Cocoa hazelnut cupcakes
I use muscovado sugar in the frosting, which lends a hint of caramel flavor but tends to result in a grittier texture than confectioners’ sugar would. If you prefer a smoother texture, substitute about 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar for the muscovado. The cupcakes are best eaten the day they are made. Nut meals tend to absorb moisture as they sit, making baked goods dry out fairly quickly. The frosting has whipping cream in it, so prepare it no more than a few hours before serving.
- 1 cup hazelnut
- meal
- ¾ cup muscovado sugar
- ½ cup natural (nonalkalized) cocoa powder
- â…“ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup low-fat buttermilk
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
WHIPPED FROSTING
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- ⅓ cup muscovado sugar, or more as needed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- â…” cup hazelnut butter
- Pinch of sea salt
- Chopped toasted hazelnuts, for garnish
- Shaved dark chocolate (60% to 72%Â cacao), for garnish
Instructions:
Popular chocolate-and-hazelnut spread Nutella is not the most wholesome thing on the shelf, but the combination of chocolate and hazelnuts, in general, is really something.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- Sift together the hazelnut meal, muscovado sugar, cocoa powder, pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and stir in the melted butter, applesauce, vanilla, and buttermilk until combined. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until combined, being careful not to overmix. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Divide the mixture between the wells of the muffin tin, filling each about halfway full. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes (they will be moister than a standard cake at first, as they dry a tad more as they sit). Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool.
- While the cupcakes cool, prepare the frosting. In a stand mixer or using a handheld electric mixer, whip the cream until peaks begin to form, then add the sugar and vanilla while you continue to whip. Once you see stiff peaks, gently add the hazelnut butter and salt and whip just to combine.
- Note that if you made your own hazelnut butter, it must be completely cooled before adding. Also, the addition of the heavy nut butter will deflate the cream, so be as gentle as possible. Taste and adjust the sweetness, if desired. The cupcakes and frosting can be prepared to this point up to a few hours in advance, with the frosting kept in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, top them with the frosting and garnish with chopped hazelnuts and shaved chocolate.
- The cupcakes are best served the day they are made.