Sweetapolita

Whipping Up a Sweet + Styley Life

Best-Ever Chocolate Nutella Layer Cake

- 159 Comments

Chocolate, chocolate everywhere!

I was looking through some older posts the other day, and I came across these Chocolate Birthday Cupcakes with Nutella Cloud Frosting. And while I’ve never been fixated on Nutella desserts, I had almost forgotten how much I loved the way the sweet and hazelnutty flavour and creamy texture of Nutella added a much-welcome addition to these otherwise classic (but awesome) chocolate cupcakes.  So this week I decided to make a super-simple, quick and easy cake version of those cupcakes, embracing quality dark chocolate, extra dark cocoa powder and, of course, Nutella.

Simply put, the frosting is magical. Like unicorn and rainbows magical.

I have this thing about chocolate frosting. I kind of need it to be airy and satiny, as opposed to super-fudgy and dense–I think it pairs so well with a deep, dark moist chocolate cake, such as this one. This frosting is a take on that same Nutella Cloud Frosting I had used on the cupcakes, but I decided to add much more Nutella and a generous amount of sour cream to balance out the sweet. Rather than using the mixer, I just popped everything into my food processor and gave it a 60-second spin or so. The result was the creamiest and richest sweet chocolate frosting I’ve ever tasted.

In addition to the Nutella, we add a good dose of extra dark premium melted chocolate (I used a 70%) to help keep some of the intense chocolate flavour. The Nutella lends to the satiny texture, but because it is already quite sweet, the overall quality of this frosting is on the sweet side, but with a dark decadence. If you can’t get Nutella, or if you find you prefer a deeper flavour with minimal sweetness, you could even skip the Nutella and add a handful of ground hazelnuts. Of course the texture would change to a more rustic one, but the taste would be notably more sophisticated.

But Nutella seems to bring a nostalgic element for some, and if this cake is going anywhere near a little cakelet’s belly, I think Nutella is the way to go, because kids go, well, nuts for this stuff.

And because this cake, as simple as it is, is a celebration of chocolate, I opted for a medley of pure chocolate sprinkles as the finishing touch. It adds an interesting visual and delightful chocolaty crunch to each slice. For the piped border, I went with an unfussy shell-style border, but extended each one for a few extra seconds to create a more elongated shell look. Nothing fancy, but quick, easy and pretty. Because this frosting pipes like a dream, it makes for the perfect frosting border.

So this photo just goes to show that not all cakes look picture-perfect when sliced (this is what happens when I frost a cake and take photos 10 minutes later, rather than refrigerating it for some time to set), but holy Easter-bunny this chocolaty madness is divine. And it couldn’t be easier to create. You’ll see!

