Nutella Cupcakes: Cupcakes with Triple Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes made with three flavors of cream cheese frosting! Don’t worry, it’s an easy recipe with just a few extra steps required!
Creating This Nutella Cupcake Recipe
Remember those Cupcakes with Nutella, Almond Butter, and Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting I teased you with in this week’s kitchen tip (related Kitchen Tip: Two Tone Frosting for Cupcakes)? Here they are!
I’m so sorry you had to wait, but you needed to know about piping with multiple frosting flavors onto cupcakes before you could make this recipe. And all good things are worth the wait. The recipe wouldn’t be the same without all three cream cheese flavors swirled together on top.
I have been thinking about this flavor combination ever since making sandwiches for the kids when I decided to double dip my knife because I was in a hurry. Then afterward I remember looking at the almond butter and Nutella together on the knife and thinking how good those two must taste together.
So I did what any self respecting person would do. I licked it right off the butter knife. BOY was it good!
After that lick I knew that I had to come up with a recipe to feature these two delicious nut butters together. So I thought, and thought, and then one day while contemplating Logan’s Birthday Cupcakes it came to me. And I realized that if I could so easily swirl two different colors of frosting together, why the heck not two (or more) flavors of frosting?
Originally I had planned to make batches of Nutella and almond butter buttercream frosting, but I decided that it would look more interesting with white swirled in with the two shades of brown. Not to mention that I had this gigantic Costco sized thing of cream cheese sitting in the fridge that I thought I better use.
I can’t even begin to describe how amazing these Nutella cupcakes tasted. If it sounds overwhelming, please know that it’s really not very hard at all once you get the different frosting flavors made.
The actual piping is actually quite simple using the tutorial I wrote on piping multicolored (or flavored) frosting, just head over to that Kitchen Tip for the instructions.
Ingredients for Nutella Cupcakes
As I mentioned above, I topped the Nutella cupcakes with three types of cream cheese frosting. A Nutella cream cheese frosting (duh!), an almond butter cream cheese frosting, and a classic cream cheese frosting.
These are the ingredients you’ll need to make the Nutella cupcake recipe, plus all the frostings:
- Nutella
- All-purpose flour and cake flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Salt
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Butter
- Buttermilk
- Cream cheese (lots of it!)
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Almond butter (or peanut butter)
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How to Make Nutella Cupcakes
This Nutella dessert recipe does have extra steps to it, but I promise it’s easy to make!
- For the cupcakes: Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until is pale and thick. Add in the butter, followed by the Nutella and buttermilk. Beat until well incorporated.
- Add the flour mixture in three increments and beat until smooth.
- Divide batter amongst 36 cupcake tins. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
- For the frostings: They all come together in the same way. The cream cheese and butter is beaten until smooth, then the remaining ingredients are added and mixed until fluffy.
- To pipe on the frosting: Please reference this blog post for detailed instructions on how to pipe three types of frosting onto cupcakes.
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Ingredient Substitutions to Try
- Don’t have cake flour? Make your own instead!
- Don’t have buttermilk? You can make a quick DIY substitute in a pinch.
- Don’t have clear vanilla extract? It’s used to maintain a purer white frosting color. If this doesn’t matter to you, then you may use regular vanilla extract.
Typically I don’t recommend making a bunch of substitutions when preparing a new recipe. When making substitutes, you won’t know if you don’t like the recipe or if the recipe didn’t turn out due to a preparation mistake, an ill effect from the substitute, or something else.
However, if you do choose to make substitutions in a recipe, I recommend only making one substitute at a time so you don’t have a building effect of multiple poor substitutions.
How to Store Nutella Cupcakes
Once frosted, the chocolate Nutella cupcakes must be stored in the fridge in an airtight container because the frosting contains dairy. Keep them in an airtight container, they should last about four days.
Can I Freeze These Cupcakes?
Yes! You can freeze the unfrosted cupcakes for up to three months. The individual cream cheese frostings can also be frozen for up to three months. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the fridge.
What Readers Are Saying
“These were amazingly delicious!! I brought them to work for a coworkers birthday 2 yrs ago and now she asks for them every year! Thanks for sharing this recipe!” — Mary
“I made these with double frosting, Nutella and Vanilla. YUMMM!!!!! They were gobbled up! I think I will be bold enough to try triple frosting next time!!!” — Debra
“Made these cupcakes to bring into work yesterday, people still raving about them today.Some thought I bought them from a bakery.” — Cindy
“I made these tonight for a friend’s birthday. I’ve never swirled frosting before but your tips were super helpful and I am so excited take these to the party! ” — Wendy
More Unique Cupcake Recipes:
Decadent Dark Chocolate Cupcakes are piped with a salted caramel buttercream and drizzled in homemade bourbon caramel sauce for a delicious sweet and salty dessert.
Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream and Fresh Raspberry Sauce are the perfect combo of a fluffy, light vanilla cupcake, rich chocolate buttercream, and a tangy, sweet fresh raspberry sauce.
Feed both cake and cookie cravings with these amazing Oatmeal Cookie Cupcakes. Top with brown sugar frosting for a real treat!
These Pumpkin Cupcakes were already incredibly moist and the perfect balance of sweet, pumpkin, and fall spices. The Caramel Pecan Glaze just took them over the top.
These Coconut Lime Cupcakes are topped with an incredible Coconut Lime Cream Cheese Frosting. Amazing!
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Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella, Almond Butter, and Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Nutella cupcakes made with three flavors of cream cheese frosting! Don't worry, it's an easy recipe with just a few extra steps required!
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 2/3 cup Nutella
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 5 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 pound powdered sugar (about 3 3/4 cups), sifted
- 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract*
Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup Nutella
- 1 pound powdered sugar (about 3 3/4 cups), sifted
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- black and brown food coloring, optional
Almond Butter/Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup Almond Butter or Peanut Butter
- 1 pound powdered sugar (about 3 3/4 cups), sifted
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Line 3 dozen muffin cups with cupcake liners or grease using non-stick spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350F.
- Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar for 5 minutes, until it is pale and thick. Add in the butter. Mix until combined.
- Add in the nutella. Now, add in the buttermilk. Beat until well incorporated.
- Add the flour mixture in 3 increments and beat until smooth.
- Divide batter into the cupcake tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not over-bake.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream the butter and cream cheese in the large mixing bowl of a stand mixture. Add the vanilla.
- Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar as you continue to cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Beat on high speed until fluffy and smooth, adding milk or additional sugar (if needed) to reach desired consistency.
Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream the butter and cream cheese in the large mixing bowl of a stand mixture.
- Add the nutella and vanilla and continue to cream.
- Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar as you continue to cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Beat on high speed until fluffy and smooth, adding milk or additional sugar (if needed) to reach desired consistency.
- For a darker brown add 1 drop brown and 1 drop black food coloring.
Almond Butter or Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream the butter and cream cheese in the large mixing bowl of a stand mixture.
- Add the almond butter or peanut butter and vanilla and continue to cream.
- Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar as you continue to cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Beat on high speed until fluffy and smooth, adding milk or additional sugar (if needed) to reach desired consistency.
To Decorate
- Please see Kitchen Tip: Two Tone Frosting for Cupcakes for detailed instructions on how to pipe three different frosting flavors simultaneously.
Notes
cupcakes adapted from Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes
frosting adapted from My Baking Addiction
*clear vanilla extract is used to maintain a purer white color. If this doesn't matter to you, then you may use regular vanilla extract.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 421Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 281mgCarbohydrates: 62gFiber: 2gSugar: 51gProtein: 5g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Jaclyn says
Your photos are gorgeous as are these cupcakes!!
Mary says
These were amazingly delicious!! I brought them to work for a coworkers birthday 2 yrs ago and now she asks for them every year! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
shahira dobrey says
Made these with cocoa almond butter from Trader Joes instead of Nutella for a friend’s birthday that prefers almonds… I was able to use only one 2# bag for all three frostings.. we don’t like things that sweet.. can I leave the frosting out overnight if I’m frosting them in the morning?
thanks!
Katie says
I don’t like to leave frosting with cream cheese in it out overnight. I refrigerate it and then bring it to room temperature the next day.
Debra says
OMGosh!! These look amazing! Nutella is my daughter’s new and most favorite treat. Now I know what I will be attempting for her Birthday! I must say that I am intimidated by triple frosting! Yikes! Maybe I will have to practice a lot and work up to that. 😛
Thank you for sharing!
Debra says
I made these with double frosting, Nutella and Vanilla. YUMMM!!!!! They were gobbled up! I think I will be bold enough to try triple frosting next time!!!
Here is my other new favorite:
My Latest post
Debra says
Oops! Here is my new favorite snack:
http://www.diysupermom.com/feta-stuffed-sweet-peppers-bunco-night-appetizer/
Amy says
I live in South Africa and am extremely intrigued by this recipe. i have not worked with cream cheese icing before and was wondering how the hot humid climate i live in would affect working with this icing. Would the fridge suffice in keeping that stiff workable consistancy? Thanks
Katie says
I have not tried the icing in a humid climate, I live in a very dry area. I would definitely store the cupcakes in the refrigerator because the cream cheese should not be left out at room temperature.
Cindy says
Made these cupcakes to bring into work yesterday, people still raving about them today.Some thought I bought them from a bakery. Wanted a more Nutella taste to it so I cored the cupcakes & poured warm Nutella in center before I frosted them(had leftover frosting from cake I made few days before so I didn’t use this frosting recipe). Will def. make these again. Thanks for sharing!
Ann Soh says
Hi Katie – I can’t wait to try this recipe and the multi-coloured frosting! I love anything with nutella. Just wanted to find out whether the sugar for the cupcakes is granulated sugar or superfine? Many thanks.
Best regards, Ann
Katie says
Granulated will work just fine 🙂
Wendy Fawcett says
I made these tonight for a friend’s birthday. I’ve never swirled frosting before but your tips were super helpful and I am so excited take these to the party! Thank you!
Rachel says
Hi I was just wondering if there is any modifications for high altitude?
Katie says
This recipe has worked fine for me at around 5,000 ft altitude so I have not made any specific modifications to it. However, should you need to modify due to being at a higher altitude or encountering problems, here are my trouble shooting tips for cupcakes at high altitude: http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2011/09/high-altitude-baking-tips-for-cupcakes.html
Tanya says
These sound delicious! I can’t wait to try them. I love Nutella.
Gwen says
Hi Katie,
May I check with you what is the actual measurement of a cup that you have used? In ml?
Katie says
Try googling “how many ml in a cup.” I use measurements in cups, teaspoons, tablespoons, ounces, and pounds living in the USA and am not familiar with other forms of measurements.
Jude says
Hi Katie ,
I live in the u k, and wonder if you could tell me what cake flour is ?
We have all purpose (plain) flour, but I have not found cake flour any where.
Also would you be able to convert the measurements to uk grams or ounces, as I would really like to try this recipie, but do not have cups.
Many thanks
Jude
Katie says
Hi Jude, here is some information for you.
What is cake flour: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cake
How to make your own cake flour: http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2011/09/kitchen-tip-diy-homemade-cake-flour.html
How to convert cups to grams: http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/cooking
Kat says
I found this recipe yesterday morning and I made the cupcakes in the evening, that’s how irresistible these were to me. And they were fantastic. I made some adjustments to the recipe for the frosting, though. I only put 1 1/4 cups of the required sugar, and a little more Nutella to because with the initial 1/2 cup it didn’t taste Nutella-y enough.
I am curious about the mixing method, since it’s not in the usual butter-sugar-eggs sequence. What difference does that make to the batter, if any? I did notice that my batter was softer and frosting-like compared to other cake batters I make, but I didn’t notice any difference in the texture of the cooked cake. Although I think I overbaked it a teeny, tiny bit.
Katie says
I don’t know that it makes a difference, but I adapted this recipe off of another chocolate cupcake recipe that I make and those were the instructions from the original. I haven’t tried it in the usual sequence to compare. Glad you enjoyed!
Diana says
Cannot wait to try these this weekend!!! Perfect timing for a family birthday celebration!
Nicole @ Sugar Coated Sisters says
These look delicious and I’m making them right now with my sister. We are also adding a pumpkin pie filling after we core them 🙂
Also, the mix of three frostings is such a great idea, it looks beautiful! Thanks for the recipe!
Lusy says
I love how your cupcakes turned out, but I only wanted to make 1 dozen of them and only with the nutella cream cheese frosting. Do you have a recipe for only 1 dozen cupcakes and nutella cream cheese frosting?
Katie says
Since the cupcake recipe makes 3 doz and the frosting is for that amount, but there are 3 types of frosting in this case, you wouldn’t need to do anything to the nutella frosting. Just use the amounts listed and ignore the other flavors. You’re dividing the frosting in 1/3 but you’re only using 1/3 of the flavors, so just use the full amount for whichever flavor you want. For making only 1 dozen cupcakes, divide the ingredients in the cupcakes all by three. 3 dozen divided by 3 = 1 dozen.