{RECIPE}: Chocolate and Hazelnut Cupcakes with Hazelnut Buttercream Frosting

The Islamic Society on campus is one of the most popular and most active societies at my university. In just one week they managed to raise over £10,000 for Syria - awesome stuff! 

I chose to join the team at the beginning of this year and it's been an incredibly positive and spiritually uplifting experience. But, I feel kind of bad that I'm not as involved as I had hoped to have been when I first signed up. My course is really demanding and with so many other commitments it's been a bit of a juggling act.

The ISOC always has something going on every week and a couple of weeks ago they held a week long event dedicated to raising money through a number of different events - bake sales, parties, quizzes, talks, pantomimes, fashion shows and auctions.

I was involved with coming up with questions for the quiz but I wanted to do more to make up for my lack of involvement in the previous weeks and so I decided to contribute towards the bake sale. Surprise, surprise ;)

I knew for definite nutella would somehow have to be involved. I'm addicted to the stuff and you'll often find me eating it straight out of the jar.  ... This would have been the first time anyone who wasn't either a) family or b) a friend, trying something I had made, so, to say I was nervous would be a huge understament. Eeek!

Unfortunately I couldn't attend any of the events and I'm not sure how well the cupcakes were received, but I hope they raised a ton of money and the cupcakes went down well ... I certainly wasn't complaining during quality control ;)

THE RECIPE: Preheat oven to 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3. Makes 12.

INGREDIENTS
For the cupcake
120g self raising flour
25g cocoa powder
170g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
60g unsalted butter
1 egg
145ml milk
Nutella

For the Frosting
280g icing sugar
85g unsalted butter
30ml milk
110g nutella

METHOD:

1. Combine your dry ingredients in a bowl - the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter. Mix well and rub in that butter until you get a breadcrumb-y consistency.

2. In a seperate bowl, mix together the egg and milk.

3. Slowly add the egg&milk mixture to the dry mix and combine well.

4. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling two-thirds of the way up.

5. Place in the oven for 20 minutes. Once baked, place on a cooling and allow to completely cool.

6. Remove/hollow out a portion of the cake from the centre and place a dollop of nutella. You can replace the cake you removed back on top or you can choose to cover it up with the frosting. 

7. For the frosting - mix together the butter and icing sugar. Gradually add the milk and continue to beat. (The longer you mix the fluffier it'll be.)

8. Add the nutella and combine well.

9. Place the frosting into a piping bag and pipe away!