Print
Best-Ever Chocolate & Nutella Layer Cake
Super-moist, dark chocolate cake filled and frosted with satiny dark chocolate & Nutella sour cream frosting and covered in a medley of chocolate sprinkles.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
  • 2 1/4 cups 285 grams all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/3 cups 470 grams superfine sugar
  • 3/4 cup 90 grams dark Dutch-process cocoa powder (I use Cacao Barry Extra Brute)
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons 12 grams baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons 10 grams baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon 8 grams salt
  • 1 1/4 cups 300 ml buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup 180 ml brewed coffee or espresso
  • 2/3 cup 160 ml vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon 15 ml pure vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
  • 4 1/2 cups 565 grams confectioners' sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups 340 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup 280 grams Nutella (or other hazelnut spread)
  • 3/4 cup 180 ml full-fat sour cream
  • 11 ounces 330 grams best-quality dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
  • 1 tablespoon 15 ml pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Cake:
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare three 7-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray and parchment rounds.
  2. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, sift all dry ingredients, including sugar. Combine eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla in a measuring cup and beat lightly with a fork.
  3. Add milk mixture to the dry ingredients mix for 1 minute on medium speed (you may need the plastic splash-guard that comes with mixer). Divide batter evenly among prepared pans--each pan should contain about 600 grams of batter.
  4. Bake the first 2 layers for 20 minutes and rotate pans in oven. Continue to bake until toothpick or skewer comes almost clean (a few crumbs), about 5 more minutes. Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes. Repeat with remaining layer, and then gently invert onto racks until completely cool.
For the Chocolate Frosting:
  1. Put all of the ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until smooth and glossy, about 1 minute. The frosting will be very soft. Refrigerate the frosting until it thickens slightly, about 15 minutes.
Assembly of the Best-Ever Chocolate & Nutella Layer Cake:
  1. Put a dollop of frosting on a 7-inch round cake board (or cake plate) or 8-inch scalloped cake board.
  2. Put your first layer top-up on the cake board or plate, and spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly across layer. Put the second cake layer on top and repeat with another layer of frosting. Put the final cake layer top-down. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and wiggle the layers into place. Refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes.
  3. Using a turntable, if possible, frost entire outside of cake with a thin layer of frosting to seal in the crumbs. Chill until the frosting begins to firm-up, about 15 minutes. Repeat with another thin layer of frosting, this time working to achieve a smooth finish. Chill for another 15 minutes.
  4. Apply a third coat of frosting to the cake. Holding a tall pastry comb in your dominant hand, press it gently against the side of the cake and keep it steady. Use the other hand to slowly rotate the turntable until you have gone all the way around the cake. Gently press some chocolate sprinkles around the bottom edge of the cake.
  5. Fit a medium pastry bag with a medium-large closed star tip, such as 1M, and fill about 2/3 full with frosting. Pipe a border around the top of the cake. Chill the cake until the frosting border firms up, at least 30 minutes.
  6. Cover the top of the cake (but not the piped border) with chocolate sprinkles. Once frosting softens again, the sprinkles will adhere to top. The cake will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Sweetapolita’s Notes:

  • If you don’t have 7-inch round cake pans, you could also use 8-inch cake pans. The layers will just be ever-so-slightly shorter.
  • For the cake layers, I use Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder – Extra Brute–it adds so much depth, chocolate-y flavour and a wonderfully dark hue.
  • For the frosting I used Callebaut Dark Callets 70.4 %  to balance the sweetness of the Nutella.
  • I used one of the Wilton Decorate Smart 3-Piece Icing Comb Set for the sides of the cake (the furthest comb to the right in the image).
  • I used a medley of chocolate vermicelli sprinkles on top, including India Tree Chocolate Vermicelli and De Ruyter Chocoadehagel. Any kind works well, but I prefer to keep it to pure chocolate vermicelli, as opposed to just chocolate jimmies.
  • Because the frosting has sour cream in it, it’s best to refrigerate this cake if it hasn’t been gobbled up after a day. Keep refrigerated at that point, and serve at room temperature (although it tastes pretty great cold too).

Happy Easter to you and your family!

Good luck & enjoy!

Share the Sweetness!

Comments

  2. Gorgeous and amazing! I can’t wait to try this recipe, it looks completely stunning! xo
    P.S. The first picture of the cake is pure perfection, ;).

    Reply

  3. Seriously… I can’t wait for the book!
    This looks a-ma-zing! My husband is gonna die for this one :]

    Reply

  9. Looks like another chocolate cake winner is on your hands! Love the simplicity of the design and how dark that chocolate cake is. Can’t wait to try it myself. So happy you are back blogging :)

    Reply

  12. You have succeeded in making me crave an overly chocolate cake. Normally I pass right over chocolate cake recipes but not only is the presentatin awesome with all those chocolate sprinkles on top and the perfect frosting on the sides, btu there’s Nutella! I may have to add some hazelnuts if I made it though.

    Reply

  13. ..I’m so inspired by your cakes and how gorgeous your recipes are! This looks scrumptious, and growing up with jars of Nutella in the house (I’m Italian), this brings back lots of great memories.

    Reply

  14. Can this be made in cupcakes? If so, how long to bake.

    I love your recipes and I did make the 7 layer chocolate n it’s my fav recipe.

