Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

Happy World Nutella Day 2009!

I'm telling you, if this week's World Peace Cookies haven't already aligned the planets in perfect harmony, I can't think of what else might do it besides World Nutella Day. A whole day devoted to the celebration of Nutella? (Um, as if I don't celebrate Nutella every other day of the year. Which, maybe I do, and maybe I eat Nutella out of the jar with a spoon, but never when the children are watching because that would make me a bad influence. Please.)

This amazing holiday is the brainchild of Sara of Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso. They both live in Italy. Jealous yet? Yeah, me too, but I'm working hard not to hold it against them. The residual peace from Tuesday's cookies is helping. The Nutella on the end of the spoon that I am currently holding imagining does not hurt, either.

I decided to make Ina Garten's Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing, and subbed out the peanut butter for Nutella. I also made half a recipe because, 24 cupcakes? Holy Weight Watchers, Batman.



The cupcakes are dark and moist, not too sweet and nicely bitter, which is a great foil for the fluffy, sweet Nutella icing. This is not really a kid's-birthday-party kind of cupcake, and even some adults will probably like it better if the amount of sugar is upped a little bit. Me, I loved the way it kind of bit my tongue and grabbed the back of my throat, but that might be because I'm a glutton for punishment. The frosting is sweet and fluffy, but maybe a little too fluffy. I would have liked it to have been a bit more substantial, but I have a feeling adding less cream, or adding more confectioner's sugar would fix that in a jiffy.

Barefoot Contessa's Chocolate Cupcakes


12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup good cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. (ed note: this is WAY too long. Start checking at about 16 minutes. I took mine out at 18.) Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Serves 24.



World Nutella Day Icing

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup Nutella
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream
Place the confectioners' sugar, Nutella, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.