Belated Happy Nutella Day! I know I am a day late but I had to do my bit to spread a little Nutella love. Nutella is, after all, one of my very favorite things. I have been eating it since I was a child (in those one-serving packets…do they still have those?) and almost always have a jar (or more) in my pantry. I couldn’t tell you my favorite way of eating it because I just have too many, and really, it is fantastic any way you eat it. It serves you equally well if you are in need of some get-up-and-go on a dreary morning or if unexpected guests suddenly land on your doorstep (just dollop some over vanilla ice cream and you've got dessert). It is simple, delicious, available, accommodating, well-loved, sublime. It’s been embraced by everyone from the little girl that lives next door to Pierre Hermé.
Any way you look at it…Nutella rocks.
So here is my small part in the worldwide homage that is Nutella day...Self Frosting Nutella Banana Cupcakes. Not to be confused with the Nutella Banana Muffins which I have made before. For these, I used Elise's Banana Bread recipe (which I also have made before) and baked them as cupcakes instead of a single loaf. Before baking, I topped each cupcake with a splodge of Nutella, then used a toothpick to fold and swirl a bit of batter over it as I did once upon a time when these cupcakes were all the rage. You can use your own favorite banana bread recipe if you'd like instead. The marriage of Nutella and banana is meant to be, inevitable, written in the stars really, and these cupcakes are proof positive of that. I think I prefer when Nutella is not totally mixed into baked goods, but left like these cupcakes' solid streaks, as the flavor is more pronounced.
I honor of Nutella Day I decided to do a mini round up of my Nutella posts...just in case you need another reason to stock this treasure in your pantry:
It's going to be a busy week so I'll be counting on these cupcakes as part of my provisions to keep me trucking along. Happy new week everyone...and once again lots of warm Nutella wishes! :)
***Nutella Day is brought to you by Ms. Adventures in Italy and Bleeding Espresso.