Nutella-Filled Cinnamon Crumble Cupcakes

Soft, delicious brown-butter cupcakes filled with Nutella and topped with cinnamon sugar and delicious crispy cinnamon crumble. They’re super simple to make and need no equipment! All you need is a bowl, a hand whisk, and a few simple ingredients to make these absolute crowd-pleasers.

Growing up, I was a complete “nutella child”. I ate a nutella sandwich every single day. I had it for breakfast, I took it for school lunches. I was basically known as the girl who eats nutella, which is why it holds such a nostalgic feeling for me.

Believe me, my day was incomplete without a Nutella sandwich – with a GENEROUS amount of Nutella spread between two untoasted slices of white bread. It was my comfort food all the way from childhood till I was 17, and is probably responsible for most of my weight gain growing up (but it was totally worth it).

Over the years, I have definitely grown out of my Nutella-eating habits, mainly cause I am not an adult and have to look after what I eat (🙄). But every now and then, I find myself drifting back to my beloved Nutella sandwich. I can never truly give it up.

Recently I realized that I have not shared a single Nutella dessert recipe with you guys, and 12-year old Ayesha was utterly disappointed with 26-year old Ayesha. So it was about time I fixed that with these delicious Nutella-Filled Cinnamon Crumble Cupcakes.

Fun fact: Back in college, about 8 years ago, when baking was just a “random hobby”, I made a version of these for my friends and they absolutely loved it. Honestly, they were just meh, but the Nutella center still managed to capture everyone’s hearts.

But the moment I thought of creating a dessert with Nutella, my mind was drawn back to the memory of my friends and I, sitting around the dining table and playing some silly card game while enjoying the cupcakes, and I knew I had to recreate them, a little better this time, of course.

So here we are with an absolutely delicious but equally easy recipe that will take bring back your childhood memories and evoke a nostalgia in your tastebuds in the best way possible.

The recipe has three simple parts – the cupcake batter, the nutella filling, and the crumble topping. Let’s get into the details.

Brown Butter Cupcake Batter

The cupcake batter follows a very simple and straightforward recipe that can be made without any fancy equipment. You don’t even need an electric mixer, a hand whisk will do all the work.

The process is simple. First, you mix all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder) and liquid ingredients (milk, eggs, vanilla) in two separate bowls, then combine the two and mix until you have a smooth, thick batter. Then comes the brown butter.

This recipes uses brown butter instead of regular butter. If you don’t know what brown butter is, it’s butter that has been booked until the milk solids in it are roasted and browned. This gives the butter a nutty flavor (because of the roasted milk solids). The nutty flavor of brown butter in this batter perfectly complements the hazelnut flavor tones of Nutella and takes the cupcake to the next level.

Once the brown butter has been mixed in, your batter is ready to go. It really is that simple.

Nutella Filling

The Nutella filling is made with…Nutella (what else? 😂), you don’t need any further explanation.

Here are a few tips to get the most out of your cupcake filling –

1. Use a piping bag (or a snipped zip lock bag) to pipe the nutella into the cupcake batter.
2. When filling the batter with Nutella, push the piping bag into the batter and pipe it in, don’t pipe at the top. You want the filling to be in the center of the cupcake, covered with cake from all sides. If the Nutella is at the top of the batter, it will overcook and harden. Also make sure that the ti of the piping bag is somewhere in the center and not touching the bottom of the pan, because once again, you want the Nutella to not reach the bottom of the cake.
3. Be generous with your piping, or you will end up with very little chocolate in the cupcake, which is just disappointing.
4. Once you take the piping bag out, add a little more batter on the top to cover any streaks of Nutella that may be visible.

The Cinnamon Crumble

The cinnamon crumble recipe is the same as the one I use in my Cinnamon Coffee Cake recipe. It’s simple, quick, and absolutely delicious. The crunchy, cinnamon crumble pairs perfectly with the soft cake and creates an exciting textural experience in your mouth every time you take a bite.

To make the crumble, you will first combine all the dry ingredients (flour, brown sugar, cinnamon powder, salt) and give them a quick whisk. The key to getting a supremely crunchy crumble is using cold butter. Using cold butter allows the crumble to form in chunks, almost like pebbles, instead of plain and sandy. When the chunky bits bake, they become very crispy and crunchy.

Add the cold butter into the cry ingredients and rub it in using your fingers until you have a rough crumble, then top it over each cupcake (after the cinnamon sugar), and bake until nice and golden.

PS: I absolutely love these silicone cupcake molds. They’re very high-quality, super sturdy, and very easy to use because you don’t even have to line them with cupcake liners. The silicone easily releases the cakes and allows for even baking throughout. I would highly recommend getting one if you like making cupcakes.

So, are you ready to bring back your childhood memories with these delicious cupcakes? Let’s get started!

PS: I always measure ingredients in grams, never in cups. Using a measuring scale is the only way to bake accurately. Cups are unreliable and can give different measurements, so I suggest you buy a measuring scale before you start baking! If you can’t get your hands on one, you can use the online tools for converting grams into cups; however, I do not guarantee their accuracy.

These also make for the perfect breakfast recipe (if you love having dessert for breakfast 😉).

If you give this recipe a try, don’t forget to let me know how you liked it in the comments! And of course, share it with me on Instagram.

Until next time!