Frangelico Chocolate Cupcakes

June 1: National Hazelnut Cake Day

Those who fancy filberts like Highlander and Islander can celebrate National Hazelnut Cake Day with these triple-threat treats—chocolate cupcakes infused with Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur), frosted with Frangelico-Nutella (hazelnut-chocolate spread) and topped with toasted hazelnuts.

Recipe

(Adapted from RecipeZaar)

For the Frangelico Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 (18.25 ounces) box chocolate cake mix
(we recommend Duncan Hines Moist Devil’s Food Cake)
• 1 package  (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
• 1 cup hazelnuts/filberts, chopped, toasted and divided in half

Directions

Line muffin tins with cupcake papers.  In a large mixing bowl, put in all the ingredients except for half of the hazelnuts and blend until the batter is thick and smooth. Gently fold in ½ cup of hazelnuts.  Scoop the batter into the cupcake papers. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting or decorating them. This recipe yields about 2 ½ dozen cupcakes.

For the Frangelico-Nutella Frosting

(Adapted from Frangelico)

• 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 6 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
• 3 tablespoons Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
• ½ cup Nutella

Directions

Sift the sugar and cocoa powder together. Cream the butter, then gradually add the sugar-cocoa mixture and beat until smooth.  Stir in the Frangelico and Nutella until a spreadable consistency is achieved.

Frost the cupcakes. Dip the tops of each cupcake into a bowl of the remaining ½ cup of toasted hazelnut pieces.

Notes

• Toasting the hazelnuts brings out more of their natural flavor.  Spread them on a sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Allow the hazelnuts to cool before using them in a recipe.
• Search our blog for other posts with recipes containing hazelnuts/filberts, Frangelico or Nutella as ingredients.