    Reply

    • Hi Nancy! Sure thing, you can definitely make these into cupcakes. Bake them for about 18-22 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with a few crumbs only. Hope that helps!

      Reply

      • Hello Rosie, I love this cake and so looking forward ro bake it, I am a little concern though you mentioned to bake 2 pans first and then the 3rd one, in my baking experience when I didn’t bake the cake inmediately it turn out wierd, do I keep the unbake batch in the fridge or just hanging there?

        Reply

        • Hi Susanne,
          I always keep the batter at room temperature before baking, so I bake the 2 first pans and then leave the third on the counter until it goes in the oven. I do this with all of my cake layers, and don’t have any issues, so you should be okay. Hope that helps!

          Reply

  21. That cake is the more beautiful than any cake I could dream of! Stunning. That frosting recipe is similar to the one they use at Sprinkles Bakery, Beverly Hills. It is really the best.

    Reply

    • Rosie, when you were expecting a cakelet did it affect your baking at all? Ever since I found out that I have a cakelet in my oven, my baking has been off! I am using the same ingredients, same recipes, same everything but something is different.

      After seeing your beautiful cake, my cravings just kicked in. I just put a chocolate cake in so let’s see what happens.

      So glad you are back on the blog. xo

      Reply

  23. Light as air, this icing is one of my favorite recipes of yours! I’ve had to modify slightly for the hot humid Australian coastal summer, but the base recipe is so well done it made tweaking easy! Thanks for all the wonderful posts.

    Reply

    • What modifications you had to do? I live in the caribean and would love to bake this for my girl bday. Thanks!!!

      Reply

  24. Your recipe of chocolate cake is the best, i made this recipe many times. But with nutella Frosting i Think that is heaven! Thanks Roxie. Saludos desde México.

    Reply

  26. Can’t wait to make this! Is there anything I can do to make to frosting without a food processor because I don’t have one :( . I have a blender but not a vitamix. Will it hurt to put all the ingredients in the mixer?

    Reply

  27. Gorgeous! Your recipes are always amazing, and I cannot wait to try this one. I’m a chocoholic, and this cake looks like perfection. I only discovered Nutella about a year ago and have not used it in my baking yet, so this will be a first. Thanks for sharing! (I cannot wait to buy your book!)

    Reply

  31. Sounds amazing! Definitely keen to try anything with Nutella, and the sour cream addition is also intriguing :)

    hereiskat.blogspot.com

    Reply

  32. Hey Rosie
    Your chocolate cakes always look amazing.
    I tried this recipe, but my cake didn’t look ad good as yours
    The texture of the cake was to gooey.
    I don’t know what I did wrong, but I hope you could give me a tip.

    Reply

  35. Hello from rainy London!

    Yum, yum super yum. Just made this for Easter for my husband and our friend. Used nuts instead of sprinkles and two layers instead of three, but besides that stayed faithful to the recipe and wow. It was the lick!

    The cake itself tastes just like a chocolate muffin. <3

    Next time will try with cherries and vanilla buttercream.

    Btw, I have loads if leftover icing. What to do with that next? I wonder how long it will keep.

    Many thanks Rosie for sharing this with us. As always, your posts are inspiring. :-)

    Reply

  37. I have the same question as Nancy, can I use the recipe for the cake and frosting for cupcakes? If yes, then how long should I bake the cupcake for?
    Amazing cakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply

    • Hi Chandana! Thanks so much for the kind words! Here’s what I replied to Nancy re: making them as cupcakes:
      Sure thing, you can definitely make these into cupcakes. Bake them for about 18-22 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with a few crumbs only. Hope that helps!

      Reply

        • Made the cake yesterday :) .. our little guy turning 12 on May 2nd loved it and approved to be made into cupcakes for his party :). I think I could have baked them a little less. I was wondering how many cupcakes would the batter make?
          Thank you for this amazing site!

          Reply

  38. Made this on the weekend-turned out perfectly and disappeared quickly. Thanks for a beautiful website that I love to pore over.

