Chocolate Hazelnut Layer Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Microwave cream in a large bowl on high until steaming.
• Add chocolate; let stand 5 minutes.
• Stir until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.
• Cover surface directly with plastic wrap; refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours.
• Cake: Heat oven to 350°F.
• You'll need two 9 x 2-in. round cake pans, greased and floured.
• Whisk cocoa powder and water in a medium bowl, then Nutella and buttermilk, Frangelico and vanilla.
• Beat sugar, butter, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl with mixer on medium-high speed 3 minutes or until pale.
• Beat in eggs 1 at a time.
• On low speed beat in flour in 3 additions alternating with cocoa mixture in 2 additions, beating just until blended.
• Pour into prepared pans.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes until a pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on rack 10 minutes.
• Run a knife around edge of each layer; turn out on rack and cool completely.
• Insert several toothpicks halfway up side around both cake layers.
• Using picks as a guide, cut layers in half with a long serrated knife.
• Filling & frosting: Beat cold chocolate mixture on medium speed until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted.
• Put Nutella into a bowl; stir in 1 1/2 cups chocolate mixture until smooth. Fold into remaining chocolate mixture until combined.
• Remove 2 1/2 cups to a bowl; stir in hazelnuts for filling.
• Reserve remainder for frosting.
• To assemble: Place 1 cake layer on serving plate; spread with 1/3 the filling (1 scant cup).
• Top with second layer and 1/2 the remaining filling; repeat with third layer and remaining filling.
• Top with last cake layer.
• Spread a thin layer of frosting over top and sides; refrigerate 15 minutes to firm.
• Spread top and sides with remaining frosting.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Garnish just before serving.
• Plan ahead: Wrap cooled cake layers and make frosting (through Step 1) up to 2 days ahead.
• Cover the frosted cake and refrigerate up to 3 days.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare the springform pan by coating it in a thin layer with 2 tablespoons of the softened butter. Add the cocoa powder to the pan and tap the sides to coat the bottom and sides evenly. Discard any excess cocoa powder. Put the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven on the center rack until just fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer immediately to a kitchen towel to stop them from cooking. Use the towel to rub off the skins. Set aside to cool. Lower the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Fill a 1- to 2-quart pot with about 1 inch of water and bring it to a bare simmer over medium heat. Place the dark chocolate pieces into a heatproof bowl and set it over the pot and simmering water (this is a bain-marie). The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Let the chocolate melt, and then stir gently. Remove from the heat when melted.
• Chop the hazelnuts into small pieces using a chef's knife or a food processor. Make sure you don't turn them into powder. Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer with the salt until they are almost at stiff peaks. Try not to over-whip. Mix together the remaining 5 tablespoons butter with the chocolate hazelnut spread in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir in the espresso. Add the yolks and stir briskly to combine. Stir in the chopped hazelnuts and melted chocolate. Add one-fourth of the whipped egg whites to the chocolate hazelnut mixture and stir to lighten the batter. Then gently fold the rest of the egg whites into the batter in 3 additions. Don't over-fold. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake on the center rack of the oven until the sides of the cake start releasing from edges of the pan, 40 minutes. This cake is almost a hazelnut fudge, so no need to poke with a toothpick to check if the inside is ready or not. The cake will come out of the oven nice and fluffy and souffled, but it will deflate to half the size during its cool-off period. Serve garnished with some powdered sugar and whipped or cream or gelato, if using.

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease four 6-inch-round, 3-inch-tall cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment.
• Put the hazelnuts in a food processor and grind them until you have small crumbs. Measure out 1/4 cup of the hazelnut crumbs and set them aside for the frosting.
• Pour the remaining hazelnut crumbs into a large bowl and whisk in the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, vanilla and eggs. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and then stir in the hot coffee. It will be a very thin batter.
• Pour into the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them onto a greased cooling rack.
• For the frosting: While the cakes are cooling, use an electric mixer to beat together the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and salt until smooth. Mix in the heavy cream until smooth. Scoop out a tiny amount of frosting for the mustard-colored dollops, add the mustard yellow food coloring and mix until combined. Transfer the yellow frosting to a piping bag with a small round tip. To the remaining frosting, add the dusty rose pink food coloring and mix until the desired shade of pink. Measure out 1 cup of the pink frosting and transfer it to a small bowl. Fold in the reserved 1/4 cup ground hazelnuts.
• Level your cake layers and spread the top of one of them with the hazelnutty frosting. Place a second layer on top, then frost the top with more of the hazelnutty frosting. Continue with the remaining 2 layers. Frost the top and sides with the remaining pink frosting without nuts.
• For the decorations: Decorate with mustard dollops of frosting around the edge. Add marzipan house cutouts of white houses with green shutters, crushed hazelnuts, green grass sprinkles, orange sun sprinkles or whatever else you'd like!

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease with shortening two 9-inch round cake pans. Line pan bottoms with cooking parchment paper; grease again, and sprinkle pans with flour.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and egg yolks with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Scrape bowl; beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Spread batter evenly in pans.
• In another large bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold in ground hazelnuts. Place spoonfuls of meringue on top of batter in each pan; carefully spread to cover batter to within 1/4 inch of sides of pans.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on cooling racks 15 minutes. Carefully run knife around sides of pans to loosen cake and meringue. Remove from pans, and place meringue-side-up on cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• For topping, using chilled large bowl and beaters, beat whipping cream using electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup of the hazelnut spread and the powdered sugar; beat until stiff peaks form.
• To assemble cake, place cake layer on serving plate or cake stand, meringue-side-up. Place remaining 1/3 cup hazelnut spread in small microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on High 15 to 30 seconds or just until softened. Carefully spread softened hazelnut spread over meringue layer. Top with remaining cake layer, meringue-side-up. Top with dollops of whipped cream mixture, spreading slightly to cover top of cake. Garnish top with candies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.