Instantly Elevate Store-Bought Icing With A Worldwide Favorite Spread

Let's face it, when you're whipping up a batch of cupcakes, store-bought frosting is a lifesaver when you're in a time crunch — nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, though, you need to add some additional ingredients to transform store-bought icing since it often lacks that extra pizzazz you're aiming for. Enter in a delicious dollop of the chocolate-hazelnut spread, Nutella.

Adding Nutella to standard icing does more than just change the flavor, it elevates the entire profile of the frosting. It brings the warm, toasted notes of hazelnut as well as the rich flavors of chocolate which balances out sweet, pre-packaged icing nicely. Even though Nutella is also sweet, it offsets the sugary taste of store-bought frosting by incorporating new flavors.

The best way to add Nutella to your icing is to simply add a spoonful of the spread at a time. Use an electric mixer (a hand mixer works, too) and mix the ingredients. Give it a taste test to see if you'd like to add more hazelnutty goodness or if you like it where it's at. It's a personal preference, but the more the merrier. Once you have the right mix of flavors, continue to blend it together until it's completely smooth. You'll notice the new frosting mixture is smoother and creamier.

Now let's get into even more fun and talk about what to use your new icing on. It spreads well on a variety of desserts like cakes and cupcakes. If you want to really get fancy, you can use it for piping decorations. Since the frosting will be a tad thicker, the decorating should hold its shape better.

If you're making a plain vanilla cake, the addition of a hazelnut cocoa spread will really make the cake pop. You could add icing in-between the cake's layers to give a rich, chocolatey taste throughout. To add an even bigger chocolate statement, spread the Nutella icing on a chocolate cake to make it double-chocolatey with a hazelnut twist. You can take it even further by crushing up hazelnuts or Ferrero Rocher chocolates as a crunchy garnish. The creamy frosting would also be a match for a soft, moist banana bread.

You can also use your elevated frosting alongside other treats like a morning coffee cake with a freshly made espresso or use it as a dip for cinnamon sugar pretzel bites. Alternatively, fill doughnuts with it or spread it on macarons (or macaroons) for a sweet treat.