Nutella cake with soft chocolate layers and a creamy Nutella frosting, easy to assemble and perfect for birthdays and family celebrations.
This Nutella cake recipe combines moist chocolate layers with a rich chocolate hazelnut flavor everyone loves.
I make this Nutella layer cake often for birthdays and special occasions when I want a cake that looks impressive but stays simple to prepare.
If you’re looking for a classic base, this recipe is built on my chocolate cake, a soft and reliable foundation for many layer cakes.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Deep chocolate and Nutella flavor without being overly sweet
- Stable frostings that are easy to stack and decorate
- A Nutella birthday cake that looks bakery-style and serves a crowd
Ingredients for Nutella Cake
- Cake flour: sifted
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: for a deep chocolate flavor
- Baking soda and baking powder: for lift
- Salt and vanilla extract: for balance and flavor
- Sugar: granulated sugar and powdered sugar
- Vegetable oil: keeps the cake moist
- Eggs: whole eggs and egg whites
- Buttermilk: full-fat
- Coffee or warm water: enhances chocolate flavor
- Mascarpone cheese: cold, full-fat
- Heavy cream: full-fat and cold
- Unsalted butter: softened
- Nutella: or any chocolate hazelnut spread
- Baking chocolate: dark or semi-sweet
Tips for this recipe
- Weigh ingredients: gives a consistent, soft chocolate cake.
- Cool completely: warm layers will melt the Nutella frosting.
- Buttercream dam: helps keep the Nutella filling neatly inside the cake.
- Crumb coat first: locks in crumbs before the final layer.
- Chill before drip: refrigerate 1 hour so the chocolate drip sets cleanly.
- Serve at room temp: take the cake out 20 minutes before slicing.
How to Make Nutella Cake
This Nutella cake is made with my chocolate buttermilk cake recipe, a soft and reliable base for layer cakes.
Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
Mix oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
Combine the dry ingredients with the milk and coffee, mixing until smooth and pourable.
Bake in lined cake pans at 165°C (330°F) for about 45 minutes, until set.
Cool completely, unmold, level the tops, and slice into even layers.
This cake is filled with my Nutella mascarpone frosting recipe, a light and creamy filling that holds its shape well.
Add cold mascarpone, cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, Nutella, cocoa powder, and vanilla to a bowl.
Whip on low speed for 1–2 minutes until thick and smooth.
Chill in a piping bag until ready to assemble.
This cake is frosted with my Nutella Swiss meringue buttercream recipe, smooth, stable, and perfect for layer cakes.
Whisk egg whites and sugar over simmering water until dissolved and the mixture reaches 160°F (70°C).
Whip in a stand mixer until stiff peaks form and the meringue is cool.
Add softened butter gradually, then mix in the Nutella until smooth and creamy.
Assemble the cake with Nutella mascarpone frosting and a swirl of Nutella between the layers.
Frost with Nutella buttercream, smooth the sides, and chill.
Finish with a chocolate drip, buttercream swirls, and chopped hazelnuts.
Storage
- Store the Nutella cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.
Recipe Variations
- Nutella sheet cake: bake the batter in a rectangular pan and frost the top only.
- Nutella cupcakes: divide the batter into liners and frost with Nutella buttercream.
- Two-layer Nutella cake: bake thinner layers for a simpler birthday cake.
- Nutella birthday cake: decorate with Ferrero Rocher and chopped hazelnuts.
Recipe Questions
Can I make this Nutella cake ahead of time?
Yes, bake the cake layers 1–2 days ahead, wrap well, and assemble before serving.
Can I freeze Nutella cake layers?
Yes, freeze unfrosted layers wrapped tightly for up to 1 month.
Why is my Nutella frosting too soft?
Chill it for 15–20 minutes, then re-whip until smooth and stable.
More Chocolate Cake Recipes
I hope you’ll love this recipe! If you try this recipe, feel free to leave a comment. It always helps. Happy baking!
