Chocolate with hazelnut is a classic combination and this cake does it justice! My Chocolate Hazelnut Cake has two layers of fluffy moist hazelnut cake with a hint of cinnamon and topped with creamy chocolate hazelnut buttercream frosting. The cake itself is made with ground roasted hazelnuts so it is packed with flavor. The frosting has melted chocolate and cocoa powder so it is rich in chocolate taste. It is perfect for a fancy birthday cake or to make during the holidays when chocolate and hazelnut is celebrated the most. Think: all the gifting chocolates, like Baci, Ferrero Rocher and Seashell pralines. If you love chocolate cake, but want to skip the hazelnut, check out my most popular BEST Moist Chocolate Cake recipe or my smaller Ultimate Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Fluffy hazelnut sponge cake - the cake is very fluffy with a bit of texture from the ground up hazelnuts.
- Fine crumb texture - the crumb structure on this cake is really nice and fine with hazelnuts baked right in.
- Rich hazelnut flavor - roasting the hazelnuts before grinding them and adding them to the batter adds SO much flavor!
- Smooth chocolate frosting - the frosting is a simple American buttercream made with butter, icing sugar, Nutella and melted chocolate. However, unlike most buttercreams that use icing sugar, this one is not too sweet.
INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CAKE
Here are some notes about the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Butter - butter gives so much richness and is an amazing carrier of the nutty hazelnut flavor.
- Oil - a bit of oil blended with butter actually changes the melting profile of the fat so that the cake will stay softer. I love using olive oil because the hint of flavor it gives really complements the hazelnuts, but you can absolutely use canola oil or sunflower oil.
- Granulated sugar - simple white sugar will keep this cake sweet and moist.
- Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is essential to enhance the flavor of the hazelnuts.
- Eggs - three whole eggs will set the structure of this cake and help emulsify the batter and give a nice spongy texture.
- Milk - regular 2% or whole milk works great here.
- All purpose flour - you do not need specialty cake flour to make a wonderful cake. Just be sure to measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour is the most common mistake and leads to tough and dry cake. The most accurate way to measure flour is using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, spoon it into your measuring cup and use a knife to level it off.
- Hazelnuts - for the best flavor, roast the hazelnuts before you chop them. The fastest way to do this is to place them in a dry frying pan over medium heat and shake the pan frequently until they are golden and fragrant.
- Dark chocolate – you'll need pure melted dark chocolate to make the frosting. I prefer extra dark chocolate to balance the sweetness and anything with 70% cocoa solids or more will work.
- Cocoa powder - just a tablespoon of cocoa in the frosting helps boost the chocolate flavor. I love to use this Dutch Process cocoa powder.
- Chocolate hazelnut spread - I use Nutella, but any brand of chocolate hazelnut spread will work. To be able to stuff it into the cookie dough, you will freeze spoonfuls on a baking sheet until hard.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- STEP 1). Beat butter with sugar. Combine soft butter with sugar and oil in a large bowl and beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until very pale and fluffy.
- STEP 2). Add eggs. Beat in eggs one a time and mix well after each addition. The batter should look really fluffy, pale and creamy once the third egg is incorporated. Mix in vanilla.
- STEP 3). Combine dry ingredients. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Add the ground hazelnuts and whisk to blend evenly.
- STEP 4). Mix wet and dry ingredients. Add half of the dry ingredients to the bowl with the butter mixture and mix it in gently. Add the milk while mixing, then fold in the remaining dry ingredients.
- STEP 5). Bake. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden, the cakes spring back when pressed gently and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes before inverting onto the rack to cool completely.
- STEP 6). Make the frosting. Combine soft butter with Nutella and icing sugar in a large bowl and beat until very smooth, fluffy and creamy. Mix in melted chocolate.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CAKE
- Use olive oil for extra special flavor. It's optional, but it really adds complexity to the flavor of this cake.
- Do not reduce the sugar - the right amount of sugar will make cake moist because it binds water so that it stays tightly in the batter and doesn't evaporate excessively during baking.
- Keep an eye on the baking time. Set a timer for the first time stated in the recipe and check with a skewer -- it should come out clean. This cake does not need to be deeply brown when it is ready. Depending on your oven, it can be ready when it is just lightly golden. The hazelnuts have a drying effect and this cake is easy to over-bake so just watch out for that.
- Make cupcakes too! You can also use this recipe to make cupcakes. It makes about 18 cupcakes that will take 18-20 minutes to bake.
RECIPE FAQ
Firstly - use a fresh oil! Do not use anything that's been opened for a long time and when you store oil, it should be in a cool dark place. Light and heat accelerate oxidation reactions that can make the flavor turn rancid. Generally, my oil of choice for baking is sunflower oil for its clean and neutral taste, but any other oil such as canola or safflower will do. I like to use olive oil when it makes sense because it will add a unique taste to the cake.
If you don't have Nutella at home (or any other chocolate hazelnut spread), you can replace it with almond butter or peanut butter in the frosting.
If you omit the hazelnuts, then you will need to increase the flour and the cake will be more of a simple vanilla sponge.
Yes! I often make the cake layers in advance and freeze them for when I need them. To do this, let the cake layers cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, wrap them individually in plastic wrap, and then wrap them in tin foil. Place them in a resealable plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
That is normal for this recipe! These cakes will rise and then fall slightly as they cool. That's because there are 3 eggs and not a ton of flour so that we get really soft spongy and moist layers. The fact that these cakes bake up nice and flat is great for layering!
Yes you can! It works great. In this case, bake them for 18-20 minutes.
This recipe for chocolate frosting makes just enough to fill the cake and lightly coat the sides. I don't prefer a heavy coat of frosting, however if you prefer more you can easily double it or make 1.5x the recipe.
Yes! I often make the cake layers in advance and freeze them for when I need them. To do this, let the cake layers cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, wrap them individually in plastic wrap, and then wrap them in tin foil. Place them in a resealable plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
HOW TO MAKE FUDGY CHOCOLATE FROSTING
If you prefer a fudgy chocolate frosting to pair with this cake (which I have tried and LOVED), then check this recipe for the BEST Chocolate Frosting. It is so easy and made without butter.
If you love cake, check out these recipes!
Ultimate Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Sticky Toffee Date Cake Moist Lemon Blueberry Bread Olive Oil Chocolate Bundt Cake Best Vanilla Cupcake Recipe with Chocolate Fudge Frosting Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Creamy Milk Chocolate Frosting Blueberry Peach Upside Down CakeCraving cake
Looking for other cake recipes? Try these:
Baking with hazelnuts
These are some other desserts to make with hazelnuts:
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Ingredients
Cake batter:
- 6 tablespoon 84g unsalted butter softened
- 2 tablespoon 30ml olive oil
- 1 cup 200g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon 5ml pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup 100g roasted hazelnuts, finely ground
- 1 ¼ cups 180g all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup 120ml whole milk
Frosting:
- 10 tablespoon 140g unsalted butter softened
- 1 ⅓ cups 160g icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon 6g cocoa powder (I prefer this one)
- 3 tablespoon 60g Nutella
- 3 oz 85g extra dark 85% chocolate (I like this one), melted and cooled
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon 15ml whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter the sides of two 8-inch round cake pans and dust with flour. Line the base with parchment paper.
- Roast the hazelnuts. Place raw hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden and fragrant. Let cool slightly and then rub off skins using a tea towel. You can also toast them in a dry frying pan over medium heat with frequent shaking so they toast evenly.
- Make the cake batter. Transfer cooled hazelnuts to a food processor and pulse until hazelnuts are very finely ground.
- Beat soft butter with sugar, oil and vanilla in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer for 2 minutes on medium-high speed until very pale. Beat in eggs one a time until very pale (almost white) and fluffy. Mix in ground roasted hazelnuts.
- Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly. Add half of it to the butter/egg mixture and mix on medium-low, then gradually pour in the milk and mix until it becomes smooth. Mix in the remaining flour mixture until it is just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between your prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and slightly firm to the touch. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before inverting. This cakes will shrink slightly as they cool.
- Make the frosting. Combine soft butter with icing sugar and beat until very smooth, pale and fluffy. Sift in cocoa powder and mix it in. Mix in Nutella. Add the cooled melted chocolate and mix it in. Finally mix in salt and cream, then beat on high for a few seconds so the frosting becomes fluffy.
- Spread half of the frosting over the bottom cake layer, replace top layer and then cover with remaining frosting. Decorate the top with extra ground hazelnuts and a few Ferrero Rocher truffles.
Luca
Not super complicated, but super effective!
Gorgeous recipe for any hazelnut and chocolate lovers!
Next time I will defo use darker chocolate, but didn't have 85% as recommended in the recipe for this try.
christina.marsigliese
Thanks Luca! Your cake looked divine!
Ollie
This is a wonderful cake. I love hazelnuts and the hazelnut flavor really comes through. Everyone loves it.
christina.marsigliese
Thanks Ollie!
Sandy
Hi! Could I reduce this to bake in 6 inch pans? If so, how much do I reduce it by and what would be the bake time? Thanks!
Audrey
Hi why don’t I see any measurements?
christina.marsigliese
Hi Audrey, the recipe card is at the bottom of the post.
Laura
Love these a lot! They are so fragrant and I love the addition of cardamom