Nutella Cake

I absolutely adore a rich and delicious chocolate cake. My Buttermilk Chocolate Cake, Matilda Chocolate Cake , Brownie Cake, Almond Flour Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Tahini Buttercream Cake are just a few homemade chocolate cake recipes I love from the blog. I am so excited to add this Nutella cake to my growing collection of the best chocolate cake recipes. I know you’ll love it too because: 

• You love a simply stunning chocolate cake.  Rich chocolate Nutella cake is layered together with silky Nutella buttercream and topped by crushed hazelnuts.
• Super simple to make. From start to finish, you make and bake this fudgy Nutella filled chocolate cake in about an hour. All you need is two mixing bowls, a whisk and two 8-inch cake pans. 
• Made with simple ingredients.  This easy Nutella cake recipe  is made with simple ingredients like flour, dutch cocoa powder, oil, sugar, eggs, sour cream and Nutella.  This delectable Nutella layer cake is layered with an equally simple Nutella buttercream frosting.

This Nutella cake requires only a handful of ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you’ll need.

Nutella Cake

Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. 

Wet Ingredients: Gather oil, sugar, Nutella, eggs, milk and water.

Nutella Buttercream Frosting

Gather butter, powdered sugar, Nutella, vanilla extract, heavy cream and salt.

• Dutch Process Cocoa powder: If you need to use unsweetened cocoa powder instead of Dutch processed cocoa powder, use an equal amount of unsweetened cocoa powder and swap the baking powder for baking soda. For this recipe that would be 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (with no baking powder). Use buttermilk instead of milk if using the unsweetened cocoa powder and baking soda option. 
• Salt: This enhances the sweetness of the cake and provides a more well rounded flavor. 
• Oil: I like to bake with canola oil. However, any neutral baking oil will work well in this cake recipe. 
• Nutella: Nutella is a name brand of chocolate hazelnut spread. Use any brand you like or have access to. 
• Sugar: This recipe hasn’t been tested using other types of sugar. 
• Milk: This ingredient can be substituted with an equal amount of plant based milk. 
• Eggs: This recipe hasn’t been tested without eggs. 
• Hot Water: The water should not be boiling. It needs to be very warm to the touch. 
• Unsalted Butter: Use salted butter if needed. Just make sure to omit the added teaspoon of salt listed in the recipe. Vegan or dairy free butter can also be used if needed. 
• Heavy Cream: This creates a fluffy whipped nutella buttercream. Substitute with an equal amount of milk. Just know that the buttercream will have less of a whipped consistency. 
• Vanilla Extract: This is for another layer of flavor in the chocolate frosting. It can be omitted if needed.

Learn how to make Nutella cake in a few easy steps.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease and line the bottom of (2) 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the all purpose flour, dutch process cocoa powder, baking powder and salt until well combined. 
2. In another large bowl add the oil, granulated sugar, Nutella, eggs, and milk. Mix until smooth and well combined. Mix in the hot, but not boiling water until well combined. Using a spatula, mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. 
3. Evenly pour the chocolate cake batter into each of the prepared cake pans. Each of the pans will have about (730 g) of cake batter. Bake the cakes for about 35 - 40 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pan for 15 minutes then carefully remove the cakes from the pan to cool completely. Once cooled, place the cake layers in the fridge for 1-2 hours before frosting.

4. While the cakes cool, make the Nutella buttercream frosting. Beat the butter and powdered sugar on low speed until smooth and well combined. On low, beat in the Nutella, vanilla extract, salt and 2 tablespoons heavy cream until mostly combined. Increase the speed to medium-high for 1-2  minutes. If needed, mix in up to 2 tablespoons additional heavy cream to achieve your preferred whipped consistency. 
5. Assemble the cake: Smear a small amount of frosting onto the serving plate or cake stand. Place the first Nutella cake layer on top. Apply a layer of frosting to the first cake. Smooth across and slightly passed the top onto the side. Top the frosting with the second layer of chocolate cake. Apply another layer of frosting to the top, smoothing it out along the sides. This is the crumb coat. Place the cake in the fridge to set for about 20 - 30 minutes.

6. Apply the rest of the frosting to the cake. Smooth the sides with an icing knife or bench scraper. Top the cake with any leftover icing, creating swirls. Add chopped hazelnuts, slice, serve and enjoy!

Store leftover chocolate cake at room temperature: Keep the Nutella cake stored at room temperature for up to 2 days under a cake dome or wrapped in plastic wrap. After two days, the cake should be transferred to the fridge for up to another 3-4 days.  

Store leftover fudgy chocolate cake in the fridge: This Nutella chocolate cake cake is super moist and will do just fine when stored in the fridge. Keep the cake in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap for up to 5 days. At this point the cake will start to taste a bit dried out. This cake tastes best at room temperature, so bring the cake to room temperature before enjoying. 

Freeze the unfrosted chocolate cake layers: Wrap each cake layer in plastic wrap and place. Store the cake layers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. 

Freeze frosted cake pieces: I don’t recommend storing an entire fully frosted cake in the freezer. However, you can easily store sliced pieces of frosted Nutella cake in the freezer. Slice the pieces into your desired sizes. Wrap each slice in plastic wrap. Place each wrapped slice of cake in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.  

Thaw the nutella chocolate cake: Transfer your desired amount of cake slices or cake layers out of the freezer. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge. Bring the cake slices to room temperature before enjoying. The cake layers can still be cool when applying the frosting.

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If you try this Nutella Cake Recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M