NUTELLA SWIRL CAKE / Cup Cake

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons, or 6 ounces) butter, softened

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 3 large eggs

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 3/4 cups flour

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1/3 cup Nutella (approximately)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 Fahrenheit.

2. If making cupcakes, line 12 muffin tins with paper liners or grease the cups with some butter.

3. If making a cake, butter an 9-inch round cake pan.

4. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, making sure each one is incorporated fully before adding another one. Beat in the vanilla. Next, in a small bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Stir it into the butter, sugar, and egg mixture until the batter is smooth. The batter will be thick.

5. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full, or pour all the batter into the cake pan. Top each cake with a dollop (about two teaspoons Nutella per cupcake and about 1/2 cup dolloped on the cake batter) of Nutella. Swirl the Nutella in with a knife, making sure that it is well incorporated throughout the cake.

6. Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes and the round cake for 25-30 minutes. Test the cupcakes or cake with a toothpick — if the toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached to it and no batter, the cake is ready. This cake can dry out easily if over baked, so pay close attention to the cooking time. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 12 cupcakes or 1 8-inch round cake.