If I have to make Nutella buttercream at our home, I have to make twice the amount I need for my cupcakes or cakes. Because both Rhea and Aadi love Nutella (honestly, all kids do). And I also love Nutella myself, so I can’t complain. Of course, Nutella is a brand name for hazelnut spread, but it has a distinctly unique flavor. It’s made of ground hazelnuts, vegetable shortening, and cocoa powder. You can make hazelnut spread at home, but it’s not the same as Nutella. For those of you who don’t get Nutella, you can make a homemade hazelnut spread using this recipe.

Homemade hazelnut spread

Pulse the hazelnuts in a food processor until you have a paste consistency – hazelnut butter. Then, add all the other ingredients and mix on high for 3 to 4 minutes more or until you have a smooth glossy hazelnut spread Transfer to a mason jar with a tight lid. This spread will last at room temperature for up to a month. Make sure you keep the lid closed when not using it. You can use this in the recipe below to make a hazelnut buttercream frosting.

One buttercream recipe with many different flavors

I believe in using tools that help simplify the cake-decorating process. By now, you must have seen this recipe – one buttercream recipe with many different buttercream flavors. In it, I shared how you can create many different flavors from just one simple basic recipe. And it includes all American buttercream, Swiss meringue buttercream, and Italian meringue buttercream. When do I use it? Well, when I have my velvet American buttercream frosting already made, and I don’t mind that it has meringue powder in it, I just add some flavoring to that recipe to create a new flavor. For example, I add 1/2 cup Kahlua to 4 cups of already prepared buttercream frosting.

Why make it from scratch?

However, making a flavored buttercream from scratch has the advantage that you can control the amount of liquid, which means you can control the consistency of the buttercream. So, the next time you want to make a delicious Nutella buttercream frosting to pipe pretty swirls on a cupcake or cake, make it from scratch using this recipe. This one has the perfect consistency for pipe swirls or borders around a cake.

Step-by-step instructions

Add hot water to the cocoa powder and create a paste. Set aside to cool. Cream the butter, Nutella, salt, and fresh cream until light and fluffy. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla -mix for a minute more until all the cocoa is well incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure it’s all one color. Finally, start adding the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Once all the powdered sugar is in whip until for three to four minutes until  you have whipped cream consistency The mixing helps build volume, which gives this buttercream a piping consistency. So don’t skimp on the whipping.

If you love Nutella, you may also love these two recipes by BakeAlish – Nutella Overload Cupcakes and Nutella Swiss Roll Cake. Did you LIKE this recipe? Save it for later. You can find my recipes on Pinterest. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.Subscribe, and I’ll send you new recipes right to your inbox. Thank you for sharing - Save for later

Rich Dark Nutella Buttercream Frosting - 69Rich Dark Nutella Buttercream Frosting - 40Rich Dark Nutella Buttercream Frosting - 80Rich Dark Nutella Buttercream Frosting - 71Rich Dark Nutella Buttercream Frosting - 47Rich Dark Nutella Buttercream Frosting - 99