Sunday, 11 2010

kitchy weekends: hazelnut chocolate cupcakes

I grew up with a big fat jar of Nutella in my mom’s kitchen, she is not much a cook or a baker herself so the only sweet treat she made for her kids is nutella and margarine sandwich, two slices of bread smothered with thick salted margarine and even much thicker nutella to balance the salty from salted margarine. Im crazy about that sandwich for as long as I can remember, man, im just plain crazy about nutella for whole my life. I could spend a Sunday on my bed, watching dvd and emptied a small jar of nutella. Im just that bad. I love these chocolate and hazelnut cupcakes, chocolate cupcake filled with lots of nutella and frosted with nutella buttercream frosting.  I love how the nutella oozing out from the center of the cupcake on your first bite. Just remember to go greedy when filling the nutella into the cupcakes.

Hazelnut and Chocolate Cupcakes
adapted from hummingbird bakery cookbook
Makes 12

“sometimes chocolate alone just wont do, which is why we’ve added irresistible hazelnut chocolate spread to these cupcakes. decorate with hazelnuts for extra crunch”

¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
a scant ¾ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
a pinch of salt
3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
½ cup whole milk
1 egg
½ cup hazelnut and chocolate spread (such as nutella)
about 36 whole, shelled hazelnuts, to decorate

1. preheat the oven to 325 F

2. lined a 12-hole cupcake pan with paper cases

3. put the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a mixing bowl and beat on a low speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Slowly pour the milk into the flour mixture, beating well until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add the egg and beat well. (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula)

4. spoon the batter into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cake bounces back when touched. Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

5. When the cupcakes are cold, hollow out a small section (I used apple corer, worked very fine) in the center of each one and fill with a dollop of hazelnut and chocolate spread.

Hazelnut and chocolate frosting

2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/3  cup hazelnut and chocolate spread (such as nutella)

1. beat the confectioners sugar and butter together in a mixing bowl and beat on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Turn the mixer down to a slower speed. Slowly pour in the milk, then when it is all incorporated, turn the mixer up to high-speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

2. Stir in the hazelnut and chocolate spread by hand until evenly mixed into the frosting. When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the frosting on top and finish with about 3 hazelnuts per cupcake.

contributed by guest food blogger Sugar Crawler