Just in case Valentine’s Day cookies, red velvet cake, and crème brûlée aren’t enough for your February 14th celebration, I have a swirly-topped cupcake for you. These were a BIG hit with taste testers, and the Nutella stuffed inside is such a delightful surprise! These Valentine’s Day cupcakes are filled with Nutella and topped with strawberry Nutella swirled buttercream. And yes, they’re every bit as lush as they look!!
My Best Base Cupcake Recipe
Today’s Valentine’s Day cupcake recipe begins with a very familiar cupcake batter. My vanilla cupcakes are tried and true, combining an extra fluffy crumb and undeniably buttery vanilla flavor. It’s difficult to replicate that bakery style cupcake perfection, but this recipe nails it EVERY TIME. I depend on this base recipe because the ingredients guarantee success:
Egg Whites (no yolks): Lift up the crumb instead of weighing it down. Sour Cream: Leaves all the moisture. Cake Flour: Promises an extra soft texture.
Here’s a complete run-down of the vanilla cupcakes recipe if you’re interested. There’s no point straying from this recipe because the results are fantastic and consistent. Plus, it’s really easy to adapt the cupcake into different flavors like peanut butter and jelly cupcakes, pistachio cupcakes, and coconut cupcakes. My #1 tip: Fill the cupcake liners only about 2/3 full. These cupcakes rise up tall and excess batter will overflow.
Strawberry Nutella Cupcakes = Valentine’s Day Cupid’s Cupcakes
I call these Cupid’s Cupcakes because they’re the most festive Valentine’s Day cupcakes I’ve ever made! We’re taking my vanilla cupcakes recipe, stuffing it with Nutella, and topping with beautifully swirled buttercream. (Giving us neapolitan cookies vibes!) Strawberry and Nutella is an underrated flavor combination. It’s definitely cupid approved. Filling the cupcakes with Nutella is actually quite simple. You can learn more about the process on my How to Fill Cupcakes post, which includes helpful photos and a video tutorial.
Two Frostings from 1 Recipe
Besides the flavor, what you’ll love most is that the two frostings start with 1 basic buttercream. Convenient! Even though there’s a lot going on, this recipe is just like any homemade cupcake & homemade frosting recipe—the buttercream is simply split into two flavors.
Add Nutella to half of the buttercream and strawberry “dust” to the other half.
What’s strawberry dust? A dessert miracle, that’s what! Strawberry dust is the secret to real strawberry frosting. You’ll grind up freeze-dried strawberries, the same strawberries we use in strawberry & cream cookies. Freeze-dried strawberries are REAL strawberries, so you get real flavor without comprising the recipes’ texture. I discovered this trick several years ago and it graces my strawberry cake and white chocolate strawberry cupcakes. And the frosting is naturally pink! My trick for swirling the frosting: I show you how to swirl two frostings together in the video on my sugar plum fairy cupcakes page (scroll about halfway down the post). Don’t overcomplicate things because it’s actually very easy! Here are a few Valentine’s Day cupcake recipes from previous years. Plus, find even more inspiration over on my Valentine’s Day dessert recipes page.
Pistachio Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting (love these!) Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes White Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
