This Nutella cake is moist, tender, and perfect for those who love the combination of hazelnut and chocolate flavours. The unique blend of these ingredients makes for an incredible taste and texture that will leave you wanting more. So whether you're hosting a family gathering or an elegant party, this decadent cake is the perfect dessert centrepiece.

Chocolate Nutella cake is a delicious and flavorful alternative to regular chocolate cake. Coated in two layers of silky Nutella buttercream, it adds an indulgent feel to each cake slice. Packed with flavour in every bite, this cake recipe is truly exceptional. Its decadence, simple ingredients, and unmistakable Nutella flavour make this the best Nutella cake recipe.

When hosting, it's an excellent idea to mix premade and homemade desserts. To make things easier, you can bake a simple recipe yourself and fill the rest of the dessert table with high-quality bakery treats.

By showcasing your baking skills with this delicious Nutella chocolate cake, you can impress your guests while leaving the rest to Chummys. Our postal blondies, postal brownies, and cookie delivery are delivered right to your door and even include Nutella-flavored options that pair perfectly with the flavours in your cake. 

Why You'll Love It

Quick and simple- The ingredient list isn't short, but this recipe can be mixed and baked up very quickly. It's perfect for bakers of all skill sets and doesn't require any hard-to-find ingredients.

Unique- This cake is a twist on traditional chocolate cake, offering a rich, nutty flavour that is sure to please a crowd. Nutella adds a distinct and irresistible flavour to this dessert, making it a perfect choice for any occasion.

Rich and decadent- This cake has a luscious indulgent flavour. The creamy hazelnut spread and moist cake create a delightful flavour that chocolate lovers will adore.

What is Nutella?

Nutella is a chocolate hazelnut spread. It tastes delicious on toast or drizzled on top of ice cream, but it can also be used for baking. It provides a rich and creamy texture that can be used in cake, cookies, brownies, and even frosting.

Ingredients

Plain flour- Flour provides the base for this cake. It has a versatile flavour, and its protein gives the cake stability.

Granulated white sugar- Provides sweetness and helps achieve a tender crumb.

Cocoa powder- Nutella alone won't give you a rich chocolate cake, so cocoa powder is used for the base chocolate flavour. Both dark cocoa powder and Dutch process cocoa powder work in this recipe, depending on how you prefer your chocolate flavour.

Nutella- The star ingredient of the cake gives it a distinct flavour. It's used in both the batter and the frosting, so there's no shortage of chocolate hazelnut taste.

Baking Powder and Baking soda- These give the cake rise and contribute to a fluffy texture.

Salt- Balances the sweetness and enhances the overall flavour of the cake.

Espresso powder- Espresso powder deepens the chocolate flavours.

Milk- Milk adds moisture to the cake and makes it tender. Whole milk is ideal, but any milk will work.

Coconut Oil- Oil makes the cake very moist. Refined coconut oil is used in this recipe because it has little to no flavour, but unrefined coconut oil will make your cake taste like coconut. Alternatively, you can use your favourite neutral oil for baking.

Free-range eggs- Eggs add structure to the cake, and the yolks provide richness.

Vanilla extract- A light aromatic that enhances the flavour of the other ingredients.

Boiling water- Boiling water helps dissolve the sugar and cocoa powder and begins activating the leavening agents for an extra light, airy cake.

Icing Sugar- Creates the base for the frosting and makes the buttercream sweet. 

Unsalted Butter- Adds a creamy flavour and texture to the frosting.

Heavy cream- Cream thins out the frosting to your desired consistency. You can use more or less as needed to fit your preferences.

How to Make Nutella Cake

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes, plus chilling time

Yield: 12, 1 per serving

Ingredients- chocolate cake batter

240g plain flour

400g granulated sugar

50g Unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon espresso powder

240ml milk

2 large free-range eggs, room temperature

112g coconut oil, melted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

240ml boiling water

148g Nutella

Ingredients- Nutella buttercream frosting

170g unsalted butter, softened

440g Nutella

390g-520g cups icing sugar, as needed

60 ml double cream

Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Grease three 6cm pans and line with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, sugar, and cocoa powder. 
3. Add in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder until well combined.
4. Whisk in the milk, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk the boiling water with the Nutella until smooth. Pour the mixture into the cake batter and mix until well combined. The batter will be very thin, but this is the correct consistency.
6. Pour the batter evenly into each pan; they should be about 2/3 of the way full. Do not overfill. 
7. Place the pans into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. When done, the cakes will be tall and spring back when touched. A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs.
8. Allow the cakes to cool briefly, then remove them from the pan and place them on a cooling rack to let the cake cool completely. You can place them in the refrigerator to speed up this process.
9. To make the frosting: Place the butter, Nutella, and a fourth of icing sugar into a large bowl. You can use a stand mixer or hand mixer for this. Begin whipping the frosting, adding the remaining icing sugar, adding a small amount at a time, until the entire amount is used. It will become clumpy at first, then begin to smooth and whip. Begin by using 390g total and increasing slightly as needed. 
10. Pour in the cream after all the powdered sugar is added. It's done when fluffy and light brown in colour.
11. To frost the cake: You will use about 1/2 cup of frosting between cake layers. If your cakes have domed during cooking, carefully level them with a sharp knife.
12. Begin by placing the first cake layer onto a cake stand or plate. Then, add the frosting and smooth. Next, add the second layer and repeat for all.
13. Once all three are stacked, place the cake into the fridge and chill for 30 minutes. After the first chill, the cake will be more stable and easier to frost. 
14. The first layer is the crumb coat. This layer is very thin, and the goal is mostly to fill in all the cracks and get a layer of frosting on the cake that will act like a primer that seals in crumbs and keeps the cake moist. Spread frosting around the cake. Smooth the top and sides. Some cake will show through this layer, but that’s fine for a crumb coat. Place the cake into the refrigerator to chill for at least 60 minutes.
15. The final layer of Nutella buttercream frosting will go on the cake next. You'll do this in the same way as the previous layer, but it will be thicker and more neat. If you like thicker frosting, feel free to add more to your layers. Using an offset spatula and cake smoother can be very useful.
16. If you choose to decorate your cake further, you can add toasted hazelnuts that have been chopped, chocolate shavings, or a drizzle of chocolate ganache for an extra decadent dessert. Use leftover frosting to create swirls on top, if desired.
17. Allow the cake to chill for at least 2 hours before slicing to preserve the shape and frosting.

Expert Tips

Frosting consistency- To achieve a smooth frosting, ensure the butter is at room temperature before mixing. That will help avoid lumps and make it easier to spread on the cake.

Make Sure to Chill- Chilling the cake does take time, but it's an important step. It allows the cake layers to firm up and the frosting to set. Chilling the cake for at least an hour after the crumb coat will make the second layer of frosting much more smooth.

To avoid an overbaked cake- Remove it from the oven when it's slightly underbaked. A toothpick test should reveal that the centre is still slightly moist, not a completely clean toothpick, because that indicates it’s overcooked.

Once removed from the oven, cakes do not instantly cool down. They will retain heat warm enough to finish the cooking process for a small amount of time. If you cook a cake to its final texture in the oven, it's more likely to dry out and become overbaked from the carryover cooking once you have removed it from the oven.

Nutella Cake FAQ

What's the main flavour of Nutella?

Nutella contains other ingredients, such as added sugar and oils, but the main flavour it's known for is the unique mixture of chocolate and hazelnuts.

How to store chocolate Nutella cake?

Store Nutella cake in a cake dome or plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 4 days for the best flavour. Keep in mind that homemade cakes don't have the same preservatives as store-bought cakes and do not last as long. The cake is very moist and will not dry out in the refrigerator as long as it’s properly wrapped or stored in an airtight container and comes to room temperature before serving.

How to get room-temperature eggs?

Room temperature ingredients are often called for in cake recipes. This is because room-temperature eggs, for example, mix into batter easier and help the cake rise. On average, eggs take about 30 minutes to reach room temperature.

To speed this up, you can place the eggs into warm water (whole eggs, not cracked open) for about 5-10 minutes. Just be sure that if you do leave them out to warm on the counter, they shouldn't sit out for more than 2 hours due to food safety guidelines.