Adapted from my vanilla cupcakes, these Valentine’s Day Cupid Cupcakes are the ultimate declaration of love: strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla all in one! Fill with Nutella and garnish with a chocolate heart for an over-the-top festive Valentine’s Day treat.
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..
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. It’s ground freeze-dried strawberries. 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!
. 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
Valentine’s Day Cupid Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2-3 liners—this recipe makes 14-15 cupcakes. Set aside.
- Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Beat in the egg whites on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour and mix in the milk *just* until combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour/spoon the batter into the liners. Fill only 2/3 full to avoid baking over the sides. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For around 35 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11-13 minutes, same oven temperature. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before filling and frosting.
- Using a sharp knife, cut a circle/hole into the center of the cooled cupcakes to create a little pocket about 1 inch deep. The piece you removed will be the shape of a cone. Spoon Nutella inside each carved out cupcake. Use as much Nutella that will fit. Slice off the pointy end of the “cone” piece you removed so that it can fit on top of the filling. Place on top of the filling. See my How to Fill Cupcakes post if you need extra visuals or help with this step.
- Using a blender or food processor, process the freeze-dried strawberries into a powdery crumb. You should have around 1/3 – 1/2 cup. Set aside. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes. Divide buttercream in half. Beat 1/3 cup of Nutella into half and the strawberry dust into the other half. If either frosting seems too thin for piping, add an extra Tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar. Add an extra Tablespoon of cream if frosting seems too thick.
- . Add a spoonful of the Nutella frosting, then a spoonful of the strawberry frosting, then continue alternating spoonfuls of frosting until the piping bag is filled. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes. I piped a basic tall swirl. See #2 in this piping tips post about piping a tall swirl..) Decorate with garnishes, if desired.
- Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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