Seeing as how this particular friends loves Nutella (but
then again, who doesn’t?), I thought this would be the perfect excuse to try my
hand at Nutella-filled cupcakes.
For the cake part, I used my go-to recipe for vanilla cake,
which is actually a recipe for cream cheese cupcakes, adapted from this one.
Cream cheese cupcakes, in theory, may sound a tad strange,
but in actuality they are simply vanilla cupcakes that are just extra rich and
dense.
Cream Cheese Cupcakes (makes 2 dozen)
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/3 cups milk
2 1/2 cups flour
Preheat oven to 350 °F.
Cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix
in sugar until creamy. Mix in eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Combine
baking powder, salt, baking soda, and flour in a separate, small bowl.
Alternate between mixing in flour mixture and milk.
Place about two tablespoons of batter in each cupcake tin.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they appear slightly golden-brown. Allow to
cool in tins.
To fill them, I placed Nutella in a pastry bag and used a
long tip that is specifically for filling cupcakes. You can also use a knife or
corer to hollow out a small space in the center of the cupcake, and then pipe
in your Nutella.
Due to a few time constraints this morning (go figure!), I
opted for regular buttercream frosting (1 stick of butter, confectioner’s
sugar, vanilla, bit of milk), and by “I opted”, I mean that my mom (The Queen
of Buttercream) talked some sense into me, and even made it for me. Aren’t moms
wonderful?
Unlike with these cupcakes:
 |
| Made with Alex! |
I kept the decorating simple, going for a smooth, heaping
tablespoon of frosting and some sprinkles.
Easy as pie. Or cake.
