Recipe: Hazelnut Chocolate Cupcakes by The Loopy Whisk

As you all know, The Loopy Whisk is one of our favourite recipe creators, especially when it comes to Gluten Free baking!!

These hazelnut chocolate cupcakes taste like Nutella and are moist and full of chocolate. They are also filled with a creamy centre of hazelnut praline paste and are topped with a delicious hazelnut buttercream frosting! I can assure you, you will not believe these are gluten free!

Hazelnut praline paste (you will need one quantity)

Ingredients

• 300 g (2 heaped cups) raw hazelnuts

• 225 g (1 ⅛ cups) caster/superfine or granulated sugar

• 3 tbsp water

• 2-3 tsp sunflower (or other neutral-tasting) oil, optional

• ¼-½ tsp salt

Instructions

Toasting the hazelnuts:

1. Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan or skillet on the stove over medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes, until their skins start loosening and they get deep brown spots.

2. Tip the toasted hazelnuts into a tea towel and use it to rub off their skins.

3. Cool the hazelnuts completely and discard the loosened skins. Set aside until needed.

Making the caramel:

1. Line a baking sheet or tray with a piece of baking/greaseproof paper.

2. In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar has melted and turns a deep amber colour.

3. Pour the caramel onto the lined baking sheet/tray in an even, thin layer.

4. Allow to cool and harden completely, then cut into smaller shards with a sharp knife.

Making the hazelnut praline paste:

1. Add the toasted and de-skinned hazelnuts and the broken-up caramel shards to the bowl of a food processor or blender.

2. Start blending/processing the mixture. Initially, it will form a fine powder. After 5-10 minutes, it will start forming a paste. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the food processor or blender as needed. Tip: If the mixture is proving particularly stubborn and doesn’t want to form a paste even after prolonged blending, add sunflower oil (1 teaspoon at a time, but no more than 3 teaspoons) to kick-start the transition to a paste.

3. Blend/process the paste until smooth and pourable. Add the salt and blend/process until evenly distributed.

4. Pour the finished hazelnut praline paste into an air-tight container, such as a mason jar, for storage.

Storage:

1. The hazelnut praline paste keeps well in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to about 1 month.

For chocolate cupcakes:

• 200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa solids), chopped

• 150 g (1 ⅓ sticks) unsalted butter

• 15 g (⅛ cup) Dutch processed cocoa powder

• 150 g (¾ cup) caster/superfine sugar

• 3 UK medium/US large eggs, room temperature

• 65 g (½ cup + ½ tbsp) plain gluten free flour blend (I used Doves Farm Free plain gluten free flour blend, which doesn't contain xanthan gum. You can also mix your own blend with 50% white rice flour, 30% potato starch and 20% maize flour by weight.)

• 32 g (⅓ cup) ground hazelnuts

• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp xanthan gum (Omit if your GF flour blend already contains xanthan.)

• ½ tsp salt

• 90 g (3/8 cup) hot water

For hazelnut buttercream frosting:

• 340 g (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

• 270 g (2 ¼ cups) powdered/icing sugar (You can use up to a total of 360g/3 cups of powdered sugar, but that will give a very sweet frosting - remember that you'll be adding the hazelnut praline paste as well!)

• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

• ⅓-½ cup hazelnut praline paste (⅓ cup will give a very stable frosting with a less intense hazelnut flavour. ½ cup will give a slightly softer frosting with a much more intense flavour.)

METHOD

For chocolate cupcakes:

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 320ºF (160ºC) and line a 12-hole cupcake/muffin baking tin with cupcake liners.

2. In a heat-proof bowl above a pot of simmering water, melt together the chocolate and butter.

3. Once melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool until warm. Then, mix in the cocoa powder and sugar.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition.

5. Sift together the gluten free flour blend, ground hazelnuts, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt, and add them to the wet ingredients. Mix well until combined.

6. Add the hot water to the cupcake batter, and whisk well until you get a smooth, glossy batter.

7. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 cupcakes, so that each cupcake liner is about ¾ full.

8. Bake at 320ºF (160ºC) for about 30 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.

9. Remove the cupcakes from the cupcake tin, and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack.

For hazelnut buttercream frosting:

1. In a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer with the double beaters attachment, beat the butter for 2 - 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy.

2. Add the powdered/icing sugar, and beat for a further 5 - 7 minutes, until very pale and fluffy.

3. Add the vanilla bean paste and the hazelnut praline paste, and mix until only just incorporated.

4. Set aside until needed.

Assembling the cupcakes:

1. Use an apple corer or a piping nozzle, turned upside down, to create a hole in the middle of each cupcake. Fill it with about 1 teaspoon of the hazelnut praline paste.

2. Pipe the hazelnut buttercream frosting on top of the filled cupcakes with a piping nozzle of your choice (I used a Wilton 1M nozzle).

3. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings or sprinkles, and serve.