You know what they say: Sometimes you feel like a Nutella, and sometimes you don’t. Okay, wait…that’s not accurate. I think it’s more like “sometimes you feel like a Nutella, and then sometimes you feel like injecting every last one of your already decadent and delicious baked goods with it.” Okay, well, that’s not exactly the cliche, yet, but it’s true. Are you a Nutella lover? I’d ask “Do you like Nutella?” but then, as far as I can tell, there’s no such thing as a Nutella “liker.” It appears that there are three types of people in this world: those who have never tried it, those who have and don’t like it at all, and those who…well, okay, the rest of us–those who are nutty for Nutella. Now would be a good time to confess that I only bought my first jar of Nutella (ever) earlier this year, and yet this is the first time I’ve used it in baking. Ever. I know, I know, but if it’s any consolation, I’ve made up for lost time: I am on my fifth jar and have never put it on toast. So, according to my highly scientific calculations, I’ve sneaked a total of 160 single Nutella tablespoons or, if you will, 1600 calories straight from the jar in the past few months.
Nutella, if you haven’t had the joy of tasting it and aren’t familiar, is a gorgeous chocolate hazelnut spread made by Ferrero (as in Ferrero Rocher chocolates) that is sold inconspicuously alongside the jams and other breakfast spreadables, but inside it is true chocolate hazelnut heaven. It literally tastes just like Ferrero Rocher chocolates, but smooth as silk, spreadable and intended for bread or, well, spoons. Did you know that each 750g jar contains 106 hazelnuts? Did you know that hazelnuts are a good source of fiber, protein, vitamin B, iron, calcium, and potassium? I promise that I’m not the Nutella spokesperson in stealth mode, but I just happen to think it’s pretty fabulous, and I love it. Did I mention that I also love pound cake?
I can also promise that I’m not the first person to become enamoured with marrying hazelnut spread with baked goods (I dare you and your bikini to Google “Nutella recipes”), but this pound cake recipe really called to me (to my bikini, well, not so much–summer’s over right?). I took an existing recipe and then decided to create an Espresso glaze to pour overtop. It really didn’t need it, but it sure tastes divine. You could most certainly omit the glaze altogether, or if you like the idea of glazing it, you could substitute milk for the espresso in the glaze. You could even add a bit of espresso into some freshly whipped cream and serve it with the cake (as it is made for this recently blogged goodness). Or not. Trust me when I tell you, there’s no wrong answer here.
Although this is my first pound cake that I’ve made for the blog, I’ve been loving them for quite some time, and I really apprecite their simplicity. Of course there are hundreds of variations out there, but even classic pound cake with no fanciness or extra flavours is perfectly lovely.
I should tell you, though, that there are some incredible recipes out there for homemade Nutella, which I am certain would take this pound cake to new and unimaginable heights. This time, I made this recipe on a whim as it was one of those “What can I make right this instant without having to go to the store first?” situations, so I used my jar of Nutella, but I have every intention of making the homemade variety. I suspect I would be most proud of myself if I pulled homemade hazelnut spread out of my cupboard. I can’t explain why, but I would. The exciting news is that, according to Stella (and trust me, you want to trust Stella), it is simple to make and even more amazing. You can find her recipe for Homemade Nutella here on her incredible blog, BraveTart.
That being said, store-bought Nutella does perfectly well for this recipe, and it makes for a quick, simple, and incredible tasty treat.
Nutella Swirl Pound Cake with Espresso Glaze {click to print}
*Adapted from Nutella Swirl Pound Cake, by Laura Chattman on Food & Wine
For the cake:
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (180 grams/6 ounces) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons (10 mL) pure vanilla extract (I use Nielsen-Massey Vanillas 8-oz. Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
3/4 teaspoon (3.75 mL/3 grams) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon (5 mL/2 grams) salt
2 sticks (227 grams/8 oz/1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups (250 grams/9 ounces) sugar
One 13 ounce jar (400 gram) of Nutella (or homemade Nutella)
For the glaze:
Ingredients
1/2 cup (63 grams/2 ounces) of sifted icing (powdered) sugar
1 tablespoon (15 mL) brewed espresso (I use instant espresso powder to make a small cup, then take the 15 mL from that)
For the cake:
Method
1. Position oven rack in the centre of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°. Lightly grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and line bottom with a rectangle of parchment paper. Grease paper and dust entire pan with flour, tapping out any excess.
2. In a small bowl or measuring cup, lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of flour, baking powder and salt.
4. In the of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or handheld mixer), cream the butter with the sugar on medium speed (I use #4 on KitchenAid) until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
5. With the mixer at medium-low speed, gradually beat in the egg mixture until fully incorporated (add 1/4 mixture at a time). Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, beating at low speed between additions until just incorporated. Continue to beat for 30 seconds longer.
