Nutella Cupcakes

Begin by preparing a 12 hole cupcake tin with cupcake cases and preheating your oven to 200°C (400°F, Gas Mark 6)

In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one by one, mixing in a tablespoon of the flour with each egg to avoid the mixture from curdling.

In a separate bowl mix together the cocoa powder and boiling water to make a smooth paste.

Add the flour and baking powder to the egg mixture followed by the cocoa paste and blend all the ingredients together until you reach a smooth batter.

Spoon the mixture into each of the cupcake cases, filling each 2/3 full and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until springy to touch.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack. Whilst the cupcakes are cooling make your buttercream by beating together the butter, milk and half of the icing sugar.

Once combined add the remaining icing sugar and Nutella and beat until light and fluffy. The longer that you beat the icing for the lighter it will be.

When the cupcakes have cooled fully use a small sharp knife or an apple corer to carve out the centre of the sponge of each cupcake. Fill a piping bag with Nutella and pipe a small amount into the centre of each cake then top with the remaining sponge that you had removed.  

To finish your cupcakes, fill another piping bag with a star nozzle and your Nutella buttercream and pipe swirls on to the top of each cupcake. For an extra touch add a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts to the top of the buttercream.