Almond-Hazelnut Cupcakes with Secret Fudge Frosting

Almond Hazelnut Cupcakes with Secret Fudge Frosting

I've had some really bad experiences using ground nuts/nut flour in recipes, so I was reluctant to try this recipe at first. I'm glad I did! The use of two other flours takes care, I think, of some of the problems I've had in the past, and the chocolate frosting really pulls it together. Unfortunately, the frosting is one of my mother's old Charleston receipts, and I did not get permission to share it -- in fact, I didn't even make it. After one unsuccessful attempt, I had to ask her to make it for me.

Cupcakes:

1/2 cup toasted almonds

1/2 cup  toasted hazelnuts

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup cake flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup milk

4 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Using a food processor or something roughly equivalent, pulse nuts until they are finely ground. Be careful not to go too long, or the oils in the nuts create a kind of paste. Sift together both flours and baking powder, then whisk in the ground nuts.

Cream butter and sugars. Beat in vanilla. Alternate in flour mixture and milk and beat until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until they reach soft peaks. Gently fold them into the batter, being careful not to over mix. The egg whites lighten the batter because of all the air in them, and if you are too rough with them they'll just flatten out again.

Fill cupcake tins about 3/4 full. Bake for 13 minutes, then turn tins and bake 13 minutes. Let cool.

Makes 18.

Frosting:

Martha Stewart suggests a dark chocolate frosting. Her recipe is just a simple butter cream with cocoa and melted bittersweet chocolate added. You can also do a more complicated cooked frosting (that's what my mother's is). Honestly, simply spreading nutella on these babies would work.

When the cupcakes are cool, gently slice them in half using a serrated knife. Spread the centers generously with your favorite frosting, then press the two halves together and frost on top. Decorate with a toasted hazelnut.

Cupcakes adapted from Martha Stewart.

Frosting recipe a closely-guarded family secret.