Tortine alla Nutella {Cupcakes filled with Nutella}

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In your mixer, cream butter & sugar together until pale in color & very creamy. Add egg yolks one at a time mixing well after each one.

Into a large bowl add cake flour, cocoa powder, salt & baking soda. Gently whisk together to combine. Add the vanilla extract to the buttermilk. Set aside.

Alternate the flour mixture with buttermilk (end with flour) and add to butter/sugar mixture. Continue mixing until well combined. Set aside.

Into a separate mixing bowl, beat egg whites with your whisk attachment until stiff. Gently fold into cake mixture.

Line your cupcake pans with cupcake liners and fill 1/2 of the way up with batter.

Add the nutella and crushed bacio chocolates into a small bowl. Mix well to combine. Take 1 teaspoon of the Nutella mixture and add it to the center of each cupcake. Finish topping off cupcakes with 1/4 more batter each. Cupcakes should be 3/4 way filled when you’re finished. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before icing.

WHILE cupcakes are cooling make icing: into your mixer add: confectioner’s sugar, shortening, milk, cocoa powder and vanilla extract. With your paddle attachment, mix until well combined.

Place icing into a pastry bag {or zip lock bag} and pipe onto cupcakes. Garnish with additional crushed Bacio chocolates.