Some days I wake up and have this need to bake something. I had some leftover marble cake in the fridge that I had plans to frost and decorate. Then that “feeling” took over. The need to actually put something in the oven and watch it bake. So I made some Midnight Chocolate Cupcakes. Midnight because of the black cocoa in them. To top them off I made a basic Swiss Meringue Buttercream but I added a little something extra. There was a jar of Nutella burning a hole in my cupboard so I tossed some of that in the buttercream. And boom, Chocolate and Nutella cupcakes were born. Heavenly.
On Saturday I got a bit of shopping in and found Pizzelles, an Italian wafer cookie. I thought those would be perfect adorning the tops of these beauties so I crushed some up and added some chopped, toasted hazelnuts as well. I wanted to kind of mimic the flavors and textures of a Ferrero Rocher. My favorite part is the wafer shell. And then finally, because going overboard is kind of my thing lately, a whole Ferrero Rocher on top.
They turned out beautifully. If I do say so myself! I love it when a plan comes together. For these cupcakes I used my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe and did a 50/50 ratio of black cocoa to the Ghirardelli cocoa I always bake with. For the buttercream I started with your basic run of the mill SMBC recipe. Once I had all of the butter incorporated I started adding a couple spoonfuls of Nutella and beating that in. I used about half of a 13oz jar to get the taste I wanted.
Now that the cupcakes are out of the way, I need to share a secret. I am completely obsessed with Instagram. I know, I know, I’m so late to the game on this one. I’m so in love that I have even considered leaving Facebook for Instagram. It’s just so much better in so many ways. I have obviously filled my feed with all things baked goods which makes me so happy. There are so many new styles and techniques in cake decorating that I get to see from all over the world. Seriously, Australia, where have you and your bakers been all my life?!?! I just love it. It’s my new addiction.
Hope your week is wonderful!
Ann