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Chocolate Cupcakes with Hazelnut Cream

These chocolate cupcakes are one of the best desserts you’ll ever make – its super fudgy, rich, chocolatey and delicious, and to top it all you drizzle a big mound of luscious hazelnut cream.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Hazelnut Cream

Photo: Natalie Levin



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Chocolate Cupcakes with Hazelnut Cream

Servings 12 chocolate cupcakes
Author Natalie

Ingredients

For chocolate and praline cupcakes:

  • 200 grams dark chocolate
  • 125 grams butter
  • 30 grams praline paste
  • Pinch of salt
  • 150 grams sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 50 grams cornstarch
  • 20 grams cocoa powder
  • 30 grams ground hazelnuts
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder

For hazelnut cream:

  • 250 ml. milk
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 40 grams sugar
  • 20 grams cornstarch
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 125 grams butter
  • 100 grams praline paste

Decoration:

  • 100 grams melted dark chocolate
  • caramelized hazelnuts bits

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees and grease the pan well.
  2. Chop the chocolate and put in a bowl.
  3. Add butter and solvent together in the microwave or over double-boiler until everything is melted and mixture is smooth.
  4. Add praline paste, salt and sugar and beat well until blended.
  5. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring between additions.
  6. Add cornstarch, cocoa powder, ground hazelnuts and baking powder and mix just until incorporated.
  7. Pour the mixture into the pan and filled up to about 2/3 of each hole.
  8. Bake the cakes for about 15-20 minutes or until set at the edges, but still slightly soft in the center.
  9. Cool completely and extracting from the mold.
  10. Hazelnut cream: in a medium pot heat milk to a simmer.
  11. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla.
  12. Add about 1/3 amount of boiling milk over the egg yolk mixture while whisking until mixture is smooth.
  13. Add the remaining milk mixture into a bowl and beat well.
  14. Return the mixture into the pot and cook while constant whisking on medium-high flame until you get a thick pastry cream.
  15. Cool the cream in the refrigerator until it is completely set.
  16. Transfer the cold cream into a bowl and beat well.
  17. In a mixer bowl whip the butter with a paddle-attachment until it softens slightly. Add praline paste and blend until mixture is smooth.
  18. Add the whipped cream into the butter and mix just until creamy smooth.
  19. Transfer the cream into a piping bag fitted with large round piping tip.
  20. Pipe high mounds of cream to the top of each cake.
  21. Decoration: melt the chocolate in the microwave or over double-boiler.
  22. Pour the chocolate onto a baking paper and spread to about of 2-3 mm thick.
  23. Sprinkle generously hazelnut bits and cool for 1-2 minutes in the refrigerator until the chocolate begins to set, but still slightly soft.
  24. Use a 4-5 cm cookie cutter and cut the chocolate into circles. Cool completely in the fridge for half an hour.
  25. Place a chocolate and hazelnut disc on top of the cream and serve.

Recipe Notes

  • The cupcakes are at their best on the day or two after preparation.
  • Praline paste can be bought in baking specialty stores for products and raw materials.
  • Keep the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
  • You can make the recipe in one 22 cm round cake. The baking time will be longer.
Chocolate Cupcakes with Hazelnut Cream

Photo: Natalie Levin
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