6. Spread one-third of the batter in the prepared pan (a small offset spatula works best for spreading batter), then spread half of the Nutella on top. Repeat with another third of the batter and the remaining Nutella. Top with the remaining batter. Lightly swirl the Nutella into the batter with a butter knife or skewer, but don’t overmix.
7. Bake the cake for about 1 hour undisturbed, the test cake for doneness (a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.). You will likely need to bake the cake for a total of 1 hour and 10 minutes, but this will vary based on individual ovens.
8. Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Using a thin knife, loosen the sides of the cake from the pan, then invert the cake onto a wire rack, but carefully turn it right side up and let cool completely, about 2 hours.
9. Drizzle with the glaze, cut the cake into slices and serve.
For the glaze:
Method
1. Mix icing sugar and brewed espresso in a small bowl, whisking until smooth.
2. Pour over cake drizzle-style and/or each piece to serve.
*Note: For a classic glaze (to omit the espresso flavour) substitute espresso with milk.
Good luck & enjoy!
Have a thing for Nutella? Here are few more enticing Nutella recipes from some of my fellow food bloggers:
Crispy Chocolate Almond Sticks from The Pioneer Woman
Nutella and Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Fudge from She’s Becoming DoughMessTic
Nutella Fudge Brownies from Abby Dodge via {a thought for food}
Nutella Hot Chocolate from the Hungry Housewife
Banana, Nutella & Cream Cheese Cake from always with butter
and again for those who want to make it themselves, Homemade Nutella by BraveTart
What magical Nutella’ness do you like to create in your kitchen? Can you think of some other fun ways to bake it up?
Be back soon!
Love, Rosie xo
Thanks for the link on my Nutella Hot Chocolate!!! Love YOu Nutella Pound Cake. It looks evil and delicious. I try not to keep Nutella in the house all the time, because I too sneak tablespoons!!!
My husband is in the ‘I love it with all my heart and I want to marry nutella’ category. We sneak shovels full, not spoonfuls ;) LOVELY pound cake!
I love the way that swirl looks and the espresso glaze sounds wonderful!
I love Nutella, and this pound cake looks fantastic!
Nutella is one of the few things I can get my daughter to eat in the morning. I’ve also made Nutella Swirl Pumpkin Bread which is great for breakfast as well – I found it on Pinterest. http://realmomkitchen.com/3797/pumpkin-nutella-swirl-bread-or-muffins/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+realmomkitchen%2FJNcN+%28Real+Mom+Kitchen%29
Did you know that he invented Nutella because there was a shortage of chocolate during the war but there was tons of hazelnuts in that region? Seems like a necessity turned into something great ;)
nutella pumpkin bread sounds amazing! i think i have to try that with my pumpkin bread recipe!
oh, this pound cake looks fantastic! Guess what I´m baking this weekend? ;)
You should to put some nutella in your Swiss meringue buttercream and use it on a dark chocolate cake or cupcakes and put some hazelnuts on, like I did here:
http://kitchenkaos.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/hazelnut-chocolate-nutella-ruffle-cake/ (<- it´s in norwegian, but the pictures says it all ;))
It´s amazing! I promise :)
I’ve tried the nutella brownies and holee molee those are dangerous! Too easy and too yummy.. they disappear fast!
I just added a nutella scone recipe from Baked Explorations to my “to make” list that look so good, hoping to get around to making it this weekend :)
And we buy our nutella from Costco where you get 2 huge jars in a package, 1 jar for eating and the other for baking lol
Oh my goodness! This looks phenomenal! Everything is so totally beautiful on your website. I know what I will be doing this weekend!
I love the swirl – it looks so perfect and pretty. And the expresso glaze? What a wonderful finishing touch!
I love Nutella!! It´s a fantastic cake!!!
http://www.mipatisserie.blogspot.com
This looks so so good, i am sure going to ookmark this one.
I simply adore Nutella and just had it for breakfast this morning on bread.
My favourite recipe has got to be a Nutella tart. I have searched for a recipe for some time but most of the recipes call for a few tablespoons of Nutella amidst other ingredients. What I wanted was a full blown Nutella flavour so I just used a simple chocolate tart shell (leftover from another tart I made) and for the filling, I just mixed a whole lot of Nutella with enough heavy cream to smoothen it. Refrigerate it till it sets and enjoy!
Beautiful pound cake,Rosie! I’m fortunate that the Nutella factory/main office is mere blocks from my house.Yes, i’m serious. I have even taken a tour of the facility. Sweet? Heck yeah. Love me some Nutella, and this too!
