Nutella Cake with 2 Ingredient Frosting

The best nutella cake made of vanilla cake layers with a nutella swirl and a two ingredient nutella frosting!

Story time! When I was pregnant with Beckham, I made these strawberry nutella cream puffs and then they grossed me out (pregnancy problems) and now two years later, I still can’t even look at those cream puffs. In fact, I wanted nothing to do with Nutella at all for the past two years.

Why did I tell you this story?! Because now I’m pregnant again and I’M CRAVING NUTELLA! I had my mom make me nutella crepes the other day and now I made a nutella cake. 

& let me tell you… this nutella cake>>>other nutella cakes. I don’t why everyone pairs nutella with chocolate. There’s already chocolate in nutella and adding more is just going to over power it so I paired my nutella with vanilla. I even took the sugar out of the frosting so the nutella can really take the reigns here. 

Oh, and that swirl gets a little crispy when it’s baked in the cake! You’re welcome friends. 

How to make nutella swirl cake

To make my nutella swirl cake I used my favorite 6 inch vanilla cake recipe as the base. To make the swirls, I poured half the batter into the cake pans and then drizzled some warm nutella over the cake batter. I repeated that one more time for each cake pan and then used a butter knife to marble it.

How do you know when the cake is done baking

This cake took just a couple minutes longer to bake than the plain vanilla cake so make sure to check anywhere from 35-40 minutes. I like to test the doneness of the cake by pressing gently on the center and if it springs back, it’s done. If that spot stays squished down, give it another couple minutes of baking before you check again.

How to make 2 Ingredient Nutella Frosting

This frosting is quite literally the easiest frosting in the world. If you didn’t already guess it, the two ingredients are butter and Nutella. I was going to make a basic American buttercream and then add a little bit of Nutella to it but then I thought, well Nutella is already sweet, why do I need the extra sugar? You don’t need the extra sugar, my friends.

And the best part, the frosting is suuuuppperrrr silky and soft and it doesn’t crust like American buttercream. Win win, if you ask me.

What do I do if the frosting is too soft?

The frosting can be a little too soft to frost the cake right away so just pop it in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. If it needs longer than 10 minutes in the fridge, make sure to scrape the edge of the bowl every so often because the frosting that’s touching the bowl will get colder much quicker than the frosting in the center of the bowl. 

Once the buttercream feels firm enough enough to frost the cake, go ahead and assemble. If the cake is ever feeling unsteady or wobbly, refrigerate for 20ish minutes before proceeding. 

CAN I MAKE THE CAKE OR FROSTING AHEAD OF TIME

If you make the cake layers 1 day early, you can wrap them in plastic wrap and leave them at room temperature. If it’s more than 1 day, to preserve freshness, wait until the cakes are ALMOST completely cool (just slightly warm still), wrap them in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer bag, squeezing all the air out and freeze them. Thaw overnight at room temperature. 

If you make the frosting ahead of time, cover it and leave it at room temperature and re-whip it to give it some life and fluff back. 

How to store nutella cake

The finished cake can be stored at room temperature for 24 hours or refrigerated for up to a week.

HOW TO STORE CUT CAKE

If the cake has missing slices, press a sheet of plastic wrap against the open part of the cake. Again, it can be stored at room temperature for 24 hours or refrigerated for up to a week. 

HOW TO STORE INDIVIDUAL SLICES

Place slices of cake in an airtight container and store at room temperature for 24 hours or refrigerate for up to a week. 

To freeze slices, wrap each slice in plastic wrap, then place them in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag, squeezing out all of the air. Freeze for 2-3 months and thaw at room temperature overnight (you can remove one slice at a time). 

If you have any questions just comment down below and if you make this cake, make sure to tag me @baranbakery on instagram! I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did and as always, happy baking and have a blessed day!

Love, B

Nutella Cake Recipe

Bernice Baran

Three layers of vanilla cake with a nutella swirl and frosted with 2 ingredient nutella buttercream!

4.61 from 48 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Additional Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Course Cakes

Cuisine American

Servings 8 -10 slices

Calories 890 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Nutella Swirl Cake

• 2 1/4 cups (270g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup (300g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (118mL) vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 3/4 cup (170g) sour cream room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (177mL) milk room temperature
• 1/2 cup 1(47mL) Nutella slightly warmed

Nutella Buttercream Frosting

• 1 1/2 cup (340g) unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 cup (294g) Nutella

Topping

• Nutella
• handful of chopped hazelnuts
• pinch of sea salt flakes
• 1 sheet of edible gold foil

Instructions

 

Nutella Swirl Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350F/177C convection (325F/163C conventional) and grease and line three 6 inch cake pans. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until they're evenly distributed.
  2 1/4 cups (270g) all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and the granulated sugar for 2 minutes. Add the oil and continue beating for a minute.
  1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cup (300g) granulated sugar, 1/2 cup (118mL) vegetable oil
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until each egg is fully incorporated. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and beat just until combined.
  3 large eggs, 3/4 cup (170g) sour cream, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, turn the mixer on low speed and then pour in the milk, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients.
  3/4 cup (177mL) milk
• Use half of the batter to fill each cake tin, about 7oz in each, then drizzle nutella on top of the batter. Place the rest of the batter on top of the nutella swirl and repeat with another drizzle. Use a butter knife to swirl the batter and nutella back and forth.
  1/2 cup 1(47mL) Nutella
• Bake for 35 minutes. When the cake is fully baked it will release itself from the edge of the pan and it will spring back if you press on the center of it. Invert the cakes onto a wire rack or tea towel and allow them to cool completely before frosting.

Nutella Buttercream Frosting

• Place the room temperature butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and use the whisk attachment to beat the butter on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, until the color turns to a pale yellow, scraping the edge of the bowl half way through.
  1 1/2 cup (340g) unsalted butter
• Add the Nutella and mix on medium-high speed. Scrape the edge of the bowl and beat again until the butter and Nutella are fully combined and smooth.
  1 cup (294g) Nutella
• If the buttercream feels too soft, refrigerate for 10 minutes and then use a spatula to scrape the sides and mix it again. Repeat until the buttercream feels firm enough to frost the cake.

Assemble

• To frost the cake, place the first cake layer on a flat surface and use 1/4 of the buttercream to frost the first layer. Drizzle more Nutella on top of the buttercream and repeat with the second layer.
  Nutella
• Place the third layer of cake on top and smooth any buttercream that squished out on the edges of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes, or until the cake feels firm enough to frost (make sure it's not wobbly)
• For the crumb coat, place 1/4 of the buttercream on top of the cake and use an offset spatula to smoothly spread it evenly throughout. It doesn't have to be perfect. Refrigerate the cake for at least another 15-30 minutes, or until the frosting feels set.
• Place the rest of the buttercream on top of the cake, use an offset spatula to spread the frosting around and then use a turn table and a cake scraper to create a smooth finish on the cake.

Decorate

• Use a piping bag with a tiny circle tip to drizzle nutella on top of the the cake. Top with chopped hazelnuts, sea salt flakes and gold foil.
  handful of chopped hazelnuts, pinch of sea salt flakes, 1 sheet of edible gold foil

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 890kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 9gFat: 62gSaturated Fat: 33gPolyunsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 153mgSodium: 331mgFiber: 3gSugar: 49g

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