NUTELLA CUPCAKES

Soft, moist, deeply chocolatey and finished with a surprise Nutella centre, they’re the kind of treat that instantly feels comforting, familiar, and special all at once. These Nutella cupcakes are exactly that kind of bake. Whether you’re baking for a weekend indulgence, a birthday table, or simply to make an ordinary day feel a bit more exciting, this recipe fits right in without asking for fancy techniques or hard-to-find ingredients.

What I love most about this recipe is how effortlessly it comes together. It’s made with simple pantry staples, comes together in one bowl, and yet delivers bakery-style cupcakes that look adorable and taste even better. The Nutella filling adds a playful, almost childlike excitement — that little moment when you break into the cupcake and find a creamy centre waiting for you. These are the kind of cupcakes that disappear quickly, invite second helpings, and always get asked about. If you’re looking for a foolproof chocolate cupcake recipe that feels warm, indulgent, and made with heart, this one is definitely worth baking.

INGREDIENTS USED IN NUTELLA CUPCAKES

• Nutella

Nutella plays the role of both a filling and a flavour enhancer in this cupcake recipe, instantly elevating simple chocolate cupcakes into something more indulgent and playful. When piped into the centre of the cooled cupcakes, it creates a surprise molten core that contrasts beautifully with the soft, fluffy sponge. This centre bite is what makes the cupcakes feel rich and dessert-worthy without needing a complicated frosting.

Flavour-wise, Nutella brings deep notes of roasted hazelnuts and chocolate, complementing the cocoa powder in the batter and intensifying the overall chocolate profile.

• Yogurt

Yogurt plays a key role in adding moisture, softness, and tenderness to these cupcakes. Its creamy consistency keeps the batter well-hydrated, resulting in cupcakes that stay soft and plush even after they cool.

One of yogurt’s most important functions is its natural acidity. This acidity reacts with the baking powder, helping the cupcakes rise better and creating a lighter crumb structure. It also improves the overall texture, making the cupcakes airy rather than dense.

• All purpose flour

All-purpose flour forms the structural backbone of these cupcakes, giving them shape, stability, and the ability to hold together once baked. When mixed with the wet ingredients, the proteins in the flour hydrate and develop gluten, which creates a delicate framework that traps the air released by the baking powder. This structure is essential for helping the cupcakes rise properly and maintain their form without collapsing. Using a flour with too much protein would make the cupcakes tough, while too little would result in a crumb that’s fragile and crumbly.

• Cocoa powder

Cocoa powder is the primary flavouring agent in this cupcake recipe, responsible for giving the cupcakes their deep chocolate taste and rich colour. It provides an intense cocoa flavour that pairs beautifully with the Nutella filling, ensuring the cupcakes taste chocolatey from the very first bite and not just sweet. Without cocoa powder, the cupcakes would lack depth and that classic chocolate dessert profile.

Beyond flavour, cocoa powder also plays an important role in the structure and texture of the cupcakes. As a dry ingredient, it absorbs moisture from the batter, helping balance the wet ingredients like yogurt, milk, and butter. This absorption contributes to a tender crumb when used in the right proportion, preventing the cupcakes from becoming greasy or overly dense.

• Butter

Butter plays a key role in adding richness, flavour, and tenderness to these cupcakes. Even though it’s used in a melted form, butter contributes its characteristic creamy, slightly nutty taste that enhances the overall chocolate profile of the cupcake. This richness helps balance the cocoa powder, preventing the cupcakes from tasting flat or overly bitter.

From a texture perspective, butter acts as a fat that coats the flour proteins, limiting excessive gluten development. This results in softer, more tender cupcakes rather than firm or chewy ones. It also helps create a smooth batter, allowing all the ingredients to combine evenly without lumps.

• Sugar

Sugar plays multiple important roles in this cupcake recipe beyond just sweetness. First and foremost, it provides balance and flavour, enhancing the chocolate notes from the cocoa powder and complementing the richness of Nutella.

From a texture standpoint, sugar helps create soft, moist cupcakes by attracting and holding onto moisture. It slows down gluten development, which keeps the crumb tender instead of tough.

• Egg

Egg also contributes to the leavening and lightness of the cupcakes. As the batter heats up, the moisture in the egg turns to steam, helping the cupcakes rise and creating a softer, airier texture. This works in harmony with the baking powder to give the cupcakes a good lift without making them dry.

Additionally, egg adds richness and moisture, improving the overall mouthfeel of the cupcakes. It helps emulsify the fat and liquid ingredients, creating a smooth, stable batter that bakes evenly.

• Baking powder

Baking powder is the primary leavening agent in this cupcake recipe and plays a crucial role in giving the cupcakes their light, soft, and fluffy texture. When the batter goes into the hot oven, baking powder releases carbon dioxide gas, which creates tiny air bubbles throughout the batter. These bubbles expand with heat, helping the cupcakes rise evenly and form a gentle dome instead of staying flat or dense. Because this recipe contains cocoa powder and dairy ingredients like yogurt and milk, baking powder ensures a reliable lift without relying only on natural acidity.

• Milk

Milk is a liquid ingredient that adds moisture to the batter. This moisture content affects the final texture of the cupcakes. Milk can help create cupcakes that are softer and lighter. It contributes to a more tender texture by preventing excessive dryness in the batter. Its main purpose is binding the entire batter together. The sugars and proteins in milk can participate in the Maillard reaction, a chemical process that occurs during baking and contributes to the browning and development of complex flavours.

EQUIPMENT USED FOR MAKING NUTELLA CUPCAKES

The kind of equipment you use when you’re baking makes a huge difference to the end result! I would recommend you to use good quality mixing bowls and other equipment so that your Nutella Cupcakes come out delicious!

To mix all my ingredients together in, I’m using Borosil’s 100% Borosilicate Glass Bowl which is microwave and oven safe, plus the bowls are super easy to clean and handle, which makes my baking process totally hassle free!

Not a single day goes in my kitchen when I don’t use a Silicon Spatula, this is the one I recommend. Same goes for my set of Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons.

And they are ready in less than 20 mins in my oven.

OTHER RELATED RECIPES FROM THE BLOG

1. EGGLESS CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

2. NO BAKE NUTELLA CHEESECAKE

3. SAFFRON CUPCAKES

TIPS TO MAKE THESE NUTELLA CUPCAKES

1. Bring all ingredients to room temperature. This ensures a smoother batter and better rise.
2. Cool the melted butter slightly before adding it—hot butter can curdle yogurt and partially cook the egg.
3. Sift the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder) for an airy, lump-free cupcake.
4. Mix only until everything is just combined to avoid tough cupcakes.
5. If the batter feels too thick, add 1–2 tbsp milk; if too thin, rest it for 2 minutes before baking.

NUTELLA CUPCAKES

 

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Ingredients

• 50 g yoghurt
• 50 g melted butter
• 1 egg
• ½ cup milk
• 130 g all-purpose flour
• 150 g sugar
• 50 g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• For the frosting
• Nutella
• Edible sugar eyes (optional)
• Biscuit ears (optional)
• Chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a cupcake tray with paper liners.
2. In a bowl, add yogurt, butter, egg and milk and whisk until well combined.
3. To the same mixture, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and baking powder. Whisk well to form a smooth, lump-free batter.
4. Pour the batter into the cupcake liners upto ⅔rd level.
5. Bake for 15-18 mins or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6. Once the cupcakes have cooled, pipe them with Nutella in the centre and decorate it further with eyes, nose and ears.

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If you like my Nutella Cupcakes recipe and happen to make them in your kitchen, do tag me on Instagram and share pictures with me using #Bakewithshivesh. Happy Baking!