Ferrero Rocher Cupcakes

These rich and moist chocolate cupcakes are stuffed with ferrero rocher chocolates, topped with silky nutella buttercream, chopped hazelnuts, and more ferrero rocher chocolates on top! The cupcakes have a rich chocolate flavour and always turn out super fluffy. The chocolate is baked right into the cupcake which makes stuffing them so much easier.

The cupcakes are frosted with nutella and a decadent nutella buttercream. The filling inside a ferrero rocher is super similar to nutella so the flavour combination is perfect! The cupcakes are moist thanks to the buttermilk.

First, the cupcakes are covered in a thin layer of nutella and dipped in chopped hazelnuts. The nutella buttercream is piped on top and sprinkled with some extra chopped hazelnuts. I topped mine with more more chocolates but you can stop there!

This recipe makes 16 ferrero rocher cupcakes instead of 12 because of the extra batter the chocolates end up displacing. If you only have 1 cupcake tin, just reserve the leftover batter and bake the last 4 cupcakes after the first batch is ready.

How to get a creamy, not too sweet buttercream:

This nutella buttercream is stable and not too sweet thanks to some added cocoa powder. The cocoa powder helps to stabilize the buttercream so that it ends up piping beautifully.

Make sure to beat the butter very well before adding the sugar and after adding the sugar. This is what is going to make it ultra silky and remove that “buttery” taste.

I typically start by only adding one cup of powdered sugar and seeing if I need to add more later. Nutella will also sweeten the buttercream so you might not need as much as you think.

Lastly, I prefer to loosen all of my piping buttercream with heavy cream (i.e. whipping cream). That way it makes the nutella buttercream fluffy without making it sloppy or runny. Be careful to not over-whip after adding the cream or it may become a little bit grainy. I beat it for about 10-20 seconds after adding the cream.

FAQ

Important ingredients:

Full ingredients and recipe are in the recipe card below. Read through this section for all the ingredients substitution and baking tips!

Ferrero rocher chocolates: You will need about 16 chocolates for stuffing and another 8-16 chocolates for topping the cupcakes, depending on if you will top them with halved or whole ferrero rocher. You can skip the ferrero rocher on top if it’s too much for you!

Instant coffee: Just a touch of instant coffee is used inside the cupcakes to really amplify that rich chocolate flavour. If you don’t have instant coffee, you can replace the hot water with hot brewed coffee. Or you can leave out the instant coffee!

Large egg: You only need 1 egg to bring the batter together and help bind it.

Buttermilk: this will give the cupcakes lots of moisture and acidity to help make it super fluffy. If you can’t find buttermilk you can use kefir instead or make your own buttermilk by combining ½ cup of room temperature milk with ½ tbsp white or apple cider vinegar and letting it sit for 5 minutes to get thick.

Vegetable oil: Vegetable oil will give you the softest chocolate cupcakes. I like to use canola or grapeseed oil. Any neutral tasting oil will do! I have tried to use butter but the chocolate cupcakes would always become too dry. Coconut oil isn’t a good option because it will also be very dry (it solidifies like butter). Butter works better in vanilla cupcakes though!

All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.

Natural cocoa powder: Natural cocoa powder will give the ferrero rocher cupcakes a rich chocolate flavour. I don’t recommend using dutch processed cocoa powder because it isn’t acidic and will give you dry and sunken cupcakes. Natural cocoa powder reacts with the baking soda in this recipe to give you a super fluffy cupcake. I also added a bit of cocoa powder into the buttercream to make it less sweet and more rich. 

Hazelnuts: If the hazelnuts are raw, they need to be toasted to really let their flavour pop. To toast them, place them on a baking sheet into an oven preheated to 355°F (180°C). Bake for 7-10 minutes, mixing them halfway. They are ready when the skin starts to separate and they are a very light golden colour underneath. Let them cool and wrap the hazelnuts in a kitchen towel. Rub them well so that the shells come off and they are ready to use!

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (355°F). Put liners into a 12 hole regular sized cupcake tin. Add instant coffee into the hot water and mix until dissolved. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together egg, sugars, salt, and vanilla until it lightens in colour.
3. Add buttermilk and oil, whisk to combine.
4. Sift cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda right into the bowl. Fold with a whisk until just combined. Add dissolved instant coffee into the batter and fold. Sift the flour into the bowl and fold until just combined. 
5. Scoop batter into the lined muffin tin half of the way full. Press an unwrapped ferrero rocher into each muffin tin. Cover each chocolate with a teaspoon of extra batter so that the tins are slightly over ¾ of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
6. Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes before removing from the muffin tin.

Frosting + Assembly

1. Place softened butter into a large bowl or stand mixer. Beat the butter with a paddle attachment for 3-5 minutes or until very light and fluffy. The more you beat the lighter the frosting will be. 
2. Add powdered sugar (start off with 1 cup). Beat for 2-3 minutes or until it becomes light and fluffy again.
3. Add sea salt, vanilla, nutella, and sifted cocoa powder. Beat until well combined and fluffy. Taste to see if you want to add more powdered sugar. 
4. Add the whipping cream gradually, until the frosting loosens up and you get a silky smooth consistency. Do beat for too long after adding cream or the frosting might curdle. 
5. Place the frosting into a piping bag with a piping tip.
6. Spread each cooled cupcake with a ½ tablespoon of nutella. Flip the cupcake upside down and press the nutella side into the chopped hazelnuts to coat lightly. 
7. Frost each cupcake with a tall tower of nutella buttercream. Sprinkle with leftover chopped hazelnuts. Top with either half or whole ferrero rocher. 
8. These ferrero rocher cupcakes are best enjoyed at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 

Check out these other recipes:

• Nutella Cheesecake Recipe with Oreo Crust
• Black Forest Cupcakes
• Easy Triple Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Drip

Happy baking!

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Ferrero Rocher Cupcakes

Mary

These rich chocolate cupcakes are stuffed with ferrero rocher chocolates, topped with silky nutella buttercream, chopped hazelnuts, and more ferrero rocher chocolates on top! The cupcakes have a rich chocolate flavour and always turn out super fluffy. The chocolate is baked right into the cupcake which makes stuffing them so much easier.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Course Baking, cupcakes, Dessert

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 16 cupcakes

Equipment

• Regular sized cupcake tin

Ingredients

  

Cupcakes

• ½ cup hot water
• ½ teaspoon instant coffee
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup buttermilk room temperature
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup all purpose flour 120g
• 6 tablespoon natural cocoa powder 43g
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 16 ferrero rocher chocolates or similar hazelnut stuffed chocolates

Nutella Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1-2 cups powdered sugar icing sugar sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cup nutella room temperature (or similar spread)
• 5 tablespoon natural cocoa powder sifted
• 3-5 tablespoon heavy cream whipping cream

Assembly

• ¾ cup toasted hazelnuts coarsely chopped
• 8 tablespoon nutella ½ cup
• 8-16 ferrero rocher chocolates or similar hazelnut stuffed chocolates

Instructions

 

Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 180°C (355°F). Put liners into a 12 hole regular sized cupcake tin. Add instant coffee into the hot water and mix until dissolved. Set aside.
  ½ cup hot water, ½ teaspoon instant coffee
• In a large bowl, whisk together egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla until it lightens in colour. Add buttermilk and oil, whisk to combine.
  1 large egg, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ cup buttermilk, ½ cup vegetable oil
• Sift cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda right into the bowl. Fold with a whisk until just combined. Add dissolved instant coffee into the batter and fold. Sift the flour into the bowl and fold until just combined.
  1 cup all purpose flour, 6 tablespoon natural cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda
• Scoop batter into the lined muffin tin half of the way full. Press an unwrapped ferrero rocher into each muffin tin. Cover each chocolate with a teaspoon of extra batter so that the tins are slightly over ¾ of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes before removing from the muffin tin.
  16 ferrero rocher chocolates

Nutella Frosting

• Place softened butter into a large bowl or stand mixer. Beat the butter with a paddle attachment for 3-5 minutes or until very light and fluffy.
  1 cup unsalted butter
• Add powdered sugar (start off with 1 cup). Beat for 2-3 minutes or until it becomes light and fluffy again.
  1-2 cups powdered sugar
• Add sea salt, vanilla, nutella, and sifted cocoa powder. Beat until well combined and fluffy. Taste to see if you want to add more powdered sugar.
  1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 5 tablespoon natural cocoa powder, ¾ cup nutella
• Add the heavy cream gradually, until the frosting loosens up and you get a silky smooth consistency. Don't beat for too long after adding cream or the frosting might curdle. Place the frosting into a piping bag with a piping tip.
  3-5 tablespoon heavy cream

Assembly

• Spread each cooled cupcake with a ½ tablespoon of nutella. Flip the cupcake upside down and press the nutella side into the chopped hazelnuts to coat lightly.
  8 tablespoon nutella, ¾ cup toasted hazelnuts
• Frost each cupcake with a tower of nutella buttercream. Sprinkle with leftover chopped hazelnuts. Top with either half or whole ferrero rocher.
  8-16 ferrero rocher chocolates

Notes

These cupcakes are best enjoyed at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Make ahead:

You can prepare the cupcakes a day ahead of time. Bake and decorate as usual and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Make sure the cupcakes sit at room temperature for at least 1-2 hours before serving to soften the buttercream again. You can also bake the cupcakes the day before (store in fridge, covered) and frost them the next day.

How to Toast and Skin Hazelnuts:

Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet into an oven preheated to 350F (180C). Bake for 7-10 minutes, mixing them halfway. They are ready when the skin starts to separate and they are a very light golden colour underneath. Let them cool and wrap the hazelnuts in a kitchen towel. Rub them well so that the shells come off and they are ready to use!

Keyword Ferrero Rocher, Ferrero Rocher Stuffed Cupcakes, Nutella Buttercream, Nutella Frosting