A rich, dark-chocolate hazelnut cupcake, filled with strawberry cream, topped with Nutella buttercream and a chocolate dipped strawberry. Plus, a gluten-free option!
Nutella Strawberry Cupcakes combine the ever-popular flavors of strawberries and chocolate, with a little splash of hazelnut. It’s a simple cake and buttercream recipe, with a new technique of adding freeze-dried strawberries to the filling for an amazing flavor and creamy texture.
The Nutella Strawberry Cake recipe was one of the first cupcake adaptations I tried from cakebycourtney.com. I filled each cupcake with freshly chopped strawberries. It was delicious! But since then, Courtney introduced a delicious filling with freeze dried raspberries. My Nutella Strawberry Cupcakes adapt that recipe with freeze-dried strawberries instead, plus some finely chopped fresh strawberries. Viola!
A Week of Cupcakes
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This week I have introduced three cupcake recipes using different baking techniques, as well as a variety of flavors. All three recipes are adapted from cake recipes found at cakebycourtney.com. I LOVE Courtney’s recipes and hope you will go check out all of her amazing cakes! Her cookbook is even on Amazon now…
- Biscoff White Chocolate Cupcakes uses ground Biscoff cookies for the cake. Cake making techniques like how to cream butter and sugar well and how to add dry ingredients alternating with wet ingredients were highlighted. The recipe also taught how to make white chocolate ganache for the buttercream. Read the post.
- Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes also uses the creamed butter technique, as well as the alternating dry and wet ingredients. The recipe taught how to toss chocolate chips in flour so they don’t sink to the bottom. Plus a new technique of how to infuse sugar and heavy cream with fresh mint was introduced. Read the post.
- Nutella Strawberry Cupcakes uses Courtney’s favorite dark chocolate cake as a base. It uses oil instead of butter and is a very thin cake batter. The technique for mixing this batter is completely different than the previous two cupcake recipes. It’s a perfect recipe for high-altitude, but works just as it should at any altitude. I have great success with this recipe every time. You also learn how to make a cupcake filling with a food processor. And I share a gluten-free option that will work with any cake recipe!
Try all three recipes for a fun variety at your Mother’s Day celebration!
Equipment Needed to Make Nutella Strawberry Cupcakes:
Muffin Tins and Cupcake Liners
OR Cake Cups and a Baking Sheet: Baking cups found at mymindseye.com. (They do not sponsor my blog, but I LOVE these baking cups for cupcakes.) Place these cups on a baking sheet and bake the cake batter directly in these cups, instead of using cupcake liners. It uses a little bit more batter than my cupcake liners, which I really like, because it gives me more cake to pair with the filling and buttercream. I love serving these cake cups with a mini spoon and the cute designs on the sides make the cupcake look extra special!
Cake Decorating Bag and Wilton 1M cake decorating tip
Food Processor
Ingredients Needed for Nutella Strawberry Cupcakes:
Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcake Batter:
All-purpose flour (or Cup4Cup Gluten-free Mix): All-purpose flour instead of cake flour. If you want a gluten-free option, I love the results with Cup4Cup Gluten-free Mix. I add a little more flour than call for (as noted in the recipe) since the cupcakes want to sink in the center without it. The flavor is amazing, since you can’t tell the difference between gluten-free and not gluten-free! I have used this gluten-free flour with dozens of cake recipes and it works every time!
Dark cocoa powder (Brute extra dark): Use a good quality dark cocoa powder like Cacao Barry, Ghiradelli Majestic, or an organic cacao powder. Using a good quality makes your cake taste like you used real chocolate instead of cocoa powder.
Baking soda and Baking powder: This recipe uses both ingredients to get lift.
Buttermilk (plain Greek yogurt + milk): This is the third ingredient that needs to be room temperature. Substitute plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream) + milk in a 1:1 ratio for buttermilk. I don’t use buttermilk enough to keep it in my fridge, but often find other uses for yogurt and sour cream. I actually like the results of this substitute better than using buttermilk in my cake batter.
Canola oil: I choose canola oil or a neutral tasting oil. Olive Oil would have too strong a flavor.
Hazelnut emulsion or extract: I choose emulsions when I can. I typically purchase them at a baking store or on Amazon (Lor-Ann). This difference is that an emulsion is water-based and an extract is alcohol-based. The emulsion produces a robust flavor that is not baked out and not overshadowed by an alcohol taste. Also, since the flavor is not baked out, you can taste the product before you bake it and add more flavoring accordingly. You use the same amount of flavoring 1:1 with an emulsion or an extract.
