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Red Velvet Cupcakes that have been filled with Nutella and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting. If you love Red Velvet then you are going to love these red velvet nutella stuffed cupcakes

Did I need to say more than the title? I don’t know about you but when I hear Nutella I immediately perk up. Someone could be talking about Nutella a mile away, pretty sure my Nutella bat ears would pick it up.

I eat this stuff with a spoon.

I’ve been known to put it inside cookies. More than once.

Make brownies with it. Fudge.

Or even make it myself. Yea, I really like Nutella.

I can’t get enough.

Is there a support group for that? Oh I think it’s called blogging…moving on.

So a half jar of this chocolate hazelnut goodness was in my house calling my name, and I had the itch to bake with it. It just seemed a natural fit. Red velvet and Nutella? Um, yes please.

My biggest dilemma here was do I put the Nutella straight in the frosting? Or hide it in the middle of the cupcake? My #1 taste tester vote was to hide it in the middle. So that’s what I went with. If you’re short on time, throwing some hazelnut spread goodness right into your cream cheese frosting I bet wouldn’t be a bad idea either. And would save you the trouble of cutting the middle out of your cupcakes and stuffing them. If you are not sure how to core a cupcake and fill it, then you can read this tutorial I’ve written for you!

For the red velvet cupcakes, I decided to use my red velvet cupcake recipe I’ve used before but cut it in half. I really didn’t need 24 cupcakes sitting around my house. By halving the recipe I got a perfect dozen cupcakes. I love making cupcakes but seriously I don’t need to 24 cupcakes taunting me all week long.

12 was perfect.

These red velvet cupcakes come out perfectly- red, fluffy and with a perfect dome on top, and have that perfect hint of cocoa that a red velvet cupcake should have. I’ve made these cupcakes time and time again and always get rave reviews. “Better than a bakery” I’ve been told. So I guess that means it’s a keeper.

I love this recipe because it doesn’t require any butter to cream so you can make this with just two mixing bowls and your whisk! It’s so simple to throw together. Red velvet desserts are basically a buttermilk based cake that is flavored with a hint of cocoa. The addition of cocoa gives it a dull brown color, so the red food coloring is added to brighten things up a bit. The tanginess from the buttermilk and a bit of vinegar with the cocoa is a classic red velvet combination that can’t be beat.

Before you start making your batter, be sure to pre-heat your oven and prepare your pans with your cupcake liners. If your oven is not pre-heated properly, your cupcakes could bake unevenly. And once your batter is made you want to be able to scoop and bake them immediately because your baking soda has already gone to work. If your batter sits out while you are getting your pans ready you are losing precious lift and this could result in a flat cupcake!

My Favorite Go To Cupcake Liners Are These.

How To Make These Cupcakes:

To make this red velvet batter, start with mixing your dry ingredients- your flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. Be sure to measure your flour accurately, by spooning and leveling off your flour into your cup. Too much flour and your cupcakes can come out dry and tough in the end. Once all your dry ingredients are measured and in the bowl, just give them a whisk to combine.

In a second bowl, combine your liquid ingredients- 1 egg, buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, red food coloring, and vegetable oil. Again, all you need to do is simply whisk these together. Then combine your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and stir until just combined. It’s very important to not over mix so you end up with light and fluffy cupcakes in the end.

This is a very liquid cupcake batter, so to scoop I recommend placing your batter in a liquid measuring cup to pour them evenly and with little mess. You want to fill these no more than 3/4 of the way full so they don’t spill over the edges of your pan and create a mess when baking.

For cupcakes that all come out perfectly, I like to set my timer for half the time the recipe calls for in order to remember to rotate my pans halfway through baking. Most ovens have what are called “hot spots” where it’s hotter in certain areas. So cupcakes that are in the “hot spots” can bake faster than others, so by rotating your pans halfway through you can ensure they evenly bake.

Once baked, it’s best to immediately take them out of the pan and let them cool on a cooling rack. If you leave them in the pan, they will continue to bake from “carryover heat”, which means your cupcakes could come out perfect and then end up being being dry if left in the pan.

Of course, once cooled it’s time to core your cupcake and fill with Nutella! Be sure to allow your cupcakes to completely cool before doing this step. After filling, then pipe on your cream cheese frosting or use an offset spatula.

If you don’t plan to frost and fill these right away, after cooling completely store them in an airtight container on your counter. Whatever you do, don’t store in the fridge! This can dry out your cupcakes.

A Few More Tips On Making These Nutella Stuffed Cupcakes:

I make these in two bowls and a whisk. You could bust out your mixer, but I find a whisk works wonders and never lets me over mix them. You run a risk of over mixing when using a mixer, so get out your whisk and mix!
Pour your batter into a measuring cup and then pour into your cupcake wells. It makes quick work and also ensures you pour equal amounts of batter into each well. You want to fill them all about 3/4 full to ensure a perfect domed top cupcake like you see in the bakery.
The recipe calls for buttermilk. I rarely have buttermilk in my fridge. And honestly have stopped buying it in the past year. I always make my own now. Because I use it so infrequently it seems silly to buy a whole carton of it. You can make easily make your own buttermilk.
For the cream cheese frosting: you want COLD cream cheese! I know that may goes against everything you have ever heard when it comes to frosting. But cold cream cheese will give you a frosting that can stand up when you go to pipe your cupcakes. If your frosting does up too soft, stick it in the fridge until it firms up.

If you like this recipe be sure to pin for later! And if you like the recipe, let me know and leave me a comment! I love hearing from you!

Red Velvet Nutella Stuffed Cupcakes

How To Make These Cupcakes:

A Few More Tips On Making These Nutella Stuffed Cupcakes: