These Caramel Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes combine the soft, tender, moist and buttery hazelnut cake with fluffy caramel-infused whipped chocolate ganache frosting and salted caramel drizzle. Roasted hazelnuts make the world of a difference in elevating the flavor. The frosting is made from rich chocolate ganache with caramel sauce mixed right in and then lightened up after you whip it just a bit. It is rich in chocolate taste with a hint of salt from the salted caramel. These are certainly on the fancy scale of cupcakes, but still very simple to make. If you love Ferrero Rocher and Nutella, then you will love them! Here are my other very popular chocolate cake recipes to try: BEST Moist Chocolate Cake recipe or my smaller Ultimate Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake and my Chocolate Hazelnut Layer Cake.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Fluffy hazelnut sponge cake - the cakes are very fluffy with a bit of texture from the ground up hazelnuts.
- Fine crumb texture - the crumb structure is really nice and fine which makes very delicate hazelnut cupcakes that just melt in your mouth.
- Rich hazelnut flavor - roasting the hazelnuts before grinding them and adding them to the batter adds SO much flavor!
- Smooth rich caramel chocolate frosting - the frosting is to die for! It's a whipped ganache infused with salted caramel with just 3 main ingredients. It sounds fancy but it is easy to make. You will need to make a batch of my Rich Salted Caramel Sauce, or use your favorite store-bought version.
HOW TO ROAST AND GRIND HAZELNUTS
To prepare the hazelnuts for this recipe, we need to roast them first, remove the skins and grind them. You can roast them in the oven or in a dry frying pan. I prefer to roast them in the oven when grinding them since it is more effective at loosening the skins. Place the hazelnuts in an even layer on a large baking sheet and place them in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes until they smell fragrant and look golden brown. You will hear the skins crackling when they are ready.
Remove the tray from the oven, and while the nuts are still hot, tip them out onto a clean kitchen towel. Wrap the towel around the nuts and then rub the towel around. The friction of the nuts rubbing against each other will loosen the skins and they will fall off once you open up the towel. Let the nuts cool completely and then grind them in a food processor.
INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CUPCAKES
Here are some notes about the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Butter - butter gives so much richness and is an amazing carrier of the nutty hazelnut flavor.
- Oil - a bit of oil blended with butter actually changes the melting profile of the fat so that the cupcakes will stay softer. I love using olive oil because the hint of flavor it gives really complements the hazelnuts, but you can use canola oil or sunflower oil.
- Granulated sugar - simple white sugar will keep these cakes sweet and moist.
- Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is essential to enhance the flavor of the hazelnuts.
- Eggs - three whole eggs will set the structure of these cupcakes and help emulsify the batter and give a soft spongy texture.
- Milk - regular 2% or whole milk works great here.
- All purpose flour - you do not need specialty cake flour to make a wonderful cake. Just be sure to measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour is the most common mistake and leads to tough and dry cake. The most accurate way to measure flour is using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, spoon it into your measuring cup and use a knife to level it off.
- Hazelnuts - for the best flavor, roast the hazelnuts before you chop them. The fastest way to do this is to place them in a dry frying pan over medium heat and shake the pan frequently until they are golden and fragrant.
- Dark chocolate - you'll need pure dark chocolate to make the frosting - do not use compound chocolate. I prefer dark chocolate to balance the sweetness and anything with 55-65% cocoa solids will work. Avoid extra bitter chocolate which has a higher cocoa content and will throw off the cream ratios so that the frosting may end up too stiff.
- Cream - you will need heavy whipping cream with 35% milkfat to make the ganache frosting.
- Caramel sauce - this luscious frosting is extra special with my Salted Caramel Sauce mixed in. It gives it a smooth silky texture and complex sweetness with a hint of salt.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- STEP 1). Roast the hazelnuts. Place raw hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden and fragrant. Let cool slightly and then rub off skins using a tea towel. You can also toast them in a dry frying pan over medium heat with frequent shaking so they toast evenly.
- STEP 2). Make the cake batter. Grind hazelnuts. Process pulse until hazelnuts are very finely ground in a food processor.
- STEP 3). Cream butter and sugar. Beat soft butter with sugar and vanilla in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer for 2 minutes on medium-high speed until very pale. Beat in eggs one a time until very pale (almost white) and fluffy. Mix in ground roasted hazelnuts.
- STEP 4). Add dry ingredients. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly. Add half of it to the butter/egg mixture and mix on medium-low, then gradually pour in the milk and mix until it becomes smooth. Mix in the remaining flour mixture until it is just combined.
