There’s something truly magical about Nutella, isn’t there? This iconic creamy, hazelnut, and chocolate spread transforms everything it touches, and these cupcakes are no exception. We harness its incredible flavor not once, but twice: first, as a delightful surprise filling inside the tender chocolate cake, and then blended into a silky-smooth buttercream frosting. These gourmet-tasting Nutella cupcakes are inspired by my popular mocha cupcakes, tweaked to maximize that irresistible hazelnut chocolate goodness. The combination of rich chocolate and creamy Nutella creates a symphony of flavors that will leave everyone reaching for a second (or third!) cupcake.

If you’re anything like me, you might find yourself sneaking spoonfuls of Nutella straight from the jar (don’t worry, your secret is safe with me!). If that sounds familiar, then you absolutely *must* make these amazing Nutella filled cupcakes. They are designed for true Nutella aficionados. And if you’re craving even more hazelnut-chocolate delights after trying these, be sure to explore my other fantastic Nutella recipes, including the decadent Nutella filled cake, the charming Nutella thumbprint cookies, and the utterly addictive Nutella filled cookies! Each recipe celebrates the versatility and deliciousness of this beloved spread.

Why You’ll Love These Nutella Chocolate Cupcakes

These Nutella filled cupcakes aren’t just another dessert; they’re a carefully crafted treat designed for maximum flavor and enjoyment. Here’s what makes them stand out:

1. Unbelievably Moist Texture: Say goodbye to dry, crumbly cupcakes! Our chocolate cupcake base is engineered for ultimate moisture and tenderness. By using a neutral oil instead of butter in the cake batter, we ensure a consistently moist crumb that stays wonderfully fresh for days. The oil helps keep the cake soft and prevents it from drying out, even after refrigeration.
2. Double the Nutella Pleasure: This recipe is a true ode to Nutella lovers. Each individual cupcake is meticulously cored and then generously stuffed with a spoonful of pure Nutella spread. But the indulgence doesn’t stop there! The cupcakes are then artfully topped with a decadent, airy Nutella buttercream, creating a harmonious blend of chocolate and hazelnut in every single bite.
3. Beginner-Friendly & Easy to Make: Don’t be intimidated by their gourmet appearance – these cupcakes are surprisingly simple to prepare! The chocolate cupcake batter comes together quickly without the need for a stand mixer; a whisk and two bowls are all you need. The frosting is a classic American buttercream, renowned for its ease of preparation and fluffy texture, making this recipe accessible for bakers of all skill levels.

Essential Ingredients for Perfect Nutella Cupcakes

Crafting these extraordinary Nutella-filled cupcakes relies on a selection of high-quality ingredients. Each component plays a crucial role in achieving the desired taste and texture. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need and why:

• Neutral Oil: For the cake base, using a neutral-flavored oil like canola, vegetable, or sunflower oil is key. Unlike butter, oil remains liquid at room temperature, contributing to an incredibly moist and tender crumb that stays fresh longer. It also simplifies the process, eliminating the need to cream butter.
• Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder: This recipe specifically calls for Dutch processed cocoa powder. This type of cocoa has been treated with an alkali to neutralize its acidity, resulting in a darker color and a milder, less bitter chocolate flavor. It also reacts differently with leavening agents than natural cocoa powder. To check if your cocoa is Dutch processed, look for “alkali” or “acidity regulators” in the ingredients list.
• Nutella Spread: The star of the show! Nutella’s distinctive hazelnut and chocolate flavor is unparalleled. While other chocolate hazelnut spreads can be used as a substitute, Nutella offers that signature taste that makes these cupcakes truly special.
• Sour Cream: A secret weapon for ultimate moisture! Adding sour cream to the chocolate cupcake batter introduces extra fat and acidity, which helps to break down the gluten in the flour, resulting in a significantly more tender and moist cupcake. Ensure it’s at room temperature for seamless incorporation into the batter.
• Espresso Powder (or Instant Coffee): Don’t skip this ingredient! A small amount of espresso powder doesn’t make the cupcakes taste like coffee; instead, it dramatically enhances and deepens the chocolate flavor. It helps to “bloom” the cocoa powder, bringing out its richness and creating a more intense chocolate experience. You can use decaf espresso powder if preferred.
• All-Purpose Flour: The structural foundation of our cupcakes. Sifted flour ensures a light and airy texture.
• Granulated Sugar: Provides sweetness and helps keep the cupcakes moist by attracting and holding onto moisture.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These leavening agents work in combination to create light and fluffy cupcakes. Baking soda reacts with the acidic components (like sour cream and Dutch cocoa, despite being neutralized, still has some acidity) while baking powder provides an extra lift.
• Kosher Salt: Essential for balancing the sweetness and enhancing all the other flavors in both the cake and the frosting.
• Large Eggs (Room Temperature): Act as a binder and add richness and structure to the cupcakes. Using room temperature eggs helps them emulsify better with other ingredients, leading to a smoother batter.
• Vanilla Extract: A crucial flavor enhancer for both the chocolate cake and the Nutella buttercream. Use good quality pure vanilla extract for the best results.
• Hot Water: Used to dissolve the espresso powder and help bloom the cocoa powder, contributing to a richer chocolate flavor.
• Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature): The base for our fluffy Nutella buttercream. Room temperature butter whips up beautifully, incorporating air for a light and creamy frosting.
• Confectioners’ Sugar (Powdered Sugar): Gives the buttercream its smooth texture and sweetness. Sifting it can prevent lumps.
• Heavy Cream: Adds richness and helps achieve the perfect consistency for the Nutella buttercream, making it smooth and pipeable.

The printable recipe card with the full list of ingredients, precise measurements, and step-by-step instructions can be found at the very bottom of this post.

Step 1: Prepare Dry Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together your all-purpose flour, Dutch processed cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Ensure there are no lumps and all ingredients are evenly distributed. Set this bowl aside for now.

Step 2: Combine Wet Ingredients. In a separate bowl or a large measuring jug, whisk together your room temperature eggs, neutral oil (canola, vegetable, or sunflower), room temperature sour cream, and vanilla extract until the mixture is completely smooth and well combined. The room temperature ingredients are crucial for a homogeneous batter.

Step 3: Mix Batter & Add Coffee. Gently pour the wet ingredients into the bowl containing the dry ingredients. Mix with a whisk or a spatula until *just* combined. Be very careful not to overmix the batter, as this can lead to tough cupcakes. Once mostly combined, stir in the hot coffee (prepared by whisking espresso powder with hot water). The hot coffee helps to bloom the cocoa, intensifying the chocolate flavor.

Step 4: Bake the Cupcakes. Line a standard 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners. Fill each liner just over halfway with the prepared chocolate batter. This recipe typically yields around 16 cupcakes, so you may need to bake in two batches. Bake in an oven preheated to 350°F (175°C) for approximately 14-18 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Once baked, allow them to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 5: Prepare Buttercream Base. Once your baked cupcakes are cooling, begin preparing the Nutella buttercream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the room temperature unsalted butter and confectioners’ sugar together on low speed until they are just combined and no dry sugar remains. Then, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 2-3 minutes until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and significantly pale in color. This aeration is key for a truly delightful frosting.

Step 6: Finish Frosting and Assemble. To the butter and sugar mixture, add the vanilla extract, kosher salt, and the generous half cup of Nutella. Beat on medium speed for another 2-3 minutes until everything is thoroughly incorporated and the frosting is creamy. With the mixer on its lowest speed, slowly pour in the heavy cream and continue to beat until the frosting is wonderfully smooth, fluffy, and spreadable. Now it’s time to assemble: carefully core each completely cooled cupcake using a small paring knife, a dedicated cupcake corer, or the base of a large piping tip. Pipe or spoon approximately one teaspoon of Nutella into the hollow cavity of each cupcake. Finally, use a piping bag fitted with your favorite tip to swirl the dreamy Nutella buttercream on top of each cupcake. Garnish as desired and enjoy these hazelnut chocolate masterpieces!

Tips for Assembling Your Nutella Cupcakes Flawlessly

The assembly stage is where these cupcakes truly come to life! Achieving a beautiful and delicious finished product involves a few key steps and considerations:

• Ensure Cupcakes Are Completely Cool: This is perhaps the most critical rule. Before you even think about coring or frosting, your cupcakes must be completely and utterly cool to the touch. Warm cupcakes will crumble when cored, and your beautiful Nutella buttercream will simply melt and slide right off, creating a messy situation. Patience is a virtue here!
• Mastering the Art of Coring: There are several effective ways to create the perfect cavity for your Nutella filling. You can use a small paring knife to carefully cut a cone shape from the center of the cupcake, a dedicated cupcake corer for a neat hole, or my personal favorite method: using the wide base of a piping tip. Simply press and twist gently to create a clean hole. The key is to ensure you don’t cut all the way through to the bottom, otherwise, your precious Nutella filling might leak out!
• Filling with Precision: Once the cavities are ready, it’s time for the delicious Nutella. While a spoon can work, for a cleaner and more consistent fill, I highly recommend transferring your Nutella into a piping bag (without a tip). This allows you to easily pipe the rich spread into each cupcake with control and minimal mess. Fill each cavity generously but avoid overfilling, which could cause structural issues once frosted.
• Frosting and Decorating Your Creations: Now for the grand finale – frosting! Load your Nutella buttercream into a piping bag fitted with your favorite nozzle (a star tip or round tip works wonderfully for classic swirls). Pipe a generous swirl of buttercream on top of each filled cupcake. For an extra touch of elegance and flavor, you can gently melt a small amount of additional Nutella and drizzle it artistically over the frosted tops. Finish them off with a sprinkle of finely chopped hazelnuts for texture and visual appeal. Alternatively, for an even more decadent treat, consider topping each cupcake with a Ferrero Rocher candy – the flavors complement perfectly! Chocolate shavings or sprinkles also make excellent garnishes.

