Cupcake Jemma: Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes

I realised it had been far too long since I baked something new — especially cupcakes — so I asked around which flavours people wanted most. “Nutella cupcakes” came up more than once, so that set me off on a quest. And who better to turn to than Cupcake Jemma?

This chocolatey version uses ground hazelnuts, cocoa powder, and a creamy Nutella buttercream. Rich, indulgent — and totally irresistible.

Ingredients:
For the Cupcake Batter:

• 50g roasted hazelnuts
• 100g self-raising flour
• 25g cocoa powder
• 125g caster sugar
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• 140g unsalted butter, soft
• 2 large free range eggs
• 1 1/2 tbsp whole milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

For the Buttercream Icing:

• 100g unsalted butter, soft
• 150g Nutella
• 225g icing, sifted
• 3-4 tbsp whole milk

Method:
For the Cupcake Batter:

1. Preheat oven to 170°C
2. Firstly you want to throw the hazelnuts in a food processor (or a nutri-bullet, or some kind of small hand blender) to pulverise them into grains - not powder though.
3. Pop them into the mixing bowl, then with the sieve on top of the mixing bowl - add the flour, cocoa powder, caster sugar, bicarbonate of soda and the pinch of salt in and pass through the sieve.
4. Add the butter and 2 eggs and mix for about 1 minute on medium to high speed.
5. Mix the milk and vanilla together in a little dish and turn the mixer to slow and add the vanilla/milk mixture.
6. Turn the mixture back up to medium/high for another 30 seconds and then your done.
7. Scoop out the mixture into a prepared 12 hole muffin tin lined with paper cases.
8. Bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes until springy to the touch.

For the Buttercream Icing:

1. In a mixing bowl add the butter and nutella and beat for about 10 minutes on a high speed until pale and fluffy.
2. Sieve the icing sugar and add half to the mixing bowl - start it on slow and then once incorporated turn up the speed again to high - beat for another 5 mins.
3. Repeat with the last of the icing and go for another 5 mins.
4. The amount of whole milk you need to add depends on the consistency but you want it "sloppy" for mine I used 3 tbsp and it was a good consistency.
5. Put the mixture into a piping bag with a star or round tip (I used a star) and pipe away on the cupcakes.