Ever tasted frosting so good you forgot you needed the cake part? Well, this Nutella Buttercream is that kind of frosting recipe! Made with icing sugar, butter, Nutella, cream, and cocoa powder, this will be your new go-to chocolate frosting recipe.
If you're looking for delicious recipes to try this chocolate Nutella frosting on, see my collection of Easy and Delicious Cake Recipes. Don't miss this Bar One Chocolate Caramel Cake, which would be amazing with this frosting!
Why This Nutella Buttercream Recipe Works
- Recipe name: Nutella Buttercream Frosting
- Ready in: 30 minutes
- Serves: 4 cups
- Main ingredients: Icing sugar, butter, cream, Nutella, and cocoa powder.
- Perfect for: Frosting vanilla or chocolate cakes and cupcakes. This would also be delicious sandwiched between cookies, like these Jam Sandwich Cookies!
- Why I love it: This Nutella buttercream frosting is smooth, fluffy, and perfect for piping onto cupcakes or frosting layer cakes. This recipe makes enough frosting to ice 24 cupcakes or one two-layer 22cm (9 inches) cake.
- Calories: 1573kcal
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If you are looking for the perfect cupcake recipe to use this frosting on, try out these easy, no-fail Moist Vanilla Cupcakes or this recipe for Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes. This frosting would also be great spread over this Banana Caramel Cake or this Chocolate Sheet Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting; simply substitute the frosting.
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Key Ingredients
- Cocoa powder - Choose a quality unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Whipping cream - Heavy cream refers to creams with a fat content above 36%. In South Africa, these creams are often called whipping cream. Please don't make the mistake of confusing this with double thick cream, it isn't the same!
- Nutella - Use Nutella in this recipe or another chocolate hazelnut spread.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
This frosting recipe is great because it is super quick and low-fuss. If you'd like to try a Nutella frosting recipe without cocoa powder, try the frosting from this Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Cake. This Nutella frosting is made with melted chocolate instead.
How to Make Nutella Buttercream
- Step 1: To a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the icing sugar, cocoa powder, and unsalted butter. Beat at medium speed until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- Step 2: With the mixer's motor running at low speed, slowly pour the cream into the frosting mixture. Once all the cream has been added, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes.
- Step 3: Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat the frosting again at medium-high speed for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy and at the perfect consistency.
- Step 4: Add the Nutella to the whipped frosting and beat again until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. The frosting is now ready to be filled into a piping bag or spread onto cakes. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use room-temperature butter.
- Be sure to beat the frosting for long enough, depending on the temperature of your butter; this can take 10 minutes or longer to get the right consistency.
- Use an electric mixer to achieve a fluffy buttercream.
- Never decorate warm cupcakes or cakes; the buttercream will melt.
- Always use the buttercream to decorate as soon as it has finished beating.
- If decorating is difficult because the frosting is too hard, then add it back to the mixer and beat it again.
- Always cool your cupcakes or layer cake on a wire rack before frosting.
Nutella Buttercream FAQs
Wait - having room-temperature butter is the most important step in a successful frosting. Choose to wait until the butter has reached room temperature before making this recipe, or cube the butter and heat it gently in the microwave, being careful not melt it.
When in doubt, keep mixing - getting a fluffy frosting takes time, so if your frosting looks too hard to spread, then keep beating it. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl often so the frosting mixes evenly.
If you want to make this homemade Nutella frosting ahead of time, you can. Once made, store it in an airtight container or large bowl covered with cling film and place it in the fridge. Before using it, remove the frosting from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for a couple of hours, then beat it again until it is light and fluffy. Once it is light and fluffy, use it to decorate cakes and cupcakes.
I hope you give this delicious Nutella buttercream a go! And let me know in the comments below how you used it - cakes, cookies, or cupcakes! I would love to hear from my fellow Nutella lovers. I love spreading it over this Vanilla Buttercream Cake when I am in the mood for something chocolately!
Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
Please leave a star rating and comment below if you tried this recipe! And if you're wondering what to try next, have a look at these Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes!
📖 Recipe
Nutella Buttercream
Ingredients
Nutella Buttercream
- 600 g powdered sugar sifted
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 300 g unsalted butter room-temperature
- 200 ml whipping cream
- 200 g Nutella
Instructions
Nutella Buttercream
- To a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment add the icing sugar, cocoa powder, and unsated butter. Beat at medium speed until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- With the mixer's motor running at low speed slowly pour the cream into the frosting mixture. Once all the cream has been added increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for 5 minutes.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat the frosting again at medium-high speed for a couple of minutes until light, fluffy, and the perfect consistency.
- Add the Nutella to the whipped frosting and beat again until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- The frosting is now ready to be filled into a piping bag or spread onto cakes. Enjoy!
Notes
- For the fluffiest buttercream, always use room-temperature butter.
- If the forsting seems to stiff to pipe, continue mixing and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Mel says
This frosting is so good! Tried it on chocolate cupcakes!