The combination of Espresso Cupcakes Stuffed with Nutella and decorated with a mound of silky smooth Hazelnut Espresso Buttercream and a heavy drizzle of melted Nutella, is a matched made in heaven!
Removing the centre of the Cupcake
Once cooled completely, you can remove the centre of the cupcakes with a 1M piping nozzle or an apple corer. Don’t go all the way down to the bottom, as you may rip the paper-case, in which case your filling will spill out.
Piping the buttercream onto the cupcakes
Start in the centre and work your way out and around and around, then gently squeeze to release to create the classic swirl cupcake design.
Ingredients – Cupcakes
180g butter
180g caster sugar
2 large eggs – room temperature
180g self – raising flour
2 tbsp Espresso Powder
1 tbsp boiling water
Nutella filling
Jar of melted Nutella
Espresso Coffee Buttercream
150g icing sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3oz butter – room temperature
1 tbsp Espresso Powder
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line your cupcake tray with cupcake liners. Dissolve the instant coffee in the boiling water and set aside for later.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light creamy and fluffy.
- Add in one egg and half of the flour and beat until no flour and egg remains.Beat in the last egg until fully incorporated.
- Fold in the remaining flour along with the dissolved coffee mixture until all is fully incorporated.
- Divide the cupcake mixture evenly between the cupcake cases and bake in the preheated oven until the cupcakes are well risen and once a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool completely before decorating.
Decorating the Cupcakes
- Remove the centre of the cupcakes with a 1 M piping nozzle or an apple corer but be careful not to go all the way down as you may create a hole in the cupcake liners and your filling will spill all over the place.
- Heat the Nutella gently in the microwave just to make it runny enough so the centre has a soft Nutella filling over a hard Nutella filling.
- Spoon or pipe Nutella filling into the centre of the cupcakes all the way up.
Making Espresso Buttercream
- Beat the icing sugar, salt and butter together until light and creamy.
- Pour in the coffee and beat again until fully incorporated and place the buttercream into your piping bag with a 1M piping nozzle ready for decorating.
- Begin in the centre, holding the piping bag up straight and pipe in a circle around and moving outwards and upwards, gently pulling the piping bag away from the cupcake.
- Drizzle a generous amount of of Nutella and finally scatter over the crushed hazelnuts to finish.
Baked 4 U 