This cake, you guys.
It’s everything I didn’t know I wanted in a cake and I’m so glad Tessa wrote the recipe and my sister picked it for me to bake for her birthday.
My sister’s birthday was a month ago, so I’ve definitely taken my time bringing this bad boy to the blog. I promise though, guys, it is 100% worth the wait. Chocolate. Hazelnuts. What more could you possibly ask for?
I’ve loved hazelnuts forever and the best part about baking with them is that I get to used local, Oregon-grown nuts. Local products are always worth using, and boy oh boy does Oregon know their hazelnuts.
Chocolate and hazelnuts go together like peanut butter and jelly. They are made for each other.
I’m not going to lie to you, this cake is time consuming. The end result is so worth it though. We’re making three 6-inch layers of chocolate cake, a Swiss meringue buttercream mixed with hazelnut paste, a chocolate fudge frosting, and we’re decorating the cake with more hazelnuts and buttercream. My mouth is literally watering just typing this paragraph. I want some. NOW.
Here’s what I did. Make the cake batter, bake the cakes. While the cakes were cooling I made the Swiss meringue buttercream and swirled it with the hazelnut paste. Set it aside, put the cakes in my freezer and made the fudge frosting (frozen cakes are easier to frost). Picked my cake layers, put a healthy amount of hazelnut praline buttercream in between and frosted the whole thing with the fudge frosting.
Then came the fun part!
Hazelnuts pressed into the bottom third of the cake and extra buttercream piped on top and topped with a whole hazelnut.
Hazelnuts, hazelnuts, hazelnuts. I cannot get enough.
This cake is perfect for birthday celebrations, but let’s be real, it’s also appropriate for a weekend with a glass of wine or weekday with a cup of tea or coffee. It’s a treat yourself kind of cake and you can treat yourself whenever you want.
Happy baking!
Notes
Recipe from Tessa Huff's book, Layered
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake:
- Butter or nonstick cooking spray, for the pans
- 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp. all purpose flour, plus more for the pans
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 cup hot strong-brewed coffee
For the Swiss meringue buttercream:
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
For the hazelnut praline buttercream:
- 2 cups vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream
- 1/3 cup hazelnut praline paste, stirred
For the chocolate hazelnut fudge frosting:
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)
- 3 1/2 - 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp. heavy cream
- 6 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
For the assembly:
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped, plus 6-8 whole
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 6-inch cake pans and set aside.
- Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the oil and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer on, add the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the flour in three batches, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stop and scrape down the bowl. With the mixer on low, stream in the coffee. Mix on medium-low for no more than 30 seconds, or until combined.
- Evenly divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let them cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans.
For the Swiss meringue buttercream:
- Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk them together by hand to combine. Fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water and place it over medium high heat. Place the mixer bowl on top of the saucepan to create a double boiler. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.
- Whisking intermittently, heat the egg mixture until it registers 160°F on a candy thermometer or is hot to the touch. Once hot, carefully fir the mixer bowl onto the stand mixer.
- With the whisk attachment, beat the egg white mixture on high speed for 8-10 minutes, until it holds medium-stiff peaks. When done, the outside of the mixer bowl should return to room temperature and no residual heat should be escaping the meringue out of the top of the bowl. Stop the mixer and swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the butter, a few tablespoons at a time, then the vanilla. Once incorporated, turn up the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the buttercream is silky smooth, 3-5 minutes.
For the hazelnut praline buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the buttercream until silky smooth. Add the praline paste and mix until combined.
For the chocolate hazelnut fudge frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and chocolate-hazelnut spread on medium-low until smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. Pour in the cream and mix until everything starts to incorporate. Turn the mixer to medium-high and mix until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Add the cooled melted chocolate and mix until smooth.
Assembly:
- Once the cakes have completely cooled, level them and choose which layer will be at the bottom. Place it on a cake plate or serving dish. Spread on 3/4 cup of the praline buttercream with an offset spatula. Place the next layer of cake on top and repeat. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the fudge frosting and decorate with the chopped hazelnuts, whole hazelnuts, and any remaining buttercream.
