So there's this little competition called Cupcake Hero. Those of you aware of my current cupcake obsession are probably not surprised I'm getting myself into something like this.

This month's theme ingredient is peanut butter... well, peanut butter is the title, but we've been given free reign with any of the nut butters. What else would I go for but... Nutella! YUM!

(ETA: Nutella was excluded after I read the post for this month. Balls! Disqualified before I even submitted my entry.)

Hedgehog Cupcakes

This is a cake that's been rattling around in my head for quite awhile and I finally have a good reason to try it out. It's a basic white cake batter (my favorite one of all the white cakes I've tried), with Nutella swiss meringue buttercream inside and dark chocolate ganache frosting, with hazelnuts and a little more Nutella on top for good measure. It's a bit of an inside out cupcake, with a typical frosting on the inside and a typical filling on the outside, but I still love it.

Cake

The cake batter is from I♥Cuppycakes's Rainbow cupcakes, minus the food colouring.

• 3/4 c. butter
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 large eggs plus 2 egg whites
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. milk

Beat the butter and sugar together until well mixed. Add the eggs and eggs whites one at a time and beat well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together, and add it to the batter in three parts, alternating with the milk in two parts.

Divide into 18 paper-lined cupcake tins, and bake at 350^oF for 17-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

Filling

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/6 c. Nutella
• salt

Mix the egg whites and sugar in a stainless steel bowl. Add a pinch of salt. Put over a pot of simmering water, and mix continuously with a whisk until the sugar dissolves. The eggs need to hit 140^oF to be pasteurized, but the sugar dissolves at a higher temperature, so rather than futzing about with a candy thermometer to check the temperature, you can just dip a spoon in and feel to see if the sugar has completely dissolved. If it's at all grainy, it's not hot enough yet.

Once the sugar has dissolved, whip the eggs until they've cooled to room temperature (they must not be too warm lest they melt the butter) and they're forming stiff peaks when poked with a knife. Add the butter a tablespoon at a time, mixing until well incorporated. The mixture may look curdled, but keep beating and it should come together. One note for those living in colder areas like me - "room temperature" butter is too cold for this in wintertime! If you feel the bowl and it's cold, either keep your hands on it (if you're blessed with good circulation) or put a warm water bath under the bowl. When I make this when my house is cooler, I can see the butter not incorporating very well and the mixture is lumpy. If it's warmed up a bit once you've started adding the butter, it mixes in a lot better.

Add the Nutella and mix well. Put in a piping bag or a baggie with one corner cut off if you're a little MacGyver in the kitchen.

Take a cooled cupcake, and cut a cone out of it, being careful not to go too close to the edge. I personally find my el cheapo serrated paring knife GREAT for this job. Fill the cupcake with the hazelnut buttercream. Cut the pointy end of the cake cone off and put the top back on the cupcake.

Frosting

• 1 c. dark chocolate chips
• 3/4 c. whipping cream
• 2 tbsp. butter
• Nutella and chopped hazelnuts for garnish

Put the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl (I usually use the top of my double boiler). In a pot over medium heat, bring the whipping cream and butter to a boil. Immediately pour over the chocolate chips, and let stand 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth, and allow to cool a bit before frosting the cupcakes. If it's too warm, it will not cover the seams from the filling very well.

Top with drizzled Nutella and chopped hazelnuts. The Nutella will need to be warmed; I had the most success keeping the piping container I was using in a hot water bath. Initially I microwaved it in a bowl (10 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until it was very soft) and then put it in the piping container, but it cooled too quickly and couldn't be re-microwaved without cooking it. All in all, I will probably not be using Nutella for a garnish again anytime soon as it's pretty finicky!

The result was worth it though. YUM.