    Reply

  39. I made this cake yesterday for a work friends birthday.
    AMAZING!!
    Everyone was blown away by the way it look and equally amazed at the taste.
    Thank you, thank you, thank you for making such yummy sweets and for putting the weights down for all the ingredients, makes baking so easy for this Aussie :)

    Reply

  41. A M A Z I N G!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Just one thing, can i use my mixer for the frosting because i don’t have a food processor?thanks

    Reply

  45. Hi Rosie. I can’t wait to try this cake! One question: Can I use 9 inch pans? As that’s all I have. Or will the cake be too flat?
    Thanks

    Reply

  46. OMG – this cake is AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING! Love your blog Rosie – cannot wait for your book! Had a quick question about making this into smaller cakes – like a 5 inch pan – how many layers would it make and how would the baking time/altitude be affected? Thanks in advance!

    Reply

  47. I made this cake last weekend and it was amazing!!! Really easy recipe to follow and the results were just perfect!! Thank you for sharing such an awesome recipe!

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  48. Bonjour

    Je viens de faire cuire le gâteau dans un moule de 26cm (environ 7.5 pouces) et il s’est affaissé sur son centre. J’ai respecté les ingrédients, les quantités, le temps et la température de cuisson… je n’arrive pas à savoir ce qui peu poser un souci dans mon process. Auriez vous une piste pour m’aider ?

    J’ai fait la crème, elle est parfaite ! Nous n’avons pas de “sourcream” en France, donc je l’ai remplacée par de la crème fraîche semi-épaisse légère et du mascarpone (50/50) et le résultat est impeccable !

    Reply

  49. Probably quite late here!
    But my goodness, I think I died and went to cake heaven :)
    Do not ever stop baking/blogging!! :)

    I was also wondering if the Nutella and Chocolate could be added to your SMBC recipe, to cut down on the sweetness

    Reply

  50. I’m in the process of making this wonderful delight and wondering how long will the leftover icing keep for? Can I freeze it like a buttercream?

    Reply

    • Hi Tanya,
      Sorry I wasn’t able to get back to you sooner, but you can refrigerate the frosting for several days, and just bring to room temperature and warm slightly in the microwave before beating back to fluffy. I’m sorry that I haven’t tried freezing it, but I find that these confectioners’ sugar-based frostings don’t tend to freeze that well. I hope you enjoyed the cake!

      Reply

  51. Hi there !
    I made that chocolate cake… At first I was pretty scared by the liquid consistency of the batter and the fact it contains coffee ( I’m not a fan )… but GOD this cake is good. Even with my oh so horrible “mistake”… When I went to grab the cocoa powder, I realised I didn’t have much left… and had to use the very sweet nesquik ( please don’t slap me… I had no choice… ). I really didn’t expect for it to taste SO DAMN GOOD. It’s so moist and chocolaty and rich and… pfiou. Thanks to you I have found my dream chocolate recipe.
    I filled it with a white chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries…. I can’t wait to taste the whole thing :)

    Thanks again ! I love what you do ^^

    Reply

  52. Hi Rosie,

    I made this cake for my dad’s birthday this past weekend, and my entire family loved it. I went with the larger recipe found in your Campfire Delight Cake post, and ended up with a 5-layer cake (cut 6, stopped stacking at 5). I also alternated the Nutella frosting with Campfire’s toasted marshmallow frosting. And while the cake was ridiculously decadent, it was extremely unstable. By the time we served it, it was collapsing on itself. Even though my skewers came out clean, the tops of the cakes were very sticky, and probably a little underbaked. I’m sure this contributed to the issue, but I still felt that this very moist cake was much more fragile than my favorite vanilla cake (your buttermilk cake, which is extremely easy to stack).

    Have you ever had similar issues with this cake? In the Campfire Delight post, your 6-layer cake looks pretty stable, but is it generally better to leave the 3 layers uncut? Any insight would be very helpful. I loved this chocolate cake, but would definitely need more stability if I wanted to try it as another layer cake.

    Thanks!
    Andrea

    Reply

  53. Hi Rosie,
    This cake looks really yummy. Just wondering if I can use instant coffee powder instead? And use two 9 inch pans?

