Vegan.
These ‘Nutella’ cupcakes are sure to hit that ‘sweet spot’. With indulgent dark chocolate and tones of roasted hazelnuts- these cupcakes are delicious!
Rich and chocolaty cupcakes with a vegan chocolate ‘Nutella’ spread core, topped with a homemade hazelnut butter buttercream, dipped in dairy-free milk chocolate, topped with crushed hazelnuts and a vegan/ dairy-free Galaxy chocolate square.
A classic high-hat cupcake with a luxurious twist.
Chocolate + hazelnuts are a match made in dessert heaven. Nothing really beats that classic nutty, chocolaty flavour, especially when in cupcake form.
Topped with crushed hazelnuts and a cheeky slice of my all-time favourite vegan Galaxy bar, these cupcakes don’t disappoint when it comes to decadence.
These cupcakes are:
- Rich
- Moist
- Light
- Nutty
- Flavourful
The buttercream is ultra creamy with swirls of homemade hazelnut butter.
How to make homemade hazelnut butter?
Homemade hazelnut butter couldn’t be easier to make!
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of ‘Nutella’ is hazelnuts.
Did you know, you can make your own homemade ‘Nutella’ and hazelnut butter at home with only one ingredient.
1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees c, and roast the hazelnuts.
You want to remove the skin from the hazelnuts. Place the hazelnuts into a clean tea towel and scrunch/ rub together to remove the skins. The friction of the towel against the nuts will loosen the skins.
2. Place the skinless hazelnuts onto a baking tray, place into the oven to roast for 10-15 minutes, then allow them to cool.
3. Place the roasted nuts into a food processor. Blitz for 20 seconds at a time to prevent overheating.
The hazelnuts will go from whole nuts to a runny paste. It will take around 10-15 minutes on high speed.
4. Once the hazelnut butter is ready, transfer it to a sealed container and place into the fridge ready to use.
This will make approximately 3 tablespoons of hazelnut spread, which will be added into the buttercream to create a light and mousse-like nutty, chocolate swirl.
You might also like:
- Vegan ‘Nutella’ Brownies
- Banana + Nutella Puff Pastry Parcels
- Vegan ‘Nutella’ Hedgehog Doughnuts
- Vegan ‘Nutella’ Bounty Bars
- Easy Vegan ‘Nutella’ Tartlets
- Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
Preparation: 20 minutes
Baking time: 18-20 minutes
Makes: 9 cupcakes
Level: Medium
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Ingredients for the hazelnut butter
- 100g of whole hazelnuts
Ingredients for the cupcakes
- 240ml of dairy-free milk
- 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
- 210g of self-raising flour
- 60g of cocoa powder
- 70g of caster sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
- 60ml of vegetable oil / melted coconut oil
Ingredients for the core
- Vegan ‘Nutella’ (I use Natures Store Cocoa + Hazelnut spread)
Ingredients for the buttercream
- 200g of dairy-free butter/margarine
- 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
- 300g of icing sugar
- 3 tablespoons of hazelnut butter (ingredients above, method below)
Decorations
- 300g of dairy-free milk chocolate (for dipping)
- Dairy-free Galaxy ‘Caramelized hazelnut’ chocolate
- Crushed hazelnuts
____________________________________________________________
Method (hazelnut butter)
1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees c, and roast the hazelnuts.
You want to remove the skin from the hazelnuts. Place the hazelnuts into a clean tea towel and scrunch/ rub together to remove the skins. The friction of the towel against the nuts will loosen the skins.
2. Place the skinless hazelnuts onto a baking tray, place into the oven to roast for 10-15 minutes, then allow them to cool.
3. Place the still warm, roasted nuts into a food processor and blend until smooth. Blitz for 20-second intervals to prevent overheating.
The hazelnuts will go from whole nuts to a runny paste. It will take around 10-15 minutes on high speed.
4. Once the hazelnut butter is ready, transfer it to a sealed container and place into the fridge until ready to use.
Method (cupcakes)
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees c and line a cupcake tin with 9 cupcake cases.
2. In a small bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
Mix well to combine.
4. Add the oil to the ‘buttermilk’ and whisk to combine.
5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until a smooth batter.
6. Fill the cases 3/4 full with the batter.
Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
7. Pop the cakes into the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes.
You will know they are done when you put a knife or skewer in and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.
8. Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool fully before frosting/filling.
You can even place the cupcakes into the fridge to chill overnight before decorating.
To make the buttercream
1. Cream the butter in a bowl, on high speed until creamy. I use my stand mixer with the balloon whisk attachment. You can use an electric or hand whisk.
2. When your butter/margarine is creamy & light in colour, add in the cocoa powder, icing sugar and hazelnut butter (approximately 3 tablespoons).
Whizz together until fluffy & fully combined.
Add a splash of dairy-milk or more dairy-free butter if the buttercream is too thick.
If it’s too thin, add more icing sugar until its a light and cream consistency.
3. Transfer the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle.
4. Core the cupcakes using an apple corer or knife and pipe some vegan ‘Nutella’ into the centre of each cupcake.
5. Pipe a swirl of buttercream onto each cupcake, then pop the cakes into the freezer for 15 minutes.
This allows the buttercream to set so when its dunked into the warm chocolate, it won’t fall or slide off.
6. Melt 300g of dairy-free chocolate until its liquid, then allow to cool for a few minutes.
7. Transfer the chocolate into a mug or deep bowl so it’s easier to dunk the cupcakes in.
8. Remove the cakes from the freezer and carefully dunk the tops of the buttercream into the chocolate, allow any excess to drip off.
Repeat for all of the cupcakes.
9. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle over some crushed hazelnuts and add on a chunk of vegan Galaxy chocolate (optional).
Serve these cupcakes fresh or store in a sealed container in or out of the fridge, the buttercream will firm up at room temperature.
Best eaten within a few days.
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