Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes | Gluten Free

The classic combination of hazelnuts and chocolate in a fluffy gluten free cupcake garnished with swirls of chocolate buttercream and chunks of toasted hazelnut.

Yesterday, Leap Day in fact, this little place on the interwebs turned four. That’s four years of bowl licking, cake baking, quinoa cooking, salad tossing, photograph taking, and washing up. These four years of blogging have brought me so much: virtual friends who have become real friends, chances to work with some amazing people, and a creative place for me to feed my soul. Perhaps I’m not where I thought I would be when I started this blog. I never guessed that my life would turn out like this, but the strange places have brought magical things like getting to marry the love of my life (who I didn’t even know when I started Thoroughly Nourished Life!), travelling, building a home, and starting a fur family. Through it all I have had Thoroughly Nourished Life to turn to. My little home on the internet where I come to play when the outside world is too real. I can come here, turn on my oven, soften some butter and find my center again. Thank you all so much for sticking with me for the past four years. I bet the next four will be even better!Now, let’s talk about cupcakes because that’s what we do around here. These richly chocolate, hazelnut scented cupcakes were all I wanted to bake on the weekend – and I had some very specific criteria. They had to be moist, fluffy, and an even mix of both chocolate and hazelnut. These are like a grown-up Nutella cupcake. The hazelnut flavouring comes from my favourite liqueur: Frangelico, and is backed up with a hearty dose of hazelnut meal in the cupcakes and roasted hazelnuts to garnish. These cupcakes make me feel like I’ve matured past the point of just dipping a spoon into a jar of Nutella and calling that dessert. I totally haven’t, but that’s how magical these cupcakes are!I made these to celebrate not only my blogging anniversary, but also some birthdays at work. They were gone in a minute leaving only a few crumbs as evidence that they had ever existed. With that kind of reception I think they might make the shortlist for my birthday cake this year!
These cupcakes are love at first bite. Moist, hazelnut-y chocolate cupcake paired with fluffy chocolate frosting and the crunch of toasted nuts. A triple threat of deliciousness, and totally irresistible. I wish I could send you all a cupcake to say thank you for four years of a Thoroughly Nourished Life. You guys and gals make my day!

Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes

Gluten Free | Makes about 15 cupcakes | Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 80 grams buckwheat flour
• 65 grams white rice flour
• 65 grams hazelnut meal
• 65 grams sorghum flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 200 grams butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons Frangelico

For the frosting

• 180 grams softened butter
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons Frangelico
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 500 grams icing sugar (gluten free)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and butter and line 15 holes of two 12-cup cupcake tins with papers.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together cocoa, warm water and Greek yoghurt until very smooth.
3. In another medium mixing bowl whisk together buckwheat flour, white rice flour, hazelnut meal, sorghum flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. In the bowl of a standmixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl using a handmixer) beat together butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes.
5. Add eggs and egg white one at a time and beat until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between additions. Mix in vanilla and Frangelico.
6. Turn your mixer to low speed and mix in flour in two parts alternating with the cocoa mixture. Beat until combined.
7. Divide batter evenly between cupcake papers. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched and a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
8. Remove cupcakes from the oven, cool for 5 minutes in the tins, then place on a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
9. To make the frosting place the butter in the bowl of a standmixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer) and beat until light in colour and creamy, about 2 minutes.
10. Add the remaining ingredients and beat on low until just incorporated. Increase speed to high and beat until lighter in colour and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
11. Fit a piping bag with your choice of decorating tip, spoon frosting into bag and frost the top of the cupcakes. Sprinkle over toasted hazelnuts to finish.

If you’re hungry for more chocolate cupcake recipes, may I recommend:

• Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Peppermint Frosting (from me)
• Smores Marshmallow Chocolate Cupcakes (Sweetest Menu)
• Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Cherry Mascarpone Frosting (American Heritage Cooking)