    Reply

    • Hi Catherine! Sure thing–you can use instant coffee powder. I would dissolve the powder into boiling water and add it that way. And two 9-inch pans will work just fine. You will have slightly taller layers, but it should work well. Best of luck!

      Reply

  55. This is officially my favourite go-to cake for the future! Man, it’s so soft and fluffy and chocolately! I made this today for my boyfriend for World Baking Day, and it’s so easy to make, and so flippin delicious! Thanks so much for such a gorgeous recipe! :)

    Reply

  56. Hi Rosie,
    Am so happy I stumbled upon your blog – not only are your recipes delicious, but I am more than happy just to gaze and the photos of these cakes!

    I have been practising these cakes myself now and have a few friends/acquaintances who would like me to do them a cake for an event, but I do have a question I have not found an answer to anywhere on the web:

    How on earth do you transport your buttercream decorated cakes? The sides are so perfect and obviously cannot be touched to pick up to transfer to a cake stand (what most people want their cake displayed on). If you have the cake decorated on a cake drum do you include the cake drum in the buttercream decoration or does the decoration stop above it? If it stops above how do you get round the fact that the cake drum is going to be on display? I’m assuming you use some sort of drum/board when transporting otherwise how would you transfer cake to cake stand without sides being touched at all?

    This has been a major dilemma for me these last few months!

    Thanks so much

    Reply

  57. I just served this cake to a party of 10 adults and they all loved it! I was worried because I know cake isn’t for everyone, but EACH GUEST cleaned their plates. I served it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This was my first attempt at a layer cake, and I am happy to say the recipe worked perfectly for me.

    I only had 9in cake pans, so there was enough batter for two layers 1.5 inch layers. I increased the baking time by about 10 minutes.

    I frosted the cake last night, left it in the fridge. When I served it today the cake was moist and delicious. I can’t wait to make some more beautiful cakes from Sweetapolita!!!

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  60. this cake tastes divine. my first attempt was an epic failure. the cake sank in the middle and didn’t bake through completely. second try was perfect! I baked for 30 minutes rather than 20. oh the joys of a sad oven. either way, the second cake was beautiful and held up very well. thanks, Rosie! I love your website and ideas. one question, what is the benefit of baking the layers separately? you mention baking the first two together then the third separately. thanks!

    Reply

  61. Greetings from Holland! Really love your blog. Was wondering if i could cover this cake with fondant.

    Thx Jelline

    Reply

  62. is there an alternate for buttermilk?
    I dont know what is buttermilk….can we use cow milk instead.

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  63. LOVE your recipe. Tried it and it was SO quick and easy, thank you. Do you know if I could freeze this cake? Greetings from Greece

    Reply

  65. please I need help ,I made this recipe 4 times but it sunk . my oven temp was 350,325 300 , I used flower nail.

    Reply

    • You could turn the heat down by 50 degrees and cook it very slowly. That is what I do and it turns out beautiful

      Reply

  67. Just used this recipe for my daughters 4th birthday cake. it’s going to be decorated with fairies, toadstools and fairy dust for her tinker bell cake. I made it dairy free (my son is dairy intolerant) by souring some oat milk with a 1tbsp of vinegar. i’ve just turned it out of the cake tin and it looks perfect and tastes good too! your cakes always have such good texture for icing. thanks so much!!

    Reply

  69. Hi Rosie.

    Love all you recipes and I would like to make this cake for my son’s birthday but I am wondering if it would be dense enough to apply fondant? Thanks for the info

    Reply

  72. Do you think this frosting would lend itself to making rosettes all over the cake??Or is it too soft?

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  73. I’ve made this cake about 5 times now, and the chocolate party cupcakes. It is the best cake I’ve ever had and the people I’ve made it for have said the same thing.
    It’s not a mud cake but very similar to mud cake. Absolutely delicious!!

    Reply

  74. I just made this for my sister in laws birthday tomorrow and can’t wait to see her face when she sees it.

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  75. The cake looks gorgeous! N im sooo Gonna give it a try… may i know if i can exclude the sour cream off the frosting?

