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NUTELLA CAKE

NUTELLA CAKE

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Serves: 8

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  • Gluten Free
  • Nigella Recipe
  • Vegetarian

Not only is this one of the easiest cakes to make, it happens - joyously - to be one of the most delicious. My household is totally addicted!

Please don't feel obliged to rush out and buy a bottle of Frangelico, the most divinely declasse hazelnut liqueur, its monkish derivation signalled by the rope that is hung from the holy-brother-shaped bottle. I use hazelnuts bought ready-ground, but ones you grind yourself in the processor will provide more nutty moistness.

 

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Ingredients

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For the cake

  • 6 large eggs (separated)
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 125 grams soft unsalted butter
  • 400 grams Nutella (1 large jar)
  • 1 tablespoon Frangelico (or rum or water)
  • 100 grams ground hazelnuts
  • 100 grams dark chocolate (melted)

For the icing

  • 100 grams hazelnuts (peeled weight)
  • 125 ml double cream
  • 1 tablespoon Frangelico (or rum or water)
  • 125 grams dark chocolate
HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS

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HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and Nutella together, and then add the Frangelico (or whatever you're using), egg yolks and ground hazelnuts.
  2. Fold in the cooled, melted chocolate, then lighten the mixture with a large dollop of egg white, which you can beat in as roughly as you want, before gently folding the rest of them in a third at a time.
  3. Pour into a 23cm/9 inch round greased and lined springform tin and cook for 40 minutes or until the cake's beginning to come away at the sides, then let cool on a rack.
  4. Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan until the aroma wafts upwards and the nuts are golden-brown in parts: keep shaking the pan so that they don't burn on one side and stay too pallid on others. Transfer to a plate and let cool. This is imperative: if they go on the ganache while hot, it'll turn oily. (Believe me, I speak from experience.)
  5. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the cream, liqueur or water and chopped chocolate, and heat gently. Once the chocolate's melted, take the pan off the heat and whisk until it reaches the right consistency to ice the top of the cake. Unmould the cooled cake carefully, leaving it on the base as it will be too difficult to get such a damp cake off in one piece.
  6. Ice the top with the chocolate icing, and dot thickly with the whole, toasted hazelnuts. If you have used Frangelico, put shot glasses on the table and serve it with the cake.

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  • I just tried this. It was just divine - even without the icing. Awesome!

    Posted by maddy168 on 4th Dec 2011 at 10.06

  • I've made this several times now. It is just so delicious! Definately the most moist cake I have ever eaten. I don't use the crushed hazelnuts however. I like to top the cake with Galaxy Minstrels or Maltesers!

    Posted by CT90 on 24th Mar 2012 at 13.12

  • This is a great recipe. Thank you Nigella. I have fed the cake more booze after it is cooked!! Fabulous!

    Posted by tyeenyee on 6th May 2012 at 20.47

  • I love this recipe! I have just made this cake for the third time and it has turned out beautifully. The only problem is that the party I made the cake for was cancelled due to the snow this afternoon. So, I have a spare cake. Before you get in the car and come over!! this being January and my trousers being somewhat tight, I have decided not to eat it just yet! I am going to another party in a month, and I am hoping I can freeze this cake and take it there instead, as I don't have much spare time for baking at the moment. We have a seven week old baby, and to be honest I got my husband to do most of the work whisking and checking the oven! Do you think the cake will be ok to freeze? Can I freeze the ganache topping? Should we leave off the hazelnuts and go for a different topping, for example chocolate as the other comment suggests? Any advice gratefully received! F x

    Posted by flossiteacake on 15th Jan 2013 at 0.13

  • I'm baking this cake today for Easter. I will let you know how it turns out. I'm excited! Ridiculous I know but there it is. :~)

    Posted by Pavlovamad on 30th Mar 2013 at 15.14

  • Thank you for your recipe as I am going to bake it today for my scrapbooking class tonight for supper! What a great way to use up Nutella :)

    Posted by Samijo72 on 18th Apr 2013 at 0.43

  • It was a fun experiment for me. Thank you for great recipe first of all....I baked last weekend for treat and was pretty rich but so yum. I tried to avoid to think how much I used high calorie ingreidents! I am a Japanese so bit hard to get nutella around here but finger cross to get again next my visit in London for because this rich cake that was so delicious to have with clotted cream!

    Posted by Chic Kaichan on 24th Apr 2013 at 12.51