My best friend Eileen lives in New Jersey, and her birthday was yesterday (April 21st). I'm a big fan of thought-out gifts, so I tried to think of something original I could send to make her birthday special. What better way to say "Happy Birthday!" to someone than with homemade cupcakes? Since one of Eileen's favorite candies is Ferrero Rocher, I decided to make Ferrero Rocher cupcakes, freeze them, and send them to her through Express Mail. Unfortunately, the mail carrier handed her the box sideways, so some of the cupcakes ended up upside-down, but according to her, they were still delicious (and they must have been, since she ate two while we were on Skype!). I also tried one-they turned out scrumptious. They are a bit time consuming at first, but once you get into the swing of things, the end product is completely worth it: A rich cupcake with light, fluffy frosting and a nice melty surprise in the center. And since it a rainy day today (on the East Coast, at least), what better way to enjoy the day inside than by baking up a wonderful treat to have while you sip your tea or coffee (or wine, depending on your preference) and listen to the spring rain hitting your windows? Don't forget to read my notes at the end. Enjoy!
- 2⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons premium dark cocoa powder*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1¼ cups strong French Vanilla coffee, room temperature**
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups Nutella
- 1 jar (13 ounces) Nutella
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 pound (half a bag) of confectioner’s sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 8 tablespoons heavy cream
- finely chopped hazelnuts (for garnish)****
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Keep the mixer on medium speed until smooth, then set it on low speed as you add the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Starting and ending with the flour mixture, add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients mixtures in an alternating fashion. Scrape the sides of the bowl between additions and ensure each is properly combined before switching bowls. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the room temperature coffee into the batter and beat until combined. (Note that standard will also do, and is what the Confetti Cakes recipe calls for, but I highly recommend you use French Vanilla flavored.)
Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Divide the batter evenly into liner lined cupcake pans, filling each cup to about ½ full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out barely clean so as not to overbake, then set aside to cool.
While the cupcakes are cooling, start the ganache. In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream. Slowly add in the Nutella, small measured spoonfuls at a time, and stir in between additions until it is combined. When all of the Nutella has been added, set the saucepan aside to cool and thicken slightly.
Using a butter knife, cut a circle in the cupcake that is about an inch wide and thins into a cone shape. Do not cut so deep that you cut clean through to the bottom. Remove the piece of cake and cut off the cone so the circle becomes a coin. Repeat this for all of the cupcakes. When the Nutella ganache has cooled, use a spoon to fill the hole with the ganache. Leave a little room so that you can replace the coin top and push it into the hole until it is level with the rest of the cupcake top while ensuring no filling overflows. If it does, lightly scrape it off so the surface of the cupcake is clean. Set the cupcakes aside.
Make the buttercream. In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter and Nutella until combined. Add in the confectioner’s sugar in one cup increments, allowing each addition to combine before the next is put in. Continue creaming the mixture until it is all well blended.
Adjust your mixer to a low speed and add the salt and vanilla extract to the mixture. Add the heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, until your buttercream consistency is right (for me, it took 8 tablespoons). Adjust your speed setting to high to fluff the frosting, then transfer to a piping bag or tool. Pipe onto the cupcakes as desired, and top with finely chopped hazelnuts. (Note that I bought pre-chopped hazelnuts and cut them down even further. You want the crunch of a Rocher without throwing off the overall texture of the cupcake.)
Yields approximately 32 cupcakes.*****
*I used semi-sweet cocoa powder in place of dark chocolate because dark chocolate cocoa powder is very hard to find in my local North Carolina stores. It worked perfectly anyway, creating a bit of a fudgier cupcake-not brownie texture, but a little thicker than a regular cupcake.
**Also, since I do not own a coffee maker and French Vanilla coffee does not come in an instant coffee, I used Nescafe' individual French Roast packets. The coffee flavor came through and made the chocolate cupcake even more chocolatey. If you choose this route, taste your cupcake batter before you put it in the oven. If it is too bitter, beat in one more teaspoon of sugar.
***If your buttercream is too thick, add hazelnut creamer a teaspoon at a time until it reaches the fluffy, whipped texture a great buttercream should have. You can use milk in a pinch, but thehazelnut creamer really adds that extra oomph, while still giving you your desired texture.
****If you do not have hazelnuts readily available (again, my local North Carolina markets did not), walnuts are a good substitute. The point of this cupcake is to mimic a Ferrero Rocher candy, so as long as you have an earthy, crushed nut to sprinkle over the top for texture and crunch purposes, substituting walnuts, macadamia nuts, or almonds will not make a difference.
*****I followed the directions to the original recipe (posted here) and it yielded 32 cupcakes. The original recipe said that the cupcake yield would be 36, and that the ganache and buttercream recipes would only make enough for 24 cupcakes. Quite the contrary: Even filling the cupcake liners halfway, I got 32, and I had a decent amount of buttercream and Nutella ganache left over. I had so much ganache, in fact, that before I put the nuts on the cupcakes, I took a fork, dipped the tines in the ganache, and drizzled it over the cupcakes. It definitely added an extra element of decadence and fun to something so rich and elegant.
Gold cupcake wrappers by Wilton, shopbakersnook.com
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