Nutella frosting has to be one of the best uses of this chocolate hazelnut spread. I make this frosting
often because it tastes divine paired with just about anything. It’s light, fluffy, and reminiscent of creamy
chocolate mousse. To make the super-moist banana cupcakes, simply use the Banana Chocolate Chip
Layer Cake recipe (page 69), excluding the chocolate chips (or not!) and pour into cupcake liners. Keep
a bunch of ripe bananas in your freezer and thaw when ready to use. Trust me, you’ll always want to be
prepared to make a batch of these.
Ingredients
Banana Cupcakes
- Batter for Banana Chocolate Chip Layer Cake, with or without chocolate chips
Nutella Frosting
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240 g ) confectioners’ sugar
- ¾ cup (225 g ) Nutella
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- banana chips for decoration (optional)
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 12-count muffin pans with 18 cupcake liners. Set aside. Make the Cupcakes
- Prepare the batter for banana chocolate chip layer cake, with or without chocolate chips. Pour evenly into 18 cupcake liners. Fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping. Bake each batch for 17–19 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting. Make the Frosting
- In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute. Switch the mixer to low speed and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar and Nutella. Switch to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes until combined and creamy. Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract and salt and beat for 1 minute. If the frosting is too thick, add more heavy cream (1 tablespoon measurements at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar (¼ cup measurements at a time).
- Frost the cooled cupcakes and garnish with banana chips, if desired. I used a Wilton 12 tip to pipe the frosting. The cupcakes will stay fresh stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
