I'm usually not a great fan of chocolates with nuts...but my only exception is Ferrero Rocher and Nutella. And yes, I'm going to break into song now!
"But Darling,
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception"
(Picture Courtesy: Wikipedia)
Did you know that Ferrero Rocher and Nutella are manufactured by Ferrero SpA, an Italian manufacturer of Chocolate and other confectionery products. It was founded by confectioner Pietro Ferrero in 1946 in Alba, Piedmont, Italy. And that's not all, they are also the manufacturers of Confetteria Raffaello, Kinder and Tic-Tac!
Some more interesting trivia, this company is all about secrecy. They do not allow plant visits or press conferences and even their manufacturing equipment is designed by the in-house engineering department. Talk about secrecy!
So moving on, I was looking for cupcake recipes for Meli's Birthday back in February and I found this recipe on http://www.bakerita.com/ferrero-rocher-chocolate-cupcakes/ for Ferrero Rocher Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream. It was really simple and the idea of Ferrero Rocher + Chocolate + Nutella just blew my mind. So I decided to give it a try and it was a hit! Everyone loved it!
(Model: Sydelle Estebeiro, Hand Model: Aleron Nunes)
I also made an Oreo cake after seeing a recipe on the same site, unfortunately whipped cream isn't my friend as you know and the cake didn't turn out the way it should have. But nevertheless Meli loved it, that's what mattered the most.
So anyways, I wanted to make something for my colleagues and thought this would be the perfect recipe. Simple to make and tasty!
The Core Ingredient (like literally)- Ferrero Rocher
I used my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe rather than the one by bakerita. So in went the dry ingredients...
Added the wet the ingredients...
And Voila Approx. 20 minutes later...
Look at that perfect cross section....
And the best part, my colleague Ali Taya gave one of the cupcakes to his sister Asma who posted it on Instagram and it got 81 likes! Wohoo to me!
Ferrero Rocher Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream
Makes 12 Cupcakes
CUPCAKES
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup buttermilk
3 heaping Tbsp cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in room-temperature buttermilk. In a saucepan, melt butter and cocoa together at a low temperature. When smooth, add water. In a separate bowl, sift together sugar, flour, and salt. Add cocoa mixture and egg and mix at low speed. Add buttermilk mixture and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Divide the batter evenly into the prepared cupcake molds. Press one Ferrero Rocher into the center of each cupcake. Try to cover the chocolates with batter by nestling it (though it might not get covered completely). Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Once cool, frost generously with Nutella Buttercream.
NUTELLA BUTTERCREAM
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup Nutella
Pinch of Salt
In a bowl, whip butter for 5 minutes until very pale and creamy. Add remaining ingredients and mix on low speed for 1 minute and then on medium speed for 5 minutes. Frosting will be very light, creamy and fluffy.
Notes:
- There might be a slight indent in the middle of the cupcake because of the Ferrero Rocher's, but that's perfectly okay.
- The recipe says bake 350F for 20 minutes but this depends from oven to oven. So you would need to set the temperature as per your oven.