- STEP 5). Bake. Divide the batter evenly among cupcake papers filling them about ¾ full and bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly golden and slightly firm to the touch. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
- STEP 6). Make the frosting. Place chopped chocolate and caramel sauce in a large bowl. Pour cream into a 1-quart saucepan and place over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Once simmering, immediately pour it over the chopped chocolate. Cover the bowl and set aside for 2 minutes. Then, stir gently in concentric circles starting in the center and working your way out to the edges until it becomes glossy and smooth. Stir in salt. Place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes total, checking on it and stirring every 5 minutes. You are waiting for it to thicken up like pudding, but it should be set or firm.
- STEP 7). Whip the ganache. Once thickened, beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed for 30-60 seconds until aerated and fluffy. Do not over-whip or it can stiffen up and turn grainy. Use it immediately to frost the cupcakes.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CUPCAKES
- Use olive oil for extra special flavor. It's optional, but it really adds complexity to the flavor of these cakes.
- Do not reduce the sugar - the right amount of sugar will make cupcakes moist because it binds water so that it stays tightly in the batter and doesn't evaporate excessively during baking.
- Keep an eye on the baking time. Set a timer for the first time stated in the recipe and check with a skewer - it should come out clean. These cakes will not get very brown on top. They will be ready when they are just lightly golden. The hazelnuts have a drying effect and it's easy to over-bake these cupcakes so just watch out for that.
RECIPE FAQ
Firstly - use a fresh oil! Do not use anything that's been opened for a long time and when you store oil, it should be in a cool dark place. Light and heat accelerate oxidation reactions that can make the flavor turn rancid. Generally, my oil of choice for baking is sunflower oil for its clean and neutral taste, but any other oil such as canola or safflower will do. I like to use olive oil when it makes sense like in this recipe combined with hazelnuts and chocolate = YUM.
Yes, you can freeze the unfrosted cooled cupcakes. To do this, let the cakes cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, wrap them individually in plastic wrap, and then place them in a resealable plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
That is normal for this recipe! These cupcakes will rise and then fall just slightly as they cool. That's because there is a high ration of eggs to flour so that we get really soft spongy and moist cakes. The fact that these cakes bake up with just a soft dome is great for decorating!
This delicious recipe for chocolate ganache frosting makes enough to pipe all 16 cupcakes, but if you prefer a lot more frosting, then you can easily double the recipe.
If you love cake, check out these recipes!
Ultimate Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Sticky Toffee Date Cake Moist Lemon Blueberry Bread Olive Oil Chocolate Bundt Cake Best Vanilla Cupcake Recipe with Chocolate Fudge Frosting Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Creamy Milk Chocolate Frosting Blueberry Peach Upside Down CakeCake cravings
Looking for other cake recipes? Try these:
Baking with hazelnuts
These are some other desserts to make with hazelnuts:
Video
Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes with Caramel Chocolate Ganache Frosting
Ingredients
Cupcake batter:
- 6 tablespoon (84g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoon (30ml) olive oil
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (100g) roasted hazelnuts, finely ground
- 1 ¼ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (120ml) whole milk
Caramel Chocolate Ganache frosting:
- 10 oz (284g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon (30ml) Rich Salted Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup (237ml) 35% heavy whipping cream
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- Roast the hazelnuts. Place raw hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden and fragrant. Let cool slightly and then rub off skins using a tea towel. You can also toast them in a dry frying pan over medium heat with frequent shaking so they toast evenly.
- Transfer cooled hazelnuts to a food processor and pulse until hazelnuts are very finely ground.
- Make the cake batter. Beat soft butter with sugar, oil and vanilla in a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer for 2 minutes on medium-high speed until pale and creamy. Beat in eggs one a time until very pale (almost white) and fluffy. Mix in ground roasted hazelnuts.
- Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly. Add half of it to the butter/egg mixture and mix on medium-low, then gradually pour in the milk and mix until it becomes smooth. Mix in the remaining flour mixture until it is just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly among cupcake papers filling them about ¾ full and bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly golden and slightly firm to the touch. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
- Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before transferring individual cupcakes to the rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting. Place chopped chocolate and caramel sauce in a large bowl and set aside. Pour cream into a 1-quart stainless steel saucepan and place over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Once simmering, immediately pour it over the chopped chocolate. Cover the bowl and set aside for 2 minutes. Then, stir gently in concentric circles starting in the center and working your way out to the edges until it becomes glossy and smooth. Stir in salt. Place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes total, checking on it and stirring every 5 minutes. You are waiting for it to thicken up like pudding, but it should be set or firm.
- Once thickened, beat with an electric handheld mixer on medium speed for 30-60 seconds until aerated and fluffy. Do not over-whip or it can stiffen up and turn grainy. Use it immediately to frost the cupcakes.
- Decorate. Drizzle some Salted Caramel Sauce over each cupcake and sprinkle more chopped roasted hazelnuts on top.
Nancy Carrington
Why do you use 8” inch pans? Do you put the cupcake papers in the round pans?
christina.marsigliese
Sorry Nancy, that's an error. Use a standard muffin pan.