This chocolate hazelnut cake consisting of layers of moist chocolate cake and chocolate hazelnut buttercream is chocolate lover’s dream dessert!
Today is a very special day because we are celebrating the one-year anniversary of Nourished Endeavors. My goodness, time flies! I can still remember being super nervous to hit publish on my first blog post. I was literally up all night re-reading everything on the blog just to make sure it was as close to perfect as it could be. In all honesty, the past year has been a whirlwind filled with some ups and downs; but through it all, I was able to learn and grow so much as a recipe developer and food photographer. I still have a long way to go to get to where I hope to be in the next 2- 3 years, but I am so excited to tackle my goals like a boss! I truly hope to continue to grow Nourished Endeavors into a site where all foodies can bond over our shared love of good food and sweet bakes!
Ok, let’s not waste any more time! I think it is fair to say that this chocolate hazelnut cake deserves our immediate attention. Consisting of layers of rich, moist chocolate cake and a decadent chocolate hazelnut buttercream, this chocolate hazelnut cake is EVERYTHING!! Since this is a celebration, the final touch of decadence to this cake is a border of chocolate hazelnut truffles. Oh yes, this cake is amazing!
(NOTE: The full recipe with exact measurements is down at the bottom of this post in the recipe card!)
How To Make Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Chocolate Cakes
Key Ingredients
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Eggs
- Plain Yogurt
- Strong Brewed Coffee/Milk – may used milk or strong brewed coffee. Coffee will bring out the natural chocolate flavor more in cake.
- Granulated Sugar
- Neutral Flavored Oil
- Vanilla Extract
How To Make Chocolate Cake
- Preheat – oven to 325F(165C). Grease (3) 6” baking pans and line the base of each pan with 6” parchment paper circle cutouts.
- Sift – using a fine mesh sieve, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Alternatively, the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt can be added to a large mixing bowl and whisked to combine.
- Whisk – in a separate medium mixing bowl, add the oil, yogurt, and sugar. Whisk to combine. Next, individually whisk in the eggs followed by the milk or strong brewed coffee and vanilla extract into wet batter.
- Mix – pour wet batter into bowl with dry ingredients and mix just until a smooth chocolate cake batter is achieved.
- Bake – equally divide batter into prepared baking pans and bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Cool – allow chocolate cakes to cool in pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream
Key Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
- Salt (Optional)
How To Make Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream
- Sift – using a fine-mesh sieve, sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together into a large mixing bowl. Set bowl aside.
- Cream – in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer, cream the butter and salt (optional) at medium high speed until smooth and fluffy in appearance, about 3-4 minutes.
- Mix – add chocolate hazelnut spread into bowl with creamed butter and mix to combine, about 1 minute. Stop mixer and with a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides and base of bowl.
- Reduce – mixer speed to low and mix in sifted powdered sugar and cocoa powder into creamed butter-chocolate mixture. Once all the powdered sugar and cocoa powder has been added and incorporated into mixture, mix in the vanilla extract into chocolate hazelnut buttercream.
- Increase – mixer speed to medium high and mix chocolate hazelnut buttercream for 1-2 minutes. The resulting buttercream should thick and fluffy in appearance.
Bringing All Together – Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Tools I Used to Make Layered Cakes
- Cake Leveler or Serrated Knife – is used for cutting off the dome tops of baked cakes so that they stack up evenly. I was gifted this cake leveler by my awesome sister but originally used a serrated knife for years.
- Cake Turntable – helps with spreading and smoothing buttercream on layers of cake due to the fact that it rotates making it easier to consistently apply buttercream without having to manually rotate and ice at the same time.
- Offset Spatula – is used for layering buttercream between the layers of cake and applying buttercream to the sides and top of cake.
- Bench Scrapper – is my most valued cake decorating tool as it makes for a perfectly smooth cake. I used this aetco and norpro bench scrapers interchangeably.
- Pastry Bag and Tips – is mostly used for adding decorative piping to the top and sides of cake once it has been properly iced. My go to pastry tips for decorating cakes are Wilton’s 1M, 2D and 6B.
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake Assembly
Required Items
- Cooled Chocolate Cakes
- Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar – Finely Chopped
- Warmed Heavy Cream – warmed to just hot not boiled
- Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles
- Cake Layering Tools – see list above
How To Assemble Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
- Level – remove the domed tops off cooled chocolate cakes with a serrated knife or cake leveler.
- Stack – place a clean surface on top of a turntable i.e. cake stand/cake board and spread a small amount of buttercream onto the center. Place the first chocolate cake layer faced up in the center of prepared surface. Spoon some of the chocolate hazelnut buttercream onto cake (about 2-3 serving spoons of buttercream) and spread into an even layer using an offset spatula. Repeat layering process once more with second chocolate cake layer and buttercream. Place the final chocolate cake layer faced down on top of the second layer. This will create a flat instead of a domed cake surface once cake is completed frosted.
- Crumb Coat – using an offset spatula, fill in the gaps between cake layers with chocolate hazelnut buttercream and smooth out with bench scrapper. Add a small amount of chocolate hazelnut buttercream on top layer of cake — just enough to spread into a thin layer with offset spatula (about 1 serving spoons of buttercream).
- Refrigerator – place cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to an hour to allow crumb coat to firm up before applying final coat of chocolate hazelnut buttercream.
- Make – chocolate ganache for drip by placing finely chopped chocolate in a small mixing bowl. Pour warmed heavy cream over chopped chocolate and allow to sit untouched for 1 minute before whisking into a smooth mixture. Set chocolate ganache aside to cool and thicken up before using.
- Final Coat – fill a large pastry bag with some of the chocolate hazelnut buttercream and cut off the top 1/2” tip off. Pipe chocolate hazelnut buttercream along the sides of cake until it is completely covered. Spoon a good amount buttercream onto the top of cake, about 2 serving spoons.
- Smooth – using an offset spatula, spread the buttercream on top of cake into an even layer. This will push some of the buttercream over the edge of the top layer which is fine. Switch to a bench scrapper. With dominant hand, hold bench scrapper at a 45-degree angle against the side of cake and apply light pressure while rotating turntable with non-dominant hand. Repeat action until the sides of the cake is perfectly smooth.
- Refine – some of the buttercream may extend over the edge of the top cake layer. Use an offset spatula, to bring extra buttercream toward center of cake and smooth out while turning turntable with non-dominant hand.
- Drip – using a small spoon, drip cooled and slightly thicken chocolate ganache along the edge of cake. This will create a border around the top surface of cake. Fill that border with 1-2 spoons of the chocolate ganache and spread into an even layer with an offset spatula.
- Top – outer border of chocolate hazelnut cake with chocolate hazelnut truffles and refrigerate cake until ready to serve.
How to Store Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
- Unfrosted chocolate cakes individually double wrapped in plastic wrap will last up to 4-5 days in the refrigerator and 1-3 months in the freezer. When ready to use frozen chocolate cakes, simply thaw out in the refrigerator overnight.
- Chocolate hazelnut buttercream stored in an airtight container will last up to 1 week in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer. When ready to use frozen buttercream, simply thaw out in the refrigerator overnight and re-whip to restore fluffy texture before using.
- Sliced assembled chocolate hazelnut cake stored in an airtight container will last up to 4-5 days in the refrigerator and 1-2 months in the freezer. When ready to eat, frozen chocolate hazelnut cake slices may be thawed overnight in the refrigerator.
Looking for More Chocolate Recipes, Checkout the Links Below:
If you make this recipe, please make sure to let me know by tagging me @nourishedendeavors on Instagram or by leaving a comment in the comment section down below so I can find out how this recipe turned out for you! If you have any questions, ask away! I would love to answer your questions! Happy baking!
PrintChocolate Hazelnut Cake
This chocolate hazelnut cake consisting of layers of moist chocolate cake and chocolate hazelnut buttercream is chocolate lover’s dream dessert!
- Prep Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 8 –10 Cake Slices 1x
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 Cups (250 g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup (52 g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Large Eggs, Room Temperature
- 1 1/3 Cups (272 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1 Cup (8 oz) Plain Yogurt, Room Temperature
- 1 Cup (237 ml) Strong Brewed Coffee/Milk, Room Temperature
- 1/2 Cup (125 ml) Neutral Flavored Oil i.e. Grapeseed/Vegetable Oil
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Cream
- 1 1/2 Cups (12 oz) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature, Firm to Touch
- 3 Cups (330 g) Powdered Sugar
- 1/4 Cup (26 g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, Dutch-Processed
- 3/4 Cup (225 g) Chocolate Hazelnut Spread i.e. Nutella
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt (Optional)
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake Assembly
- Cooled Chocolate Cakes
- Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream
- 2 Ounces (57 g) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bars, Finely Chopped
- 1/4 Cup (60 ml) Heavy Cream, Warmed to Hot, Not Boiled
- Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 325F(165C). Grease (3) 6” baking pans and line the base of each pan with 6” parchment paper circle cutouts.
- Using a fine mesh sieve, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Alternatively, the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt can be added to a large mixing bowl and whisked to combine.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, add the oil, yogurt, and sugar. Whisk to combine. Next, individually whisk in the eggs followed by the strong brewed coffee (or milk) and vanilla extract into wet batter.
- Pour wet batter into bowl with dry ingredients and mix just until a smooth chocolate cake batter is achieved.
- Equally divide batter into prepared baking pans and bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Allow chocolate cakes to cool in pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream
- Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together into a large mixing bowl. Set bowl aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer, cream the butter and salt (optional) at medium high speed until smooth and fluffy in appearance, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add chocolate hazelnut spread into bowl with creamed butter and mix to combine, about 1 minute. Stop mixer and with a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides and base of bowl.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in sifted powdered sugar and cocoa powder into creamed butter-chocolate mixture. Once all the powdered sugar and cocoa powder has been added and incorporated into mixture, mix in the vanilla extract into chocolate hazelnut buttercream.
- Increase mixer speed to medium high and mix chocolate hazelnut buttercream for 1-2 minutes. The resulting buttercream should thick and fluffy in appearance.
Assembly
- Remove the domed tops off cooled chocolate cakes with a serrated knife or cake leveler.
- Place a clean surface on top of a turntable i.e. cake stand/cake board and spread a small amount of buttercream onto the center.
- Add the first chocolate cake layer faced up in the center of prepared surface.
- Spoon some of the chocolate hazelnut buttercream onto cake (about 2-3 serving spoons of buttercream) and spread into an even layer using an offset spatula. Repeat layering process once more with second chocolate cake layer and buttercream.
- Place the final chocolate cake layer faced down on top of the second layer. This will create a flat instead of a domed cake surface once cake is completely frosted.
- Using an offset spatula, fill in the gaps between cake layers with chocolate hazelnut buttercream and smooth out with bench scrapper. Add a small amount of chocolate hazelnut buttercream on top layer of cake — just enough to spread into a thin layer with offset spatula (about 1 serving spoon of buttercream).
- Place cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to an hour to allow crumb coat to firm up before applying final coat of chocolate hazelnut buttercream.
- Make chocolate ganache for drip by placing finely chopped chocolate in a small mixing bowl. Pour warmed heavy cream over chopped chocolate and allow to sit untouched for 1 minute before whisking into a smooth mixture. Set chocolate ganache aside to cool and thicken up before using.
- Fill a large pastry bag with some of the chocolate hazelnut buttercream and cut the top 1/2” tip off.
- Pipe chocolate hazelnut buttercream along the sides of cake until it is completely covered and spoon a good amount buttercream onto the top of cake, about 2 serving spoons.
- Using an offset spatula, spread the buttercream on top of cake into an even layer. This will push some of the buttercream over the edge of the top layer which is fine.
- Switch to a bench scrapper. With dominant hand, hold bench scrapper at a 45-degree angle against the side of cake and apply light pressure while rotating turntable with non-dominant hand. Repeat action until the sides of the cake is perfectly smooth.
- Some of the chocolate hazelnut buttercream may extend over the edge of the top cake layer. Use an offset spatula, to bring extra buttercream toward center of cake and smooth out while turning turntable with non-dominant hand.
- Using a small spoon, drip cooled and slightly thicken chocolate ganache along the edge of cake so that it falls down the sides of cake. This will create a border around the top surface of cake. Fill that border with 1-2 spoons of the chocolate ganache and spread into an even layer with an offset spatula.
- Top outer border of chocolate hazelnut cake with chocolate hazelnut truffles and refrigerate cake until ready to serve.
Notes
- Chocolate hazelnut cake is best eaten the day it is prepared but will last up to 4-5 days in the refrigerator and 1-2 months in the freezer when sliced and stored in an airtight container.
- When making layered cakes, I always have these essential tools handy: serrated knife (cake leveler), cake turntable (lazy susan), offset spatula, bench scrapper, pastry bags and pastry tips (1M, 2D and 6B).
- I used these baking tools to make chocolate cake and chocolate hazelnut buttercream: (3) 6” baking pans, parchment paper, mixing bowls, rubber spatula, hand whisk, large wooden spoon, cooling rack.
- Here is a great video reference on how to add drips on cakes.
Carla
This was delicious, turned out perfectly and looked beautiful! Thank you for such detailed and thoughtful instructions. You can tell you are a pro!
nourished endeavors
Aww! Thank you so much! Happy to hear that you liked it.
Violet
Excellent, balanced flavor. Not too complicated. Thank you!
nourished endeavors
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!