German Chocolate Cupcake
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for tins
- 2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted, plus more for tins
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 5 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush standard muffin tins with butter; dust with cake flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together cake flour, baking soda, and salt.
- With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each. Beat in chocolate until combined.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes. Run a small offset spatula or knife around the edges to loosen; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers
Nutella Frosting
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup Nutella
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (actually, I use 2tsp because I usually double my vanilla)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream
Place the confectioners' sugar, Nutella, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.
