
Thanks
- Ani

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avatar 77 Whitney September 1, 2012 at 5:06 pm

I used 1.5 lbs of confectioners sugar and still thought it was too thick! I ended up not using all that I had measured out. But it was very delcious and my whole family loved it!!

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avatar 78 melanie September 4, 2012 at 4:08 pm

I’m so glad I read the notes and thankful that you add an “edited” field. I did not need 1.5 lbs of confectioner’s sugar and if I had not read that I might have been in a hurry, like I usually am since becoming a new mom, and just dumped the whole thing in. Good stuff, but we all agreed… there wasn’t as much nutella presence as we expected. I used the real stuff too. Still very tasty and didn’t last long at all on my counter.

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avatar 79 Kristin September 7, 2012 at 10:19 pm

I just made these cupcakes for my sister’s bridal shower, which will be tomorrow afternoon. Hoping they hold up overnight without refrigeration. The taste test was AmAzInG!!!! This is a great recipe, definitely will do it again! Thank you for sharing. And the piping was definitely harder than I thought….next time I will get the tip you suggested for the ones pictured, which look like perfection. Awesome job!! =D

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avatar 80 Jamie September 8, 2012 at 10:14 am

Kristin-
I am so happy to hear the cupcakes turned out so well! Thanks for coming back and commenting on your experience with the recipe. Have a great day!
-Jamie

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avatar 81 Anna Claire September 23, 2012 at 11:57 pm

I made these cupcakes this afternoon with my go-to Black Magic Cake recipe. I only have one thing to say about this Nutella Buttercream—perfection. Think about it…is there anything better than Nutella in this world? Not in my book. Jamie, every recipe I have tried of yours has turned out magnificent, and this one is just the icing on the (cup)cake! I really am grateful to have found you and your exceptionally delicious recipes on the web, and I hope that you will continue sharing your tasty treats and tips with us all! Thank you so much!

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avatar 82 Jamie September 24, 2012 at 5:52 pm

Anna Claire-
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the cupcakes – thanks so much for stopping back and leaving your feedback on the recipe! Have a great day.
-Jamie

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avatar 83 Sugar Babt September 27, 2012 at 11:43 pm

YUM! I’ve been looking for a good Nutella cupcake recipe, and yours is perfect – thanks!

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avatar 84 Michele November 11, 2012 at 11:29 am

I made chocolate cupcakes with Nutella filling & frosting. I found a gadget at Sur La Table that easily takes a piece of cupcake out so you can add the filling. I think next time I will mix Nutella with a little butter for the filling. How do I make the frosting a little less sweet? I used your recipe. Would like to send you a pic. They are really nice ( not as pretty as yours though)

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avatar 85 Ruwani December 12, 2012 at 8:46 am

Hi Jamie!
You have a superb blog ! I made the nutella frosting for chocolate cupcakes , it was fab and everyone loved it . Thank you for the recipe. Hope to try more recipes from your blog.

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avatar 86 Christine December 20, 2012 at 12:41 am

I just made these and they were FANTASTIC!

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avatar 87 Adranna January 11, 2013 at 3:56 pm

I just finished making this recipe. The cupcakes themselves were delicious, but the buttercream had a little too much vanilla extract for my taste. However, this is my first time making a buttercream frosting from scratch, so maybe it was me. In the future, I will try to use less vanilla and see how that works. (I am not a big frosting eater, but my sister-in-law loves the stuff) I halved the frostng recipe and still had more than enough to generously frost all 24 of my cupcakes.

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avatar 88 Christa January 22, 2013 at 3:04 pm

I made these for a family in my area who just had a baby and has a couple of other kids as well. I took half to the family and half to my co-workers. My co-workers LOVED them! I bake often but they said “these were the best cupcakes I’ve ever made” and “they are to die for”! I will definitely be adding this recipe to my “keep” file!

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avatar 89 Erica February 5, 2013 at 9:04 am

These turned out awesome! I made these for a high school bake sale and they were gone so fast! Check out how mine turned out! http://cannella-vita.blogspot.com/2013/02/nutella-cupcakes.html#

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