Hot water: Tap hot, not boiling hot.
Ingredients Needed for the Strawberry Filling:
Freeze dried strawberries (no substitutions): Freeze dried fruit keeps the strong flavor of the fruit. It can be food processed into powder that makes a fantastic filling. If you substitute for frozen fruit or fresh fruit, the flavor will not be as strong and the texture will not be thick and creamy.
Granulated sugar: Not powdered sugar like you would expect. Granulated sugar works perfectly for this recipe.
Heavy whipping cream: 40% heavy whipping cream is preferred for the best thickness.
Fresh strawberries: Strawberries are finely chopped and added to the strawberry cream filling just before assembling the cupcakes. If added earlier, the strawberries will begin to weep and liquify the filling too much.
Ingredients Needed for Chocolate Nutella Buttercream:
Unsalted butter: The star ingredient in buttercream. A slightly cold ingredient, since you remove it from the refrigerator a few minutes before making the buttercream.
Nutella hazelnut spread: Any brand hazelnut spread will work perfectly.
Powdered sugar (or confectioner’s sugar): Measure this ingredient first, preferably by weight, and then sift it. Sifting makes a smoother, creamier texture and is particularly important for buttercream. You want buttercream to be smooth, without lumps, when using cake decorating tips to top your cupcake.
Heavy whipping cream: 40% heavy cream is preferred.
Flavorings—Vanilla extract and Hazelnut Emulsion/Extract: Both flavors really add to this buttercream. Even though hazelnut spread is used, added hazelnut emulsion makes a difference.
How to Make Nutella Strawberry Cupcakes:
Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes:
This cake batter doesn’t follow the normal technique of creaming butter and sugar, adding eggs, then alternating dry and wet ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Fill muffin tins with cupcake liners or use cake cups on a jelly roll pan.
- Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. Scrape down edges as needed to completely mix dry ingredients.
- In another bowl, combine buttermilk (or substitute), oil, eggs (slightly beaten), vanilla and hot water.
- With mixer on low speed, slowly add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients already in the mixer. When all wet ingredients have been added, stop and scrape down the edges and bottom. Continue to mix on low speed until combined. Stop and scrape edges and bottom and fold ingredients until mixed. This batter is very liquidy. That’s how it is supposed to be!
- Fill cupcake liner 1/2 full to 2/3 full depending on how high you want the cupcakes to rise to the top of the liners (Lean towards 1/2 full). This batter has a lot of rise to it. Definitely do not fill more than 2/3 full or it will overflow.
- Bake at 325° F for 18-22 minutes or until top of cupcake bounces back when touched.
- Let cool in muffin tins for only 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Cupcake liners allow the cake to continue to bake in the muffin tin, which will create a dry texture. If using cake cups, let cool in the cups and on the baking sheet.
How to Make the Strawberry Filling:
It’s important you use a food processor for this freeze-dried fruit filling. A mixer won’t create the same thick texture.
- Pulse freeze-dried strawberries until it resembles powder.
- Add sugar and cream. Scrape down the sides of the food processor to incorporate freeze dried fruit.
- Pulse food processor for about 1-2 minutes, or until the texture resembles Greek yogurt.
- Keep chilled until ready to use.
- Fold finely chopped strawberries into the strawberry cream just before filling cupcakes.
How to Make the Chocolate Nutella Buttercream:
- Combine the butter and the Nutella in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes or until fluffy and lighter in color.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the sifted powdered sugar, a little at a time until incorporated. Scrape the edges and bottom of the bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients and beat slowly at first. Scrape down edges and bottom of bowl again.
- Beat on medium-high for 5 minutes, until fluffy and light in texture.
- Use a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to stir and press air bubbles out for a few minutes.
How to Assemble Nutella Strawberry Cupcakes:
It’s best to assemble these cupcakes the day they will be served since the filling contains fresh strawberries. Plus, chocolate dipped strawberries, if you are using them, only last a day as well.
- With a cupcake corer or a spoon or a knife, cut a hole into the center of the cupcake that doesn’t reach all the way to the bottom.
- Use a spoon to fill cupcakes with the strawberry filling. Because of the chunkiness of the diced strawberries, use a spatula or butter knife to press strawberries and filling into the center hole in the cupcake to make sure the entire space is filled.
- Use cake decorating bag and tip (Wilton 1M) to decorate tops of cupcakes with the Chocolate Nutella Buttercream. Start on top outside edge of cupcake and swirl around the entire edge, then continue to swirl into the center until the buttercream resembles a soft serve ice cream cone.
