Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream

    Valentine's day can be a total downer for girls without boyfriends. This year, my friend and I decided to have a girls' night in to celebrate the fun parts of the holiday for single girls like us - takeout, romantic comedies, and most importantly, chocolate!
   We took a basic yet delicious chocolate cupcake recipe (with amazingly tasty, slightly chewy edges!) and wanted something to make it incredible. We found a recipe for buttercream. With an entire jar of Nutella added in. This frosting takes everything great about the chocolatey spread and multiplies it by a thousand, making it light enough to eat by the spoonful! Although, who am I kidding, we ate some plain Nutella by the spoonful too...
   Enjoy!

Basic Chocolate Cupcakes

(from Hershey's Kitchens)

2 cups sugar 

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda 

1 teaspoon salt 

2  eggs 

1 cup milk 

1/2 cup vegetable oil 

1 cup boiling water  

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 30 cupcake cups with paper liners, or grease.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Divide batter amongst prepared pans.
Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Nutella Buttercream 

(slightly adapted from Cannella Vita)

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 13-ounce jar Nutella
pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1.5 pounds confectioners’ sugar
6-8 tablespoons milk

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and shortening until well combined, thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar, and continue mixing until well blended.

Add salt, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 3-5 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. 

Add the Nutella and beat for another 3 minutes.