Every person I know was enchanted by this cake the moment they tasted it.
Today I bring you a recipe I came up with purely by accident. Isn't it funny how the greatest inventions also came to be this way?
It happened like this...
It was a busy Friday and I had just finished a chocolate cake for a birthday party and Nutella coffee French macarons for someone else. I had some trimmings leftover from the cake and some buttercream from the macarons in a piping bag. A Tupperware container turned the scraps into something that resembled a cake.
Chocolate cake and Nutella buttercream by themselves are decadent, so I quickly whipped up some cream and added it to the top. Hooray, we were making improvements! My husband came up with the idea to add toasted nuts. THAT completed the magic. We ate and ate and ate some more. Kids and adults, and more kids and more adults, but not chickens; there was nothing left for them. Since then, I made this cake so many times I lost count. It was a top performer on the desserts table at my brother's wedding. It was at many parties. It was my son's 1st birthday cake. It will be my sister's wedding cake.
Entire communities all over the US and around the globe love this cake. There is nothing that brings me more joy that knowing that I can pass on a GOOD recipe. Not just an "eh", good enough", "Not bad but I've had better sweets", etc. If you ever told yourself, "I want to make a desert that will knock everyone's socks off when they come over tonight! I don't know what that would be though..." and if chocolate is your thing, I got you covered with this cake!
Make this cake into a 9x13 inch cake or into individual portions. If you decide to make the mini cakes, bake the cake in a lined half sheet pan, and decrease the baking time to about 18 minutes or until it bounces back when you gently press on it. Then, once cooled, cut into rounds or squares and pipe the buttercream and whipped cream on top. I have to admit, the 9x13 cake looks good for a family/friends party, to bring to a mom who just had a baby, to make for your family on a Tuesday afternoon...but the individual cakes are very cute and would steal the show at any baby or bridal shower, soiree or tea party.
If you still aren't convinced to give this cake a try, maybe you're just not a chocolate person. I respect that. Go ahead and try some of my other recipes.
Chocolate Cake with Nutella Buttercream
The dreamiest chocolate cake is here!
Ingredients
- 14 tbsp (1 ¾ sticks)/ 200 g unsalted butter
- ½ cup/ 125 ml whole milk
- 2 cups/ 240 g unbleached AP flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 2/3 cup/ 70 g cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups/ 300 g organic sugar
- ½ tsp real salt or sea salt
- 2 medium pasture eggs
- 2/3 cup/ 150 g yogurt or sour cream
- ½ cup/ 125 ml hot water
- 1 tsp espresso powder or instant coffee (optional)
- 1 cup/ 227 g butter
- 1 ½ cup/ 350 g Nutella
- 1 ½ cups/ 175 g organic powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp whole milk (if buttercream is too thick)
- 1 cup/ 240 ml heavy cream
- 1 tbsp organic powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1.5 cup sliced almonds
- ½ cup/ 100 g organic sugar
Instructions
For the Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F/ 175 C.
2. Grease and line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper.
3. In a small saucepan, add butter and milk. Melt over low heat. Set aside to cool.
200 g butter, ½ cup (125 ml) milk
4. Place a fine mesh sifter over a large bowl. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Sift.
2 cups (240 g) flour, 1 ½ tsp baking soda, 2/3 cups (70 g) cocoa powder
5. Add butter-milk mixture.
6. Add eggs to a small bowl and whisk with a fork. Add yogurt or sour cream and mix until homogenous.
2 eggs, 2/3 cup (150 g) yogurt or sour cream
7. Add egg- yogurt mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix using a whisk or Dutch hook.
8. Mix espresso powder/instant coffee with the hot water. Add to the batter.
1 tsp espresso powder, ½ cup (125 ml) water
9. Transfer batter to the prepared pan.
10. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle. If you don’t want to poke your cake, you can also test doneness by lightly pressing the top of the cake. If it springs back and does not leave and indent, it is ready.
11. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Note: The cake can be done days or weeks in advance, wrapped in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil twice, then frozen for up to 3 months.
For the Buttercream:
1. Make the buttercream by adding the soft but cool butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add Nutella and turn on high speed (I do 8 on a Kirchen aid) for 10 minutes. Stop and scrape the side of the bowl once or twice.
1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, 1 ½ cup (350) g Nutella
3. After the 10 minutes, add the powdered sugar and mix gently until incorporated (to prevent a cloud of powdered sugar). Turn the speed up and mix for 1 minute. If the buttercream seems too thick, add the milk and mix for another 30 seconds to a minute. Set aside until needed.
1 ½ cups (175 g) organic powdered sugar, 1 tbsp whole milk (if buttercream is too thick)
For the toasted almonds:
1. Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat.
2 tbsp coconut oil
2. Add sliced almonds and toast for 5 minutes, stirring often.
1.5 cups sliced almonds
3. Add sugar and continue to stir with a spatula so sugar doesn’t burn. I transferred to a silicone or parchment paper lined baking sheet and allowed it to cool. I find that a silicone mat works better because the nuts detach easily from it.
½ cup (100 g) organic sugar
4. Break the almonds into smaller pieces and use them immediately or store them in a mason jar or airtight container.
For the whipped cream:
1. Add heavy cream to a large bowl (the cream will double in size when fully whipped). Add the powdered sugar and whip to stiff peaks. Cover and place in the fridge until needed.
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, 1 tbsp organic powdered sugar
Assembly:
When the cake is completely cooled, place it back in the 9x 13-inch pan and spread the buttercream over it. Place dollops of the whipped cream on top and spread evenly. Sprinkle toasted nuts on top as liberally as your heart desires.
Enjoy!
Notes
Refrigerate leftovers, covered with plastic wrap. Bring to room temperature at least 1 hour before serving, otherwise the buttercream will be hard and tasteless.