so i mentioned Monday that I spent the weekend with my cousin who was due with her baby any day. She gave birth to a healthy baby boy last night, less than 48 hours after I left. I would have bet money it was going to be a girl and most of our family agreed. He’s definitely a boy though and we can’t wait to spoil him! I’m totally bummed I miss the birth though.
I think the hubs has been ready to do something for a while, he’s just been waiting on me. It’s a lot to handle and emotionally, I’m not totally sure about it all.
the chocolate cake layers are my favorite chocolate slow-bake cake. It bakes at 300 degrees, as opposed to 350 – that’s not a typo.And it’s the moistest chocolate cake you’ll ever have. I wanted a maximum icing to cake ratio, so I made four layers of cake so that I could have plenty of Nutella icing piled between them. I only have three 8 inch pans though, so I baked two cakes at a time.
this cake was a huge success with my taste testers. I totally wish I had another piece of this Nutella Chocolate Cake right now. Maybe I’ll just go grab that Nutella jar out of the pantry instead and a spoon.
Nutella Chocolate Cake is a delicious combination of an incredibly moist chocolate cake and a sweet, delicious Nutella icing, all covered in chocolate ganache. Delish.
INGREDIENTS
CHOCOLATE CAKE
- 2 cups (260g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3/4 cup (85g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
- 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup (240ml) water
NUTELLA FROSTING
- 2 cups (448g) salted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (189g) shortening
- 2 cups (620g) Nutella hazelnut spread
- 10 cups (1150g) powdered sugar
- 5–6 tbsp milk or water
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
- Ferrero Rocher candies
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepare four 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom, and grease the sides.
- Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together.
- Add eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Add vanilla to boiling water and add to mixture. Mix well.
- Pour into four 8 inch cakes pans and bake at 300 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. I baked the cakes in two batches, two at a time, with about 1 1/2 cups of batter per pan.
- Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
- Make icing while cakes cool. Beat together butter and shortening until smooth.
- Add Nutella and mix until smooth.
- Slowly add half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add 2-3 tbsp of milk or water and mix until smooth.
- Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add more water or milk until the frosting is the right consistency.
- Once cakes are cool, remove cake domes from top with a large serrated knife. See my tips on how to level a cake and how to stack a cake.
- Place first layer of cake on a plate or cardboard cake circle. Add about 3/4 cup of frosting and spread into an even layer.
- Add second layer of cake and add another 3/4 cup of frosting and spread into an even layer.
- Add third layer of cake on top and add another 3/4 cup of frosting and spread into an even layer.
- Top frosting with the fourth layer of cake, then frost the outside of the cake. Feel free to use my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake.
- To make the chocolate ganache, place the chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl.
- Microwave the heavy whipping cream just until it starts to boil. Pour over the chocolate chips and let sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth (see my tips on making chocolate ganache).
- Drizzle the chocolate ganache around the edge of the cake, then pour the remainder of the ganache on top of the cake and spread evenly. I like to use a squeeze bottle for drizzling around the edges. See my tips for making a chocolate drip cake.
- Allow the ganache to firm up a bit, then pipe the remainder of the frosting around the top edge of the cake and top each swirl with a Ferrero Rocher candy. I used Ateco tip 849.
- Cake is best when well covered for 3-4 days.
