Nutella Swiss Buttercream

I've developed a slight distaste for American buttercream because it is so sweet and the flavor is so-so. For Sarah's baby shower, I was searching for a Nutella buttercream for the Ferrero Rocher cupcakes and I came upon Nutella Swiss buttercream. I've never made any kind of Swiss buttercream up until that point so I was unsure of how it would turn out but I had beginner's luck on my side and the buttercream came out wonderfully well. I was so pleased. It wasn't too sweet but you could taste the Nutella. Plus, it was fluffy and creamy. What more could you ask for?

If you're wondering about the cupcake itself, I cheated. I used a box mix because I've never been truly satisfied with my from-scratch chocolate cupcakes. It saved me some time which is a good thing.



Nutella Buttercream Frosting:

•5 large egg whites
•1 1/2 cup sugar
•4 sticks unsalted butter, diced and softened
•1/2 cup of Nutella

DIRECTIONS:
1. Put egg whites and sugar into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees)

2. Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 minutes total.

3. Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low, add butter two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 minutes.

4. Reduce speed to low; add Nutella a few tablespoons at a time and continue beating until incorporated.

Easy enough. Look up Swiss buttercream or French buttercream. I think they have a lot more flavor without being so sweet. Let me know how your experiments go!