Print
Nutella Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices
Description
Nutella layer cake made with soft chocolate sponge, a creamy Nutella mascarpone filling, and a smooth Nutella Swiss buttercream (6-inch cake, serves 8–10).
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 225 g (1 ¾ cups) Cake Flour
- 80 g (¾ cup) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 160 ml (⅔ cup) Vegetable Oil
- 340 g (1 ¾ cups) Granulated Sugar
- 3 large Eggs - at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 150 ml (⅔ cup) Buttermilk
- 125 ml (½ cup) Coffee/Water - warm
Nutella Mascarpone Frosting
- 200 g (¾ cup) mascarpone cheese, chilled
- 200 g (¾ cup) heavy cream, cold
- 2–3 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 70–100 g (¼ to ⅓ cup) Nutella
- 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder, optional
Nutella Swiss buttercream
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature
- 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
- 300 g (1 ⅓ cups) unsalted butter, softened
- 150–200 g (½ to ⅔ cup) Nutella
- 1–2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate drip
- 80 g (2.8 oz or ½ cup) semi-sweet dark chocolate
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) heavy cream
Instructions
Chocolate Cake Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 330°F (165°C) and grease and line the bottom of two 6-inch (15 cm) round cake pans.
- In a bowl, mix and sift together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, mix together the buttermilk with the warm coffee (or water).
- In the bowl of your stand mixer or in a large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
- Alternately add the dry ingredients mixture and the milk and coffee mixture into the oil and sugar mixture, mixing until you have a smooth and liquid cake batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared 2 pans and bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes until they are well cooked in the center. (Check the doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cakes; it should come out clean.)
- Let cool slightly in the pans before removing the cakes and allowing them to cool completely top side down on a cake rack.
- Once completely cooled, slice them into 2 layers using a cake leveler to obtain 4 layers of sponge cake.
Nutella Buttercream Frosting
- Whisk the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture reaches 160°F (70°C).
- Transfer to a stand mixer and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form and the bowl feels cool.
- Add the softened butter gradually, mixing until smooth, then beat in the Nutella until creamy and stable.
Nutella Mascarpone Frosting
- Place the cold mascarpone, cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, Nutella, cocoa powder, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
- Whip on low speed, then increase to medium speed until the frosting becomes thick, smooth, and holds soft peaks.
- Stop mixing as soon as the frosting is firm and pipeable.
Layer Cake Assembly:
- Prepare a cake turntable stand and place a cake board, then place the first layer of sponge cake.
- Pipe a border of buttercream around the edge of the cake layer, then fill the center with the mascarpone cream, drizzle some Nutella, and cover with the second chocolate sponge cake.
- Repeat the last step until the final layer of sponge cake.
- First, cover the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream and refrigerate for 20 minutes to lock in the crumbs.
- Cover again with a thicker layer of buttercream and smooth with a cake smoother, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Prepare the chocolate ganache drip by heating the chocolate and cream in the microwave in 15-second intervals until you have a runny ganache that's not too hot (ideal temperature 95°F or 35°C).
- Pour the chocolate ganache over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides.
- Decorate the top of the layer cake with the remaining buttercream using a 1M piping tip, sprinkle with hazelnuts, and let the cake rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.
- Take the cake out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before slicing to soften the cream.
Notes
Storage: Store your Nutella cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving so the frosting softens. You can also freeze the unfrosted cake layers for up to 3 months, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
Tips :
- Use a digital scale: Measure ingredients in grams for precision and perfect texture.
- Room temperature ingredients: Bring eggs, milk, and butter to room temperature before mixing.
- Buttermilk substitute: Replace buttermilk with milk mixed with a teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice.
- Smooth layers: Trim the cake tops for even stacking and a clean finish.
- Perfect frosting texture: If too soft, chill for 10 minutes before spreading.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Cake
- Cuisine: American
Clarisse
This cake is delicious! The Nutella hazelnut flavor really comes through. Thank you for the recipe, and your blog is gorgeous. Excited to try more of your recipes!