Decadent chocolate cupcakes stuffed with creamy nutella and topped with fresh raspberry frosting. And yes, they’re just as delicious as they look.
Say hello to the most decadent treat to emerge from my oven this year. I know, I know… diets and resolutions and cleanses are all the rage right now. But let me tell you, these babies are worth every rich, decadent, nutella and raspberry filled bite.
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day… or just as a special treat to go along with your morning coffee. #treatyoself
Raspberry Frosting 101:
This frosting is super fluffy, rich in raspberry flavor, and drop-dead-gorgeous.
Here are a few tips to help you along your way:
1) Make sure your raspberry puree has cooked down to a thick puree and has reduced to 1/4 cup. Removing the puree from heat too soon will leave you with too much liquid, so this is very important to keep in mind.
2) Please (please please please) let your raspberry puree cool completely. 100%. All-the-way!
If it’s even still a little warm when you add it to the mix it will throw off the consistency of the frosting and eave you with a gloppy mess. We don’t need that drama in our lives, now do we? The puree will take about 30 minutes to cool (in the fridge), and can be made up to three days ahead of time.
3) Your butter must be very soft. I like to leave two sticks out on the counter for at least an hour before unwrapping them and getting busy, but yours may soften slower or quicker depending on the temperature of your home. The butter temperature is very important here, as it gives the frosting shape and texture. You will know your butter is soft enough when you can press your finger into the top and an indentation is effortlessly made. Cold butter as well as melted butter should never be used when making this frosting. It will not work.
4) Once all of the sugar has been added, beat beat beat! You will beat the frosting for two whole minutes. You will need to use a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer for this step. Beating the frosting on medium-high makes it SUPER luscious and fluffy.
5) If for some reason your frosting seems a bit thin, add a little more confectioners’ sugar; if it seems too thick, add a touch of cream. I like to start with a 1/4 cup when adding more sugar, and 1 tablespoon when adding more cream.
6) Don’t skip the salt! Many readers have (and even friends) have informed me they don’t add the salt called for in dessert recipes because “they don’t like salty sweets”. I feel you! But often the salt called for is to help balance out the sweetness, and in this case, is quite important for achieving a balanced taste.
I know. I’m such a nerd with my tips! But I just really want to make sure your cupcakes (and frosting!) turn out beautifully. If I missed anything, just ask in the comments below 😉
So let’s get down to cupcake details. I know many of you cringe at this word, but I’ve got to say it – these cupcakes are supremely moist! In fact, I will go as far as to say they are the most tender cupcakes I have ever bitten into. And I’ve eaten a lot of cupcakes!
The cupcake base is supremely moist, ultra fluffy, and full of rich, decadent chocolate flavor. The batter is made with eggs, egg yolk, melted butter, oil, sour cream, and hot coffee. All of these ingredients add intense moisture and flavor to the cupcake, and I do not recommend leaving any of them out. This is a recipe I suggest following to a T. Why mess with perfection?
If you’d like to make these cupcakes ahead of time – you can! These cupcakes may be frozen, unfrosted, for up to a month.
There’s nothing quite like biting into a homemade chocolate cupcake topped with fresh raspberry frosting and discovering there’s a creamy pocket of Nutella hiding inside.
↓ HEAVEN.
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment below and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #bakerbynature on instagram! Seeing your kitchen creations makes my day. ♥
Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 16 cupcakes
Supremely moist and decadent chocolate cupcakes stuffed with creamy Nutella and topped with fresh raspberry frosting.
Ingredients
- For the cupcakes:
- 3 tablespoons coconut OR canola oil
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, not packed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup full fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup hot coffee OR hot water
- For the Nutella filling:
- 1/4 cup Nutella
- For the raspberry buttercream:
- 1 1/4 cups frozen raspberries (I think fresh would also work just fine)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, VERY soft
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar (more if needed), sifted
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream (more if needed)
- 1/4 cup fresh raspberries, for decorating (optional)
Instructions
- For the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a 12-cup cupcake/muffin tin with cupcake liners and lightly spray the liners with non-stick spray (optional but it does help them peel right off).