I am a self-proclaimed Nutella addict. People think I’m crazy when I say this but I recently spent a few months in Europe and I swear that European Nutella is even more spectacular than the North American variety. It stays fresher and gooey-er and it’s just amazing. I even brought a jar home with me and plan on begging friends to mail me some when I run out! (And they stuff Nutella in so many baked goods there… it really is heaven on earth.)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE nutella, and this recipe is making me want to run out to the closest grocery store {or costco} and get the largest jar they have…which in Costco’s case is the 1kg jar…
Although I have definitely had Nutella before, I am not actually sure if I have actually purchased it much before this year either! Funnily enough, I just posted my first Nutella baking adventure yesterday! A delicious trifle concoction of cake, Nutella, Ferraro Rocher’s, whipped cream and cream cheese. It was amazing!
http://bexbakesandcakes.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/death-by-ferraro-rocher-trifle-or-should-i-call-it-nutella-trifle/
Who are these people that have tried nutella and don’t like it?! So happy to hear the hazelnut count in a jar. ;) Thanks for more great info!
I absolutely love the look of this!! (did you send any with the girls by any chance in heaven? ;) ). Would love to try!!
Oh my!!!! I think I have to get baking right now!…. Looks delicious. (P.S. In my experience, homemade Nutella does taste exactly the same but you will never get it as smooth as the original, so I always use the jar….beware of the big jar!!!)
the jar sure comes in handy when making ferrero rocher ice cream…..so delicious!!!!
hey Rosie…..I luv the way your cakes look…the moment u look at them u want to bake…..and especially the photography….the light captured…and the colors…they are beautiful…..have done a pound cake with chocolate swirls…..then not with Nutella….am going to try one….and am going to try your ruffle designon the lemon blueberry cake…….
lovely! Can’t wait to try this
This looks soooo good. I don’t know how you come up with these delicious things, but I’m so glad you do!
i am a pound cake lover through and through!! one of my favorites was a lemon glazed cream cheese pound cake i made for my birthday a few years ago… i think i may have to throw nutella into that already delicious mix (maybe substitute the glaze for a buttermilk glaze perhaps?)!! i mean if you’re gonna go, you might as well go big, right?!
How scrumptious is this?! Love it!
I am such a Nutella lover and have made a similar cake like this, from over at Cake Duchess recipe index! Gorgeous!
The swirl looks delicious but the glaze looks heavenly! Can’t wait to try this one out!
I remember when I lived in Puerto Rico and my parents would leave me with this nanny type thing. You see, she owned a candy store that was attached to her house, so when the kids were good, we could pick out a candy to nibble on. I always either chose the krabby patty gummy hamburgers or the packets of nutella that came with a little plstic white spoon. My those were the days. I hardly ever have nutella now, but your gorgeous pound cake makes me want to buy a jar.
it’s so beautiful!
LOVE LOVE Nutella… they use to sale it individually packed when I was in middle school…
WOW! This looks so tasty . Wish I could have a slice or two…
I said it on Twitter and after seeing it I’ll say it again. Bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu…This may not me your fanciest creation but it is totally nummy :D xoxo
YUM!
But, um, didn’t you mention something about a gingersnap cheesecake recipe at some point (from the wee birthday celebrations)? Because the way you feel about vanilla cake? That’s how I feel about cheesecake. And ginger. Please?!
Looks so delicious! I’ve never actually had Nutella (I generally bake dairy free) but I just found a jar of non-dairy Nutella type spread- I’ll definitely be trying this recipe with it!
-Miriam
I made this cake yesterday, and I promise, it is the most delicious pound cake I’ve ever tried. My favourite by far!!
I love Nutella so much! I participated in Nutella Day and made Nutella butter cookies – they were delicious and were demolished within an hour :)
http://www.loveswah.com/2011/02/world-nutella-day/
Rosie, this is a wonderful recipe AND besides sounding wonderful, its GORGEOUS!!!
I baked this cake last weekend and it was amazing. The nutella and vanilla flavors are perfect together, and the glaze sends it over the top. Thank you for sharing.
So glad to hear it, Susan!
I can’t even tell you how many times I walk by Nutella at the grocery store. And then I walk by again. Because if I have it in my house… along with peanut butter… I will chow down on it so hard until the jar is empty!! So I hear ya on the eat-ability of the stuff.
This cake looks lovely… swirls of Nutella… beautiful!
Thanks, Lyndsay! I know what you mean about having the jar in the house. It’s insane, and I never knew I was a Nutella person until a few months ago. I can’t wait to make it at home to compare homemade to store-bought. Should be interesting! xo
This sounds amazing! Count me in the Nutella lovers camp, I truly can’t understand the haters. I really like your idea of pairing Nutella with an espresso glaze, I’ll have to try it :)
Stunning! The photo makes me want a slice now even if I am not nuts (ha ha) about Nutella. I have a big jar in the cupboard but have yet to swirl it in a cake. This looks perfectly delicious and lovely. And I adore the touch of espresso!
