Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes with Ganache Icing

The oh-so-delicious mouthwatering combination of chocolate and hazelnut in cupcake form! This Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes recipe only gets better when topped with ganache icing!

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Do you know anyone who doesn’t like chocolate and hazelnut? I cant say that I do.  I mean if someone told me that they don’t like that infamous chocolate hazelnut spread better known as Nutella, I’d probably look at them like they were from another planet.  Everyone knows that that stuff is downright addicting, right?!

My oldest son just recently discovered his love of chocolate hazelnut spread.  I may or may not have been keeping it from him so that I could have just one little sweet indulgence that was all for me!  Either way, the secret’s out now.

A couple weeks ago, he was literally dipping anything he could think of in it!  He finally turned to just eating it straight off the spoon – my personal favorite way to indulge as well!  Being the good mom that I am, I had to bump this recipe up to the top of the never ending to-do list… just to make the boy happy, of course!

I had been planning to make this Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes recipe for a long time!  It kept getting pushed to the back burner, and now that I’ve eaten about 6 of them (for testing purposes!), it was crazy to have waited so long!  They are delicious!!

Prep!

Having all your ingredients ready to go before you start baking will make things flow so much smoother with any recipe.

With these cupcakes, I would recommend going ahead and mixing your dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Pre-measure and set out all your other ingredients as well.  Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners, and preheat your oven.

While the cupcakes are baking, clean up and then start working on making the ganache icing so that it is ready to go when the cupcakes are cool, and chop the hazelnuts.

Create!

This recipe is a simple adaptation to a classic chocolate cupcake. I used hazelnut extract in my go-to chocolate cupcakes recipe so that every bite would be full of hazelnut flavor, then topped them with ganache icing. A sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts to add a little crunch finishes them off!

So Easy!!  So delicious!!

Present!

Presentation is everything!  Not really, but it is a fun part of cooking and baking!  Good looking food always gets eaten!

To make these cupcakes look “professional” try using fun cupcake wrappers to start.  You can spread the icing on and swirl it around with a butter knife (as seen in the photos) or let it set up a little more firmly and add it to a pastry bag fitted with the piping tip of your choice.

I hope you love these Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes with Ganache Icing as much as we do!  Be sure to let me know how it goes – I love hearing from you!

Enjoy!

* If you’re gluten free, or have friends or family member who are, check out my Gluten Free Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes recipe!

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Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes Recipe with Ganache Icing

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

16 mins

Total Time

36 mins

 

The oh-so-delicious mouthwatering combination of chocolate and hazelnut in cupcake form!

Course: Dessert

Servings: 16 cupcakes

Calories: 328 kcal

Author: Lauren

Ingredients

Cupcake Batter

• 1 1/3 Cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 Cup butter melted
• 1 1/2 Cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon hazelnut extract
• 1 Cup milk

Ganche Icing

• 9 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 Cup heavy cream
• 1/2 Cup chopped hazelnuts

Instructions

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside. Pre-measure and set out all your other ingredients as well. Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed. Add the eggs in one at a time, then add the vanilla extract, hazelnut extract, and milk. Gradually add the flour mixture until everything is well combined.
3. Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 of the way full. Bake approximately 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. While the cupcakes are baking, clean up and then start working on making the ganache icing so that it is ready to go when the cupcakes are cool, and chop the hazelnuts.

Ganache

1. For the ganache icing, place the chocolate chips into a medium mixing bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan until just about boiling. Slowly pour over the chocolate chips and mix until the chips are all melted and everything is blended and smooth.
2. Once the cupcakes are cooled you can either dip them into the warm ganache or spread it on with a butter knife and top with the hazelnuts. If you want a thicker icing, let the ganache cool and more and then pipe or spread it onto the cupcakes and top with hazelnuts.

Recipe Notes

Nutritional Information per Serving: 328 calories, 19g fat (9g saturated fat), 40g carbohydrates (4g fiber, 29g sugar), 4g protein

** nutritional information is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use and any alterations you make to the recipe.