- Melt the oil, butter,and chocolate together in the microwave, heating in 30 second increments, and stirring between increments each time. You can also melt the oil, butter, and chocolate over very low heat on the stovetop, but I find the microwave to be much easier. Whisk mixture until completely smooth and set aside to cool.
- In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt; stir together until thoroughly combined; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolk, sugar and vanilla together; beat until smooth. Add the cooled oil/butter/chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Add half of the flour mixture, then half of the sour cream. Repeat the process until everything is added, and be sure to mix until JUST combined - then quickly stir in the hot coffee/water. It's important not to over mix, here! Just stir until evenly combined.
- Divide the batter among the 12 liners in your prepared pan, filling each cup 3/4 of the way full (you will have enough batter leftover to bake 4 more cupcakes). Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool *completely before stuffing with Nutella and frosting. Once cooled, use a small sharp knife to carve out a small hole in the center of each cupcake; do not discard the carved out cake piece. Fill each hole with two teaspoons of Nutella, then cover again with the carved out cupcake piece. Set aside and make the raspberry frosting.
- For the raspberry buttercream:
- Combine the raspberries and lemon juice in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, stir the mixture occasionally, breaking up the berries with a wooden spoon, until the raspberries have become soft enough to mash effortlessly. It will look like raspberry jam. Once the mixture can coat a spoon (you should have about 1/4 cup of raspberry puree) remove from heat. Allow mixture to cool completely before using.
- When ready to make buttercream:
- Place the softened butter in a large bowl or in the body of a stand mixer. With a handheld mixer, or with the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, beat butter on medium-high (scraping down the sides as needed) until completely smooth; about 2 minutes. Add in the raspberry puree and beat until completely combined; about 1 minute (don't worry if the mixture looks weird at this point). Add in the confectioners sugar, one cup at a time, on low speed. Once all of the sugar has been added, add in the cream and salt, then beat on high-speed for a full 2 minutes - this thickens up the frosting and makes it nice and fluffy. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cupcake
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
% Daily Value |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
I love raspberry! These look amazing! Yum!
Thank you, Megan! Raspberry and chocolate are such an amazing combo 😉
Hi there, can this recipe be used to make a cake?
Hi Tara. I would recommend using this recipe as your chocolate cake base, then using the raspberry frosting to coat it. http://bakerbynature.com/death-by-chocolate-cake/
Really amazing looking teats! And nutella filling is so yummy!
I can’t stop staring at that frosting. It’s perfect and such a beautiful color! Well done, dear! 🙂
You’re so sweet! Thank you, Lauren 🙂
Oh, my. These are exquisite! Pinning.
Thank you, Liz!
Raspberry and Nutella…holy yum!!! These are absolutely gorgeous looking!
Thank you so much, Jocelyn!
Oh la la! This is dreamy!
Thank you, Denise!
I’m making these for sure, they are absolutely beautiful!
Thank you so much, Christie! I hope you love them as much as I did 🙂
Just made them this morning – waiting to frost them. The frosting is amazing!!! Best buttercream ever!
Thank you for this recipe! Cannot wait to eat one later.
Yay! Enjoy, Darbis.
I made these today – they turned out beautiful and tasted great. I followed the recipe exactly as written.
So happy to hear it, Steven! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
Made these twice today and they turned out flat both times. I followed the recipe exactly. Pretty disappointing.
Hi Samantha. Is by chance your baking soda or baking powder expired?
Me too!
Hi Rebekah. I’m sorry your cupcakes turned out flat as well. Is there any chance your rising agent was expired? That’s usually the culprit when cupcakes don’t rise.
I have just discovered your site through “Food” on instagram. They have put up a picture. It’s absolutely amazing. Will definitely try out. Been wanting to try cupcakes. Your recipes look perfect
Hi Neelam. I’m so happy you found my website through instagram! I hope you enjoy the cupcake recipe 🙂
This looks great! I can’t wait to try it. When you whisk the egg and sugar r u looking for a particular consistency or color? Also can u use a hand mixer to do that? Thank u!