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  76. Hi,

    I was wondering if I HAVE to make the frosting in the food processor? Can I use my Kitchen Aid instead?

    Reply

  77. Oh my goodness!! I think this is The Best chocolate cake I have ever had!! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!

    Reply

  78. I’m sure it’s me and not the recipe. But my cake turned out to be like rubber ??! Totally not like a cake.
    I followed the recipe the whole way .. usung an 8 inch round pan and divided it by 3 as it was only gonna be me and hubby eating it. Could that be the reason?

    Someone please enlighten me ?

    Thank you

    Reply

  79. Dear Rosie, the frosting you used reminds me, somewhat, of the best, and only, chocolate frosting I use. Melt a bag (and some) of Dove milk chocolate (16oz). When warm, and off the stove, add Daisy sour cream (8oz) and mix well. It has to be Daisy brand as it does not contain any extra ingredients that could curd the frosting. I know it sound too simple, but I hope you will give it a try. It doesn’t contain extra sugar, and it is silky, smooth and just, plain divine.

    Reply

  80. Hello! I’m going to use this recipie to make my friends birthday cake and I was just wondering does the frosting end up quite hard or will it stay quite soft! I was goin to stick some things in the sides so just seeing if they’re going to hold!thanks heaps, can’t wait to bake this!
    Mel

    Reply

    • Hi Melodie!
      This frosting will harden a bit at room temperature, but it’s really only once it’s chilled that the frosting hardens. If you add the decorations just after frosting, I believe it would work just fine! Happy Birthday to your lucky friend!

      Reply

  81. im making the cake right now and before i put it in the oven the cake mix end up really like liquid is this right? haha im scared

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  82. Hi Rosie! I just love your recipes! Im from Brazil and Unfortunately we can´t find Sour Cream easily here! Im wondering how could i substitute it! Cant Wait for your Book!

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  83. My sister made this for me to take to work for a birthday. It was incredible. Everyone just loved it so much. I kind of hated letting the birthday girl take the rest home with her.

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  84. Hello Rosie! I baked the layers a couple of hours ago but I had a couple troubles and I hope you could help me: First, the layers sunk in the middle, what variables are the ones that I should keep an eye on? I still can use the layers, I’ll just level them with my cake leveler. Second: The top of the layers came out very sticky, but it happens with all my cakes, what could it be and how can I prevent it? I tried a little piece of one layer and tastes so good by the way :D I’ll sure get your book! Thanks so much for your blog it´s amazing.

    Reply

  85. wow! made this for my son’s 25th birthday (and included a mix of real dark and milk chocolate sprinkles on top) and it was a huge hit with the family.

    we had to freeze the remainder because we were going out of town. happy to report that once thawed, it is STILL delicious!! is it possible that it may be even MORE fudgey than it originally was? oh my! yum.

    thanks for a great recipe.

    Reply

  86. Love the chocolate, can not wait to make this cake, read comment by Jodi, and will definitely be freezing the left over, since there are just two of us.
    Thanks.

    Reply

  87. Hi Rosie, I have my wedding anniversary coming up and plan to make this cake. I have a question for you. Where i live is very difficult to find full-fat sour cream. Is it ok if i use full-fat yogurt as a substitute for it in the frosting? Thanks so much. Hope to hear from you soon!

    Reply

  88. This looks so decadent, all of us girls are getting together this weekend and are celebrating a ton of birthdays. I am going to make this on a Thursday night, will it preserve in the refrigerator until Friday/Saturday even? Can’t wait to try this!

