This really is the Ultimate Chocolate Cake, with three fudgy layers of chocolate sponge, whipped Nutella filling and glossy rich chocolate glaze. Perfect for birthdays and celebrations and a delight to chocaholics everywhere!
You will also love… my Salted Caramel Cake
I first made this stunning chocolate cake back in 2007 for my daughter’s first birthday. Back then food blogging wasn’t even remotely on my radar and taking dozens and dozens photographs of a cake would seem rather preposterous!
My, how times have changed… The cake recipe however, first published on BBC Good Food in 2004, remains hugely popular.
It has thousands of overwhelmingly positive reviews published on the site. But if you scroll through the reviews you will spot more than a handful incredibly disgruntled bakers who complain that this is the ‘worst recipe ever!’ among the hundreds of five star ratings.
The truth is that this recipe definitely needs a few tweaks. Having made this cake five (!) times in the past couple of months I feel I have nailed those changes and that this is, truly, one of the most amazing chocolate cