Nutella Cake

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A chocolate cake frosted with Nutella buttercream frosting and topped with a Nutella ganache.

Prep Time45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 811kcal

Preheat and prepare the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8” or 9” baking pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and grease again. Set aside.
Combine dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour ¾ cup (63 g) Dutch cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt
Combine wet ingredients. In a second mixing bowl whisk together oil, vanilla extract, eggs, and buttermilk. 2 large eggs 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk ½ cup (120 ml) neutral oil 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until incorporated.
Add espresso/hot water. Stir the espresso powder into the boiling water. Carefully stir in the boiling water into the chocolate batter. Batter will be thin. 1 cup (240 ml) boiling water 2 teaspoons espresso powder
Bake. Pour batter into the prepared pan. . Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove cakes from the oven and allow it to cool completely before frosting.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. 1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks, 283 g) unsalted butter, softened
Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth. 2 ½ cups (283 g) powdered sugar
Mix in the vanilla extract, heavy cream, and salt. Beat to combine. ⅛ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
Add Nutella and beat until smooth and combined. 1 cup nutella
Frost cake. When cake is cooled, stack and frost cake layers with offset spatula. Finish with ganache.

Heat cream and Nutella together in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir. If not smooth yet, microwave again for another 30 seconds. Allow to sit and thicken, about 5 minutes. ½ cup (135 g) Nutella ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
Pour over cooled cake before serving. I pour tje ganache in th center of the cake and the spread to the edges so it drips down slowly over the edge of the Transfer to the refrigerator until set, about 15 minutes.
Pipe on swirls of remaining frosting to finish and serve.

Make Ahead: You can make the cake the day before. Let the cake cool completely then cover well in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature. You can also make the frosting two days in advance and refrigerate. You will need to re-whip in the mixer again to make smooth and fluffy. Then the day of you can frost and finish with the ganache.
Storage: I recommend storing the cake, covered in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 4 days. Or store at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, I recommend freezing any cake leftovers. I like to cut the cake into slices. Then wrap each slice in plastic wrap and store in a plastic freezer bag. You can thaw overnight, or more quickly at room temperature before serving.
Unsweetened cocoa powder - I used Dutch process cocoa powder instead of an regular natural cocoa powder. I prefer Dutch cocoa powder because it's less acidic and makes for a richer chocolate taste.
Buttermilk - If you don't have buttermilk, try making your own homemade buttermilk. Do not use regular milk as it will not react the same with the baking soda.
Oil - Use a neutral-tasting oil such as vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil.
Espresso powder - You can also use instant coffee (but it's not as strong). Espresso powder helps to enhance the chocolate flavor, so don't skip it!
Boiling water - You can also use hot coffee. Omit the added espresso powder.