    Reply

  89. hi,it looks very delicious…..can’t wait trying it….pls can u help me with a query, as for v r only two ppl…can v half the recipe and what pan size I shd use and the baking time…pls reply as r anniversary is coming up and I want to surprise my husband…

    Reply

  92. Just wanted to tell you I made this cake yesterday to celebrate the birthday of my Nutella-obsessed husband. He’s like a bloodhound – I will occasionally buy a jar for a treat for the kids, he will find it, and he will eat it all. I simply HAD to make him a birthday cake involving his favorite illicit treat. It was a HUGE hit with everyone at the party we had for him – my husband thinks I’m a culinary genius and my older son has requested the same cake for his upcoming birthday. I am typically quite unsuccessful at baking cakes – I’m great with cookies, breads, regular food, etc. but cakes always had a way of humbling me. This one stood out for sure – the crumb was perfect, excellent chocolate flavor without being too rich, moist, easy to work with….this will be my go-to chocolate cake recipe going forward! Thank you for sharing and making me look so good ;)

    Reply

    • just keep adding sour cream, a teaspoon at a time, I played with it because it was stiff too when I made it, hope this helps :)

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  95. The cake is so moist plus the fluffy ,chocolatety, yummy chocolate nutella frosting is so Y U M M Y! It’s a recipe is a keeper. Thank you for sharing

    Reply

  96. Hi!
    This cake looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it for my friend’s birthday on Sunday. I am not a big coffee person so I was wondering how strong the coffee flavor is in this cake. Also, if you have any recommendations for substitutions….would I just add water instead…..more cocoa and water like hot chocolate.
    Thanks!

    Reply

  97. I used this frosting recipe, paired with another nutella cake. It was very tasty but quite dense/heavy. Despite the healthy amount of nutella in the frosting, it did not taste very nutellla-y, mainly just chocolaty. I thought some good quality hazelnut flavouring/essence could have helped bump the hazelnut flavor. It also made a LOT of frosting. Enough to frost a 2-layer cake with leftover frosting for another cake, at least. Guess I’ll have to make another cake to take care of that… Poor me =)

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  98. I would like to congratulate you on this amazing recipe!! I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday and we all loved it! Thanks! Efi, Athens, Greece

    Reply

  100. Quick question. I live in China and sour cream is a little hard to come by. Do you think I could substitute cream cheese or mascarpone for the frosting?

    Reply

  101. Hello ,
    While I was searching for a new moist chocolate cake recipe, I found yours, wanting to try it for a lego cake for my son this week end, will this hold steady for a fondant covered stacked cake ( 2 levels of 2 layers each), I am just nervous if its too moist and fall apart with fondant weight? Thank you.

    Reply

  103. Just have a couple of questions:

    Is that 350 degrees in a fan forced or conventional oven? And is it just one tsp of instant coffee for 3/4 cup of water? Lastly, I’m planning on baking the actual cake one day before I frost it as I won’t have time to do it all in one day. Would That be ok? And would I freeze the cake in an airtight container or just refrigerate it?

    Thanks! :)

    Reply

  104. Hi Rosie,

    Does this frosting holds well in warm weather conditions??? Or if I freeze the frosted cake and then travel for an hour in an air conditioned car, do you thing the frosting will stay and not melt away???

    Depending on your reply I will decide on the frosting of the chocolate cake I am working on.

    Reply

  106. Hi Rosie! May I start off by saying how amazing this cake looks? Ive been looking for a nutella chocolate cake recipe for a while, this looks so most and yummy. I’m making it for children and wonder if you have a substitute for coffee? Or if you can tell me if you can taste the coffee as the recipe is? Thanks x

    Reply

  107. I made this cake on tuesday for my better half’s bday. He loved it! It was really good. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. :D

    Reply

  109. I just made the cake, everything was easy to do and went well. But for me it’s MUCH toooooo sweeet :( .. couldn’t finish small piece..
    I know my boys will love it.. next time will put half the sugar for the frosting.. everything else is just brilliant.. Thanks fro sharing

    Reply

  110. Not a huge fan of dark chocolate. Does the dark chocolate taste stand out, or does it just balance the sweetness of the Nutella? Could I substitute the dark cocoa powder with Herseys Cocoa powered? Also if I substitute dark chocolate with semisweet , will the cake turn out way to sweet?