Hi Sewa. You just want to beat the eggs and sugar until well combined. It will be a pale yellow. You can use a hand mixer to do this. Enjoy!
These look delectable! I am in the middle of making these right now for my daughter’s birthday… The smell…YUM! Strawberry season is upon us in FL so I have substituted those in place of raspberries (which I will try later!) Thank you so much for sharing!!!
lets try this sometime!
I am just in the middle of making these now. Wondering of anyone strained the raspberry puree before adding it to the icing? It looks as if it was strained from the photos of the icing (and it would be my instinct to strain it) but it doesn’t seem to say in the recipe?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Jessica. I didn’t strain my puree, but you definitely can. How did your cupcakes turn out?
I see you did not strain the raspberry puree. Were there a lot of seeds in the frosting i did not see any in the pictures.
Hi Lisa. There was some seeds, but I didn’t mind them as they’re so small. You can absolutely strain if you’d prefer.
thanks I went ahead and strained the raspberry thru a seive and the frosting is nice and smooth. Beautiful color.
So happy to hear it, Lisa! Enjoy 🙂
Thank you for sharing this recipe, the cupcakes and frosting were absolutely delicious!
You’re very welcome, Mel! So happy you’re enjoying them 🙂
Your cupcake recipe is amazing! The cupcakes turned out super moist and delicious. Can it be used as a cake recipe? I’m thinking of making a 2 layer 8 inch cake. Would I need to double the recipe?
Thanks
So happy to hear it, Shermela! This recipe is really best suited for making cupcakes, however I have quite a few chocolate layer cake recipes on my blog. Here are some links if you’d like to check them out 😉
http://bakerbynature.com/chocolate-ricotta-layer-cake/
http://bakerbynature.com/chocolate-cake-with-fudge-frosting/
http://bakerbynature.com/chocolate-cake-with-fudge-frosting/
The recipe says it yields 16 cupcakes, but the instructions indicate only to line a 12 cupcake tin. Could you please clarify. Can’t wait to make these! Thanks
Hi Elizabeth! Yes, you’ll have enough batter leftover after you bake the first dozen to make another 4 cupcakes 😉 I hope you love them as much as I do! xo
Hi,
These look so pretty! I want to make these for Mothers Day but I am visiting in a very small rural town with only 1 grocery store that doesn’t have raspberries. They did however have raspberry fruit spread ( “75% real fruit” is stated on the label) could this be used as a substitute? Thank you
Hi Patti. I honestly have no idea if that will work 🙁 The fruit spread will be much thicker than the raspberry puree, so it will definitely change the texture of the frosting. If you do try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out! xo
Making these tonight just purchased all the ingredients will update on how they turn out.
Great! Can’t wait to hear how they turn out, Courtney 🙂
They came out great!!! For some reason I got about 22 cupcakes .. not complaining at all.
The cupcake is heaven with the Nutella ☺
Super moist and almost spongy consistency everyone raved about how they weren’t dry and they didn’t crumble!!!
I am not a raspberry fan so I wasn’t too fond of the frosting flavor but texture was perfect!! Ill prob do strawberry in the future .. or lime juice instead of lemon to give it a raspberry lime flavor. But OMG these are amazing!!
Def adding this recipe in my recipe box!!
Thank you! Following you on pinterest now ❤❤
Do you have a website or Instagram I’d love to follow and bookmark!
Yay! So happy they were a hit, Courtney 🙂 My website homepage is http://bakerbynature.com/ and here is a link to my instagram https://www.instagram.com/bakerbynature/
Nice to meet you 🙂
Any tips for high altitude? I made these and all the flavors were amazing but my cupcakes really sunk in. I think it’s because I am in Denver.