Extra décor:
- Melt chocolate candy melts or chocolate chips. Drizzle melted chocolate onto chocolate hazelnut buttercream.
- Cut a fresh strawberry into halves. Tuck one half into the buttercream.
- Or dip a whole fresh strawberry into melted chocolate and tuck a chocolate dipped strawberry into the buttercream.
The Nutella and Strawberry flavors blend into an amazingly delicious cupcake. And don’t strawberries just say May??!!
–Kim
Nutella Strawberry Cupcakes (adapted from cakebycourtney.com)
Equipment
- Muffin Tins and Cupcake Liners
- or Cake Cups and baking sheet
- Cake Decorating Bag and Wilton 1M Decorating Tip
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
- Food Processor
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcake Batter:
- 1 ¾ cups plus 2 TBS (225g) all-purpose flour (or (272g) Cup4Cup Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour Blend)
- 2 cups minus 2 TBS (375g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cups (89g) good quality dark cocoa powder (Brute extra dark)
- 2 tsp (8g) baking soda
- ¾ tsp (3g) baking powder
- 1 tsp (5.6g) kosher salt
- 1 cup 240g buttermilk (or 180g plain Greek yogurt + 180g milk—stirred) room temperature
- ½ cup (109g) canola oil
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp (4.2g) hazelnut emulsion or extract
- 1 cup (236g) hot water
Strawberry Cream Filling:
- ¼ cups (8g) freeze dried strawberries (no substitutions)
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (230g) heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup Fresh strawberries finely chopped
Chocolate Nutella Buttercream:
- 1 ½ cup (339g) unsalted butter slightly cold
- 1 cup (284g) Nutella hazelnut spread
- 5 cups (625g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
- ¼ cup (57.75g) heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp (13g) pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp (3.25g) hazelnut emulsion or extract
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Fill muffin tins with cupcake liners or use cake cups on a baking sheet.
- Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. Scrape down edges as needed to completely mix dry ingredients.
- In another bowl, combine buttermilk (or substitute), oil, eggs (slightly beaten), vanilla and hot water.
- With mixer on low speed, slowly add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients already in the mixer. When all wet ingredients have been added, stop and scrape down the edges and bottom. Continue to mix on low speed until combined. Stop and scrape edges and bottom and fold ingredients until mixed. This batter is very liquidy. That’s how it is supposed to be!
- Fill cupcake liner ½ full – ⅔ full depending on how high you want the cupcakes to rise to the top of the liners (Lean towards ½ full). This batter has a lot of rise to it.
- Bake at 325° F for 18-22 minutes or until top of cupcake bounces back when touched.
- Let cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tins. Remove and continue cooling on a wire rack.
Strawberry Cream Filling:
- In food processor (not mixer): Pulse freeze dried strawberries until it resembles powder.
- Add sugar and cream. Scrape down the sides of the food processor to incorporate freeze dried fruit.
- Pulse food processor for about 1-2 minutes, or until the texture resembles Greek yogurt. Keep chilled until ready to use.
- Fold finely chopped strawberries into the strawberry cream just before filling cupcakes.
Chocolate Nutella Buttercream:
- Combine the butter and the Nutella in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes or until fluffy and lighter in color.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the sifted powdered sugar, a little at a time until incorporated. Scrape the edges and bottom of the bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients and beat slowly at first. Scrape down edges and bottom of bowl again. Then beat on medium-high for 5 minutes, until fluffy and light in texture.
- Use a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to stir and press air bubbles out for a few minutes.
Assemble Nutella Strawberry Cupcakes:
- With a cupcake corer or a spoon or a knife, cut a hole into the center of the cupcake that doesn’t reach all the way to the bottom. Use a spoon to fill cupcakes with the strawberry filling. Because of the chunkiness of the diced strawberries, use a butter knife to press strawberries and filling into the center hole in the cupcake to make sure the entire space is filled.
- Use cake decorating bag and tip (Wilton 1M) to decorate tops of cupcakes with the Chocolate Nutella Frosting. Start on top outside edge of cupcake and swirl around the entire edge, then continue to swirl into the center until the frosting resembles a soft serve ice cream cone.
Extra décor:
- Melt chocolate candy melts or chocolate chips. Drizzle melted chocolate onto chocolate frosting. Cut a fresh strawberry into halves. Tuck one half into the frosting. Or dip a whole fresh strawberry into melted chocolate and tuck a chocolate dipped strawberry into the frosting.