    Reply

  111. Hi, I am bakinv this cake right now…I weighed everything..but I could only fill two pans with the batter of 600 gms…I am worried if it will turn out okay…and I have not missed any thing or weighed anything less…

    Reply

  115. I’m looking to make a chocolate cake for a party this weekend and all of your ‘s look DIVINE. But I’m wondering what I can substitute for the coffee, as I don’t drink coffee. I know it will probably change the flavor a bit, maybe use Pero??

    Reply

  116. Hi, my food processor isn’t big enough to fit all the frosting ingredients. Do you think the blender will be the same, or can I mix it in my kitchen aid?

    Reply

  117. This is my go to chockate cake recipe now! Ive used it so many times for different cakes (including nutella) and also use this recipe for my choc cupcakes. It is amazing. Although i do reduce the sugar to 200g as i find the icing on the cake is sweet enough without having to have the cake super sweet. Thanks for a great recipe!

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  118. Amazing cake, moist and rich. The icing was great too – I added a little more salt to balance the sweetness. 2 9 inch pans worked just fine. Thanks for the spectacular recipe!

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  119. Hi Rosie, I love going through your recipes and photos. This is the first recipe that I have tried from your blog, and it was amazing! Rich moist cake sandwiched with a slightly tangy frosting. The only thing that I was dissatisfied with is the fact that the frosting didn’t taste of Nutella, it tasted more of chocolate. This is really a kick-ass chocolate cake (one of the best that I have ever tasted) , but my quest for a cake that tastes more like Nutella continues. Would love to hear from you if you have a recipe like that on this blog. Thank you, Rosie, for this amazing space..you rock!!

    Reply

    • Leya, you made the cake and I have read through the recipe. Recipe list does not have eggs but description does. I was hoping to make the cake tonight. DId you use eggs?
      Thank you.

      Reply

  120. Hi rosie :) I’m going to be tackling your recipe for a birthday cake I’m making for a 1 year old. I read above that the frosting hardens once chilled. Do you think this frosting recipe will hold up if I’m covering it with fondant?

    Reply

  122. Hey Rosie, Ive tried your cake. Its delicious!!! Thank you so much. I took pictures if you’d luke to see.

    Love your blog!

    Reply

  123. Hi! This looks amazing! I’m going to make it for my friends birthday/Memorial Day bbq! Where can I purchase the chocolate you recommend? I clicked on link but since it’s a few years old, one isn’t working. Also is the salt kosher salt or regular salt? Thanks so much!!!

    Reply

  124. The cake itself is very good! I was afraid it would be too salty with all the salt and baking soda, but it was great. (Unfortunately, my cakes fell when I rotated them). The frosting, however, is not what I expected at all. I was looking forward to a creamy nutella frosting and got a dark chocolate frosting that totally overpowered the nutella. Even doubling the nutella, the frosting tasted like dark chocolate and I could not find any other flavor. I will use the cake recipe again but will continue searching for a nutella frosting.

    Reply

  125. Hi, firstly thank you for sharing this recipe, the cake looks amazing. I was wondering if you had the ingredient measurements for one cake…would I be right to just do a third of what you have? Want to make a last minute cake for my dad’s b’day. Thank you :)

    Reply

  127. I made this cake a week ago, and WOW what a great cake. I make cakes and pies for my fellow associates at and this is a hit! I have had several requests for this cake! Thank you! I am this will be a request for years to come!

    Reply

  128. Hi hon love your desserts have all your books. Wondering I need to make a birthday cake for my little one. If I want to make the chocolate Nutella one I have 9inch pans and 35 people what do I do? Do I just double the recipe? What if I buy 12 inch pan do I double it and then have a 9 inch one on top doubles as well it will be a two tier?

    Reply

  129. Amazing! Everyone LOVED this cake.

    The frosting is perfect for decorating! I made it in a mixer because the blender was too messy, and it turned out perfect after blending on high speed for a minute or so. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 min before piping.

    The cake is so moist and flavorful! I only used 2 cups of sugar, and next time I will use even less. The frosting is quite sweet, so in my opinion this helps to balance it out.

    Thank you for the amazing recipe!

    Reply

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