Monday, November 12, 2012

Nutella Buttercream Frosting

I have a Nutella problem.  Once I open a jar I simply cannot stop eating it.  My preferred method of consumption is by the spoonful.  Eventually I realize I have eaten too much of the chocolatey hazelnut goodness, but then it seems like I have to even out what is left in the jar.  Before you know it, the jar is gone and my jeans are tight!

While Nutella by the spoonful is delightful, I figured I might as well try to find some other uses as well.  I've always wanted to try a Nutella buttercream, but I was worried I might be wasting precious Nutella if the frosting was a bust.  Fortunately, this recipe was delicious!  This will make enough frosting to pipe onto a dozen cupcakes, but would probably frost close to two dozen if you were just spreading it on.  I put the frosting on a basic chocolate cupcake.  If you want to kick things up a notch, fill the cupcake with a little bit of pure Nutella before frosting.  Enjoy!
NUTELLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
From Hannah's Kitchen

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup Nutella
Pinch of salt
2 cups powdered sugar
4 to 6 tablespoons heavy cream

DIRECTIONS
1. Beat butter, Nutella and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer until combined.

2. Gradually add in powdered sugar and enough heavy cream to reach desired consistency.

3. When the sugar and cream have been incorporated, beat the frosting on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.