Ella’s Expert Baking Tips & Tricks for Cupcake Success

• The Magic of Coffee in Chocolate: As mentioned, I’ve incorporated a touch of espresso powder into these chocolate cupcakes. While you won’t taste coffee, it performs a culinary miracle! Coffee is known to enhance and “bloom” the natural bitterness and depth of cocoa powder, resulting in a significantly richer, more intense chocolate flavor and a darker, more appealing color. Feel free to use decaf espresso powder if you’re sensitive to caffeine.
• Avoid Overfilling Cupcake Liners: A common mistake that can lead to disappointment! Never fill your cupcake cases more than half to two-thirds of the way. Overfilling can cause the batter to overflow in the oven, creating unsightly “muffin tops” and potentially sticky messes, or even leading to sunken centers. Stick to the recommended fill level for perfectly domed cupcakes.
• Room Temperature Ingredients are Key: This seemingly small detail makes a huge difference in baking, especially for cakes and buttercreams. Ingredients like eggs, sour cream, and butter (for frosting) at room temperature emulsify much more easily and evenly. This leads to a smoother, more uniform batter/frosting, and ultimately, a more consistent and tender final product. Plan ahead and take your ingredients out of the fridge at least 30-60 minutes before you start baking.
• Do Not Overmix Your Batter: Once you combine the wet and dry ingredients, mix only until they are *just* incorporated and no streaks of dry flour remain. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can result in tough, dense, and chewy cupcakes rather than the desired light and tender crumb. A few lumps are perfectly fine!
• Accurate Measurement Matters: For consistent and successful baking results, especially with American recipes that often use cups, consider investing in a kitchen scale and measuring by weight. This is particularly true for flour and cocoa powder, where scooping directly from the bag can lead to vastly different amounts. However, if using cups, make sure to spoon your flour into the measuring cup and then level it off, rather than scooping directly.

While you certainly *could* spread plain Nutella directly on top of your cupcakes for a quick treat, I believe the experience is elevated significantly when Nutella is incorporated into a proper buttercream. A Nutella buttercream provides a lighter, fluffier texture that contrasts beautifully with the moist cupcake, offering a more balanced sweetness and a luxurious mouthfeel that plain Nutella cannot achieve.

It’s a common scenario! Don’t fret. Simply fill your 12-cup tray with liners and batter as instructed. Keep the remaining cupcake batter at room temperature while the first batch bakes. Once the first 12 cupcakes are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool in the tray for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. As soon as the tray is cool enough to handle, clean it, line it with fresh liners, and bake the remaining 4-6 cupcakes. The batter will be perfectly fine sitting out for that short amount of time.

To maintain their freshness and the integrity of the buttercream, store these Nutella cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Since the frosting contains butter, it will firm up when chilled. For the best flavor and texture, allow the cupcakes to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving. This brings the cake and frosting to their optimal softness and creaminess.

Yes, these cupcakes freeze wonderfully! For best results, freeze them unfrosted. Once cooled completely, wrap individual cupcakes tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in an airtight freezer bag or container. They can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Thaw them at room temperature, then core, fill with Nutella, and frost as directed in the recipe. If you need to freeze them frosted, place them in the freezer uncovered for about 30 minutes until the frosting is firm, then wrap them carefully to avoid smudging the frosting. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

While Dutch-processed cocoa powder is recommended for its rich color and less bitter flavor profile, you can substitute it with natural unsweetened cocoa powder in a pinch. However, be aware that the final cupcakes might be slightly lighter in color and have a tangier chocolate taste. If using natural cocoa, consider slightly reducing the baking soda to account for the increased acidity, but since this recipe also contains sour cream, the balance should still work out reasonably well.

If you’ve had the pleasure of making these incredible Nutella filled cupcakes, I would absolutely love to hear about your experience! Please make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and a thoughtful review below. Your feedback helps me improve and inspires other bakers. I adore seeing your culinary creations, so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @alpineella so I can admire what you’ve made! You can also stay connected and follow along for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Facebook, and TikTok. Happy baking!

Nutella Filled Cupcakes

Ella Gilbert

Nutrition