Marbled Nutella cupcakes

Yesterday was the main squeeze’s 25th birthday, so the least I could do (apart from encouraging him to drink entirely too much beer on a work night, of course) was bake the man some cupcakes. Since Jon’s all about the milk chocolate and hazelnut combo, I figured, “heck, why not just dump a pile of Nutella into some cupcake batter?” So, that was precisely what I set out to do.

That’s the view of my marbled chocosensation from the top. While I used this recipe as a template, my version calls for less sugar and butter, so it’s marginally healthier without being too pushy about it. My adapted recipe is as follows:

• 4 tbsp butter, softened
• 2/3 cup unrefined cane sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Approximately 1/3 cup of Nutella (or similar hazelnut-chocolate spread)

1. Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until well mixed.
2. One by one, add the eggs. Mix well.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into the mix. Combine.
4. Spoon batter into a muffin tin (lined with paper muffin liners or not, your choice). Each cup should be filled approximately 3/4 with batter. Top off the cups with about a teaspoon of Nutella. Swirl in the Nutella with a knife or toothpick.
5. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Yields 12.

"EAT ME!"

These cupcakes are as delicious as they are easy to make, rich and flavourful without being overly sweet. The best part? No need for icing; when swirled into the cupcake batter, the Nutella bakes into a soft and slightly crumbly cover that does just fine on its own.