Thanks so much, Jamie! Adding the Nutella is really a quick way to give a simple pound cake some interest! Although, now that I think about it, I’ve never met a classic pound cake I didn’t like, but that’s another story. ;)
A swirl and a glaze? This is my kind of treat!
Thanks, Maria!
That is one stunning pound cake dressed in only the finest! Nutella & espresso!?! *Divine*
There are REALLY three types of nutella people?? I don’t believe there’s anyone who doesn’t like it!!
It’s almost unthinkable, right? :)
A delicious looking pound cake…I actually made it last night, but haven’t tried it yet! It’s driving me crazy though, smelling amazing :-) I also just blogged about it on my blog – Crumblyplum – http://crumblyplum.wordpress.com/
Thanks for the fab recipe Rosie, I’ll be back for more yummy inspiration!
Hola, me gustaría suscribirme a su página para poder recibir sus recetas y novedades de dulces, confitería y pastelería . Gracias
Hi Rosie! Do you have any suggestions for adapting this recipe for a 12 cup bundt pan?
I’m a bigger fan of Nutella being baked into things than I am it being on things. This pound cake is right up my Nutella alley!
love nutella! such a beautiful pound cake
And if I confess that I work for Ferrero, the Italian company that produces Nutella??
It’s so amazing seeing how much Nutella is loved all around the world!
Very nice recipe, I’ll try it as soon as possible!
I adore pound cake and I love nutella.. so combining the two together sounds like a decadent treat I know I will enjoy and so will my family. Great recipe
This takes one of my all time favorite recipes to a new level!
Hi Rosie!
I made this pound cake yesterday … used 350gr nutella instead of 400 – it sank down like a “blob” of nutella at the lower part of the cake (about 1 cm thick). also turned out kinda “greasy” – I rechecked all the ingredients twice, don’t know what could have happened? still very yummy! love your blog and your photos. please do post on how you take such great photos, any post-production tips!?
thanks! greetings from south america :-)
hey rosie, hey katia
same problem here with the nutella, but still a great recipe, i loved the cake. greetings from switzerland!
Hi ladies,
I wish I knew why that was happening, but perhaps trying a bit less Nutella in the recipe would help?
Hi Katia & Rosie, I had the same (happy) problem too, the Nutella was kind of “blobby” and didnt have any distinct swirls. It could have been my oven I guess. Will prob try again because its lovely :) Thanks Rosie for sharing your beautiful cakes :))
Gosh, ladies I’m not certain why your Nutella isn’t swirling. I agree that perhaps if you try a bit less, that should help, but I’m not certain why it would do that. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
I too had the blob, twice! Have made this twice and had raves both times, but the Nutella was definitely not in the delicate swirl pictured. Now that I have done this twice, I might try decreasing the amount of Nutella.
Its baking right now…….. my house smells amazing!!!!
Mine came out perfect! The only problem….who can wait 2 hours for the cake to cool! Just ate a couple a slices :)
Katia, Suzie & Raphael, Maybe put more of the bread batter between layers? Looking at the bread right now, I can see how that might be an issue. Thanks for the recipe Rosie, it brought a smile to me tonight!!! Next time, your vanilla bean bundt cake!
Best baking wishes,
Jen
My Nutella endeavour is a Vanilla bundt cake with a Nutella chocolate ganache drizzled over…. probably a little more coated on and crumbled Ferrero Rocher pieces scattered over and then finally topped with another Nutella chocolate ganache coating. The crumbled Ferrero Rocher pieces add a lovely texture. It is simply yummy and because the vanilla cake is so wonderfully light the two compliment one another perfectly. It is the perfect marriage of simplicity and indulgence. xoxo
Hi there,
This cake is on my to do list for this weekend, but I already wanted to say: thank you for putting the grams in the recipe! I live in Europe where we don’t really do the whole cups thing so it always takes me some time to recalculate every recipe I find online (for some reason, US people are very active in the baking scene haha). So thank you for saving me the trouble and worries about the measurements being wrong. Will prolly try it with a bit less nutella after reading the others comments, and will be sure to come back here to tell you about the result ;)
Hi Rosie,
I tried making this pound cake but for some reason my cake sank in the middle:-(.. I did everything as per the recipe but I can’t understand why that happened.. Any pointers are welcome:)..
Hey!
I really want to try bake this cake, but I have got a question…
My oven it’s only 300 C degrees… So on what temperature I have to bake a cake?
Thanks :)