Incredibly simple 3-ingredient Nutella cupcakes topped with delicious Nutella buttercream.
Following on from my Nutella buttercream a few days ago, here’s my recipe for those Nutella cupcakes that the buttercream was piped all over the top of.
This recipe is born out of the fact that I can’t resist a bit of a recipe challenge. A couple of month’s ago was world Nutella day and Ros from The More Than Occasional Baker shared her recipe for 3-ingredient Nutella brownies in my Food Year Linkup. The idea behind the brownies is that due to the fat and sugar content of Nutella it could be used as a substitute for both the butter and sugar in the brownie recipe. It got me wondering whether the same principle would hold true for cupcakes too.
As with many of my ideas it got popped on the back-burner while I got sidetracked by other things, and then a month or so ago I decided to have a go and see what I could make. It took a few attempts to get the ratio of ingredients right (I couldn’t simply substitute the weight of Nutella for the weight of butter and sugar in my cupcake recipe as the fat content wasn’t high enough leading to the cupcakes being too dry). After a bit of playing around and lots of tasting (it’s a tough job you know!), I found just the right combination.
If you’re a novice in the kitchen, then this is definitely the recipe for you. Simply weigh the three ingredients, mix them together, spoon the mixture into cupcake cases and bake. Even my 3-year old could do it (although he’s more interesting in eating the cakes than making them!).
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Nutella Cupcakes
RECIPE VIDEO
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat your oven to 160ºC/140ºC fan.
- Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.
- Put all of your ingredients into a large bowl (3 large eggs, 375g Nutella, 150g self-raising flour) and mix until fully combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases (about 60g in each if you feel like measuring).
- Pop them into the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Check if they’re done by inserting a skewer, if it comes out clean they’re done, if not pop them back in for a couple more minutes.
- Once cooked, take them out of the tray and pop them onto a wire rack to cool.
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
Free From/Suitable For…
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Corn-Free
The ingredients for this recipe are commonly available free from all these allergens. However, please ensure you double-check allergen information for all ingredients.
Ruthlyne says
This recipe is amazing i can say that it changed my life i made this as a proof when i applied for a job. As a baker and boom they hired me.. Thanks miss Charlotte
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Tanya, I’m glad they enjoyed them.
sarah says
We have decided to make tis cake and cooked it in one large cake tin ( due to lack of muffin tins!) Its been in nearly an hr so far, looks nice but not ready yet!
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Sarah, what size of tin did you use? I’m surprised it’s taken so long to cook. I have tried this as a large cake once and found that it was easy to overcook and dry it out, but I hope it works OK for you. I’m planning to adapt the recipe soon to make it more suitable for a large tin.
Saria says
I made these last night for a friend’s baby shower this morning.They turned out superbly and I topped them with peanut butter buttercream (also your recipe). Everyone loved them and I personally can’t get over their delicious smell!! 😀
– love from Oz!
Charlotte Oates says
I’d not thought to try them with the peanut buttercream. I’m going to have to give it a try now 🙂
sarah says
I made these cupcakes for my assignment at school the teacher loved them and she even asked for the recipe I actually got 91% for the assignment thanks very much 😀
Charlotte Oates says
🙂 I think this is one of my favourite ever comments! Well done on your 91%
Julia says
How do i convert the ingredients to cups?
Charlotte Oates says
Cupcakes…
1 cup + 3 tbsp nutella
5/6 cup (1/2 cup + 1/3/ cup) self raising flour
Buttercream
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup icing sugar
1 cup nutella
For the dry ingredients make sure they’re packed into the cup as much as possible to get the right measurements.
Julia says
Thank u so much for the quick reply…cant wait to make them for my daughter’s b day!
Marko says
Just made a test batch of these and everybody loved them. I didn’t do the frosting, but I added small pieces of chocolate in the middle. That turned out great. Thank you so much for this recipe. They are going to be perfect for my girlfriend’s birthday.
Charlotte Oates says
I like the sound of that idea, I’ll have to give it a try!
