Chocolate Nutella Cake
A dream in chocolate and Nutella - a “power couple” combination!
Most people have already been won over to the combination of chocolate and hazelnut for years. Frankly, I am new to the party, though I was known to happily pop Ferrero Rocher truffles when one came my way.
I’ve never squarely faced my unfounded prejudice against a humble little nut that made my mouth itch and that was always left at the bottom of the assorted nut bowls put out at Christmastime. But a ray of light from the hazelnut direction has enlightened my reason from sampling desserts like Paris Brest filled with a hazelnut mousseline and hazelnut tarts.
And this Hazelnut-Chocolate cake - oh my goodness (literally). What an eye-rolling decadence of chocolate and hazelnut butter! This simple-as-can-be chocolate cake (just dump all the ingredients in) is lightened with the addition of buttermilk which gives it a softer and more tender crumb m thus tweaking the rich chocolate flavor. But the Nutella is the star, layered between 4 layers of moist chocolate cake, then frosting the whole with a Nutelle butter cream.
My children, spread Nutella on their crepes in concert with bananas and though my palate has matured, I don’t go that far. I still prefer my crepes with a sprinkle of granulated sugar. But who knows - give me another bite or two of this Nutella cake and I may go all out Nutella!
Chocolate Nutella Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups Nutella, softened in microwave for 12 seconds, stirred until smooth
8 - 10 Ferrero Roche chocolate hazelnut balls
3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped
finely shaved bittersweet chocolate for garnish
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter or oil and flour two 10-inch cake pans. Dust with flour or cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Alternatively, you can lightly grease the pans and line with parchment paper.
-In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer using a low speed until combined.
-Add eggs, buttermilk or sour cream, warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat on a medium speed until smooth, 2 - 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl at least once.
-Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Tap the cake pans gently on the counter to allow any bubbles to rise to the top and escape.
-Bake for 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cakes sit for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of each cake and gently turn cakes out onto a wire cooling rack. Allow cakes to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
-When completely cool, place cakes on a flat surface and with a long serrated blade knife, cut both cakes in half horizontally, rotating the cakes as you gently slice back and forth. (If you would like to be exactly precise, measure the thickness of the cake and place toothpicks at the halfway mark at 4 different points around the edge of the cake. These can be your guide as you cut the cake.) Remove the cake tops to one side.
-On a cake platter, place the bottom of one cake round, centered on the plate. Frost the layer with 1/2 cup Nutella. Place the top cake round on top of the first layer and repeat with another cup of Nutella. Continue with the other cake in the same fashion, ending with the doomed side of the final cake round, facing upward.
Chocolate Nutella Buttercream
3/4 stick of softened butter (6 tablespoons)
1 2/3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetend cocoa
pinch of salt
1 cup Nutella Hazelnut spread
2 - 3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-Place powdered sugar, cocoa and salt in a mixing bowl. Add butter and beat on medium-high speed until the butter and sugar are smooth and creamy. Add 2/3 cups Nutella, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon milk. Mix on medium speed, adding more milk if necessary to create a smooth, creamy spreadable frosting.
-Frost the assembled cake first on the sides and then on the top then smooth it out as smoothly as possible with a spatula or long knife. Whip the cream until it starts to thicken. Add 1/3 cup Nutella and a pinch of salt and continue mixing until thickened. Pipe whipped cream onto top of cake in 8 - 10 mounds around the edge of the cake. Place an unwrapped truffle on top of each mound. Pipe around the bottom of the cake with extra cream covering the bottom seam of the cake with the platter.
-Sprinkle the top of the cake and around the bottom piped edges with shaved chocolate. Serves 10 - 12
A beautiful slice of cake that tastes as good as it looks!
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
*If your cakes have too much of a dome, after baking, with a long serrated-edged knife, slice off the top of the dome on one of the cakes cake to make it flatter on top. This way your cake levels will be more uniform and the cake will stand evenly. The top layer of your cake is fine with a bit of a dome.
*Chill cake until ready to serve, however, remove cake from fridge about 15 minutes before serving. The flavors and textures are better if they sit for a few minutes before serving.