Hi, These cupcakes look amazing and I would like to make them for an event in 1 week. I know you said the unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 1 month. Can I fill them with the Nutella and freeze them or do you suggest I fill them after they have been frozen and thawed out?
Thanks so much!
Sandy
Hi Sandra. I recommend filling them after they’ve been thawed out 🙂
Lovely cupcakes! Cute and tasty! The frosting came out just a tiny bit too sweet this time, I’ll make sure to taste in between adding in the sugar next time…
Made these this afternoon. OMG divine. I did have to cook them about 8 minutes longer in my fan forced oven . I checked them every couple of minutes for the last 8 minutes. Followed the recipe exactly but I only had enough mixture for 12 which is just right. More than enough raspberry frosting which is yum yum. I will decorate with 2 or 3 raspberries if possible as I love the combination of the fresh fruit with the rich cake. Definitely will make again. Thank you Ashley
Omg!! These were amazing. Made the icing last last week as I didn’t have time to make the cupcakes so just used packet mix but they turned out great and were so delicious.
Going to make from scratch today for Father’s Day for the family to taste.
Love the recipe and icing was to die for.
That’s awesome, Britt! SO happy these were a hit 🙂
I was wondering if I can use miniature chocolate chips or if they would get lost in the baking process?
Hi
I just want to say that I made these cupcakes on the weekend and they were absolutely FANTASTIC!!!! so my question is do you have a Vanilla cupcake recipe just as FANTASTIC???
Hi
I just want to say that I made these cupcakes on the weekend and they were absolutely FANTASTIC!!!! so my question is do you have a Vanilla cupcake recipe just as FANTASTIC???
Can this recipe be double or would it be better to do two separate batches?
OMG it look amazing!
I made these today and they were really really good. Probably the best cupcake I’ve ever made, worth the detailed steps. I had to change a few things due to what I had on hand but stuck to the recipe as much as I could and wow they were flavorful and moist! I didn’t have sour cream so I used Greek yogurt. It was vanilla yogurt so I reduced the sugar. I made the frosting 1/2 recipe and used 1/8 c. strawberry preserves instead of making raspberry purée.
Hi, may I use raspberry puree and skip section 8?
If the answer to the previos question is yes, may i switch to any fruit puree? I have mango/raspberry or strawberry puree at the frizer.
tnx
Hi your recipe seems deliciouss! I will definitely try it out. If I want to make only 8 cupcakes, can i cut all the ingredients into half?
Best Cupcakes ever! So yummy!
Yay!!!
Just made these, and they are beyond good! The only thing I had an issue with was the seeds. (My fault, I thought about it before hand and then just got lazy and didn’t take them out.) I wanted to use a pastry bag, but the seeds clogged the tip I was using and I couldn’t make it work out, so I just ditched it and swiped it on with a knife 🙂 But just an FYI for anyone who does want to pipe the frosting with a bag, you might want to strain the seeds out first! 🙂
Hi!!
Greetings from Sweden!!
I’m planning to bake these for my birthday lunch tomorrow and I have a few questions.
We don’t really have sour cream here, are there any substitutes that you can recommend?
Do you think that i could make the butter and frosting in the evening, and bake them in the morning, let them cool and put the frosting on?
These really look delicious and I’m looking forward to tasting them.
Best regards, Anna
Ashley, what pastry sleeve nozzle are you using for this frosting? I can’t wait for make this recipe though is quite hard to find raspberries in Argentina at this season. Kisses from South America!
I use the wide open tip from this set 🙂 http://amzn.to/2uw8Fip (affiliate link) I can’t wait to see how your cupcakes turn out! – Ashley
These look amazing!! I’m making them tonight and want to bring them to work tomorrow. Is it okay for the Nutella to sit in the cupcake overnight or do you think it will get too soggy? Thanks!
Nice recipes. I very excited to your recipes. Thanks for sharing
absolutely amazing!!!
i’m hooked 🙂
i used blakberries. it’s fab but there are chuncks of the seeds. i know i can strian it but i like the fruit.
do you have any recommendations for another fruit?