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'Question...?' Cupcakes

Inspired by Taylor Swift's song 'Question...?', these chocolate & hazelnut cupcakes are topped with a boozy chocolate whipped cream icing and decorated with a gold Ferrero Rocher and homemade hazelnut praline 'meteor'.
Course Dessert, Snack
Keyword Amaretto, Chocolate, Ferrero Rocher, Hazelnut, Praline, Whipped cream
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 12 cupcakes

Equipment

  • 1 piping bag
  • 1 large open star piping tip

Ingredients

For the chocolate & hazelnut cupcakes:

  • 50 g blanched hazelnuts, roasted, cooled and finely ground (see Note 1).
  • 150 g Stork (see Note 2).
  • 150 g caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 100 g self-raising flour
  • 40 g cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 tbsp brewed coffee, cooled (see Note 3).
  • 1 splash vanilla extract

For the hazelnut praline:

  • 50 g blanched hazelnuts, roasted and roughly chopped (see Note 1).
  • 150 g caster sugar.

For the chocolate & hazelnut whipped cream icing:

  • 200 g chocolate hazelnut spread
  • 600 ml double cream
  • 50 g light brown soft sugar
  • 1/8 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 1-2 tbsp amaretto liqueur, to taste (optional).

To decorate:

  • 12 Ferrero Rocher chocolates, unwrapped.
  • Gold lustre dust
  • Vanilla extract (see Note 4).

Instructions

Make the chocolate & hazelnut cupcakes:

  • Preheat the oven to 170°C (conventional oven). Line a 12-hole cupcake tray with brown cupcake cases and set aside.
  • Place all of the ingredients, bar the ground hazelnuts, into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium-low speed until the dry ingredients are mostly incorporated, then turn the speed up to full power and whisk until you have a smooth, light and fluffy batter- about 1 minute.
  • Fold the ground hazelnuts into the batter by hand, then divide the batter evenly between the 12 cupcake cases.
  • Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when touched gently. As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

Make the hazelnut praline:

  • Spread the chopped hazelnuts into a single, even layer on a baking tray, lined with greaseproof paper.
  • Place the sugar into a saucepan and set over medium-low heat. Leave over the heat, without stirring, until the sugar has completely melted and has turned a deep caramel colour.
  • Remove the caramel from the heat and immediately pour over the chopped hazelnuts. Set aside at room temperature until hardened and completely cool.
  • Break the praline into small shards and set aside at room temperature until ready to decorate the cakes.

Prepare the Ferrero Rocher chocolates:

  • Unwrap 12 Ferrero Rocher chocolates and place them on a baking tray, line with greaseproof paper.
  • Mix a small amount of gold lustre dust with enough vanilla extract to give a watercolour-like consistency. Use a clean, food-safe paintbrush to brush the gold 'paint' all over the surface of each chocolate, then set aside on the tray to set.
  • If desired, paint a small amount of gold onto the praline shards as well, and allow them to set alongside the chocolates.

Make the chocolate & hazelnut whipped cream icing:

  • Place the cream, brown sugar and vanilla bean paste into a large bowl and whisk to soft peaks. Add the amaretto (if using) and whisk again, until the mixture reaches medium peaks.
  • Gently warm the chocolate hazelnut spread (I do this in the microwave, on the lowest temperature setting, in 15 second bursts) until fluid, but not hot. Fold the warmed spread into the whipped cream mixture.
  • Once you have a smooth, evenly chocolate-y cream, transfer the icing to a piping bag, fitted with a large, open star tip, ready for piping onto the cupcakes.

Assemble the cupcakes:

  • Pipe a double-height swirl of icing onto each cupcake. Top each cake with a gold Ferrero Rocher 'meteor', placed slightly off centre, along with a couple of shards of praline, to mimic a fiery meteor trail.
  • Serve the cakes immediately. If necessary, the cakes will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, but I would recommend leaving the praline off and adding it just before serving, as the sugar will become sticky in the fridge.

Notes

  1. You can either roast the hazelnuts in an oven or an air fryer (both at 180°C, for 6-8 minutes). If you're short on time, you can also toast the nuts in a dry pan on the hob, over medium-high heat (although this won't yield the same depth of flavour as the roasting methods). Roast all the nuts needed for the recipe before you start baking, then allow them to cool before grinding/chopping as needed. To grind the nuts, transfer the cooled nuts to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Be careful not to overdo it though, or the nuts will release their oils and you'll end up with hazelnut butter!
  2. As always, I like to use Stork in place of butter when I make cakes, because I think it gives them a fluffier, moister crumb. If you would prefer to use butter, you can use an equal amount of softened, unsalted butter in place of the Stork.
  3. You can either use coffee straight from a coffee machine, or you can make it using instant coffee granules: place 1/8 tsp instant coffee granules into a small bowl, then add 1 tbsp of boiling water and stir to dissolve. 
  4. This doesn't need to be a good quality vanilla extract- it is just mixed with the lustre dust to create a 'paint' that can be brushed onto the chocolates/praline shards.