Ann says
I tried baking the cupcakes but I find my mixture very dry. I added in half cup milk but still dry. It’s baking in the oven now.
Charlotte Oates says
It is quite a dense mixture compared to some cakes.
Ann says
Hi ..can I know if I can substitute the icing sugar with castor sugar”
Charlotte Oates says
No, the sugar needs to be very fine otherwise your icing will be grainy.
Stacie says
I work in a cafe and decided to try this out. Theyre amazing when still warm but when they cool down they become rock hard. Had to throw them away this morning
Charlotte Oates says
That’s a shame. I find they don’t last as long as some of my other cakes but I’ve always been able to enjoy them for a few days after they’ve been baked when I’ve made them.
Rm says
My sister doubted this and said she’s 90% sure it wont work but it actually did and it tastes amazing! Thank you!
Charlotte Oates says
I remember thinking the same thing when I first tried it too and I was surprised at just how well it worked.
Vanessa says
Would regular flour work??
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, but you’ll also need to add 2 tsp of baking powder to ensure they rise.
Vanessa Amador says
Thanks son much for replying, I really want to try this recipe but I live in Costa Rica and I don’t think they have that type of flour and if they do it’s only in the big cities supermarkets.. thanks again
Charlotte Oates says
If you’re in Costa Rica then it’s probably a good idea to go for the plain + baking powder option as I believe that the recipe for self-raising flour can vary around the world so it may not be the same as what I’ve used anyway. I hope you enjoy them.
Scauchi says
Very easy to make and very yummy…thanks for the recipe 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
Great, I’m glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Dominique Guatieri says
Hi Charlotte, I have now made the cupcakes and the gorgeous buttercream and they are amazing. Also did a batch of gluten free which came out lovely just need a slightly longer cooking time. Really impressed with these recipes. Xx
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Dominique, I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Which flour did you use for your gluten-free version? I’ve been asked before about whether they could be made GF so it would be great to know what to recommend.
Dominique says
I used Doves Farm Self Raising flour. I did not change the measurements just replaced one flour for another. Might need a little tweaking as not made many gluten free cakes before.
But my tasters at work could not tell the difference between the non gluten free/gluten free cupcakes which was great. Due to them being so simple to make will probably use the gluten free receipe going forward for taking into school, parties etc.
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks for letting me know
Alison Davis says
Hi there, I made your cupcakes and buttercream yesterday, AMAZING, so tasty. Thank you for sharing
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Alison, I’m so glad you enjoyed them x
bakingaddict says
Oooh these look so pretty and tempting! I’m definitely baking these cupcakes as they look much better than brownies and I love, love, love the nutella buttercream. Glad you found the time to bake these!
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Ros, and thanks for inspiring me to make them in the first place!
R. F. Melendez says
Hello Charlotte Oates, thank you for providing us with one of the best lively kitchen online. The amazing recipe of the nutella cupcakes is a great treat to the taste buds for all the nutella lovers. It has never been so easy to make the cupcakes with a great taste.
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
Very clever! I wonder if they would work gluten free?!x
Charlotte Oates says
Can’t see why they wouldn’t. Let me know if you give it a try.
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve had a another person comment to say that they’ve tried these with the Doves Farm self-raising flour and they worked well.
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
Thanks for letting me know Charlotte. I will try with my own flour blend that I mix at home. I am not a huge fan of most commercial blends (including Doves) as I find them quite gritty and ricey!). Still if they work with Doves, they will work with other GF blends….
Eb Gargano says
Oh my goodness – this is just genius!! What a brilliant idea. And so easy (peasy)! I’m definitely going to have to have a go at these – my kids would love them – especially my daughter who is a total nutella addict!! Thanks for sharing. Eb x
Charlotte Oates says
If she’s a Nutella addict you definitely need to make the buttercream to go on the top too, it’s like a lighter fluffier version of Nutella.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Love anything nutella related. These cupcakes look wonderful and I just love that perfect frosting!
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Thalia. I quite addicted to anything Nutella too!