Decadent Hazelnut Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

My sister-in-laws birthday was last week and  I volunteered to make dessert. I wanted to make something she would like but realized I didn’t know what her favorite dessert was. I sent her a message on facebook the morning of her birthday and she said she liked cake. Then I thought I remembered that she liked nutella so after I confirmed it with her I instantly knew just what to make. I dropped Wyatt off to school and left the other two kiddos with my husband as I took a well deserved mom trip to Target all.by.myself. I purchased the ingredients and by noon I had the cupcakes finished and was ready for the day. To make things a bit easier I decided to start with a box cake mix and doctor it up from there. These cupcakes were light, airy and over the top amazing. The special ingredients make them more expensive than your typical box cake mix and frosting, but they are SO WORTH IT! It was like having cupcakes right from a specialty bakery there on our plates. I know, I know – swimsuit season is upon us and I am not helping anybody’s diet by sharing this but I figured we all have to cheat on those silly diets every now and then! I live in Florida, had a baby in November and REALLY need to be getting these ghostly white legs of mine in some sort of shape for the beach but instead I am sitting around stuffing my face with these beauties! Did I mention I ate leftover cupcakes three days in a row…. well I did now. So are you ready for the recipe now? Did I convince you that you should most definitely cheat on that diet shmiet? To make them extra special you can pick up a package of ferrero rocher candies and pop them on top! Cake Ingredients:

• Boxed Chocolate Cake Mix – (plus the ingredients it calls for ((usually eggs, water, oil)))
• 4 teaspoons of Hazelnut Flavoring Syrup
• 1 tablespoon of Nutella

Cake Directions:

• I followed the directions on the back of the cake box but I didn’t use all of the oil that the recipe called for. I think it called for 3/4 of a cup of oil so what I did was poured the 4 teaspoons of hazelnut flavoring syrup into my measuring cup and then topped it off with the oil. I also added in 1 tablespoon of nutella. I continued to follow the directions on the box for the cooking time and they came out perfect.

I know for some people it can seem simple to follow a box cake mix and get a moist cake in the end, but I have seen it happen time and time again. The trick is to make sure you follow the directions. Put your oven on the right temperature and set a time so you don’t over cook them. If you over cook the cake or cupcakes they will start to dry out. Frosting Ingredients: (adapted from THIS recipe by Sweetopolita)

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened but cool
• 1-1/2 cups icing sugar (confectioners’)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/2 cup of Nutella
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon of Hazelnut Flavoring Syrup
• pinch of salt

Frosting Directions:

• Combine the confectioners’ sugar and butter and beat on low speed for about a minute.
• Add vanilla and hazelnut syrup and beat until combined.
• Add the melted semi-sweet chocolate and beat on medium speed for a minute or two.
• Add the remaining ingredients (Nutella, milk, and salt) and beat until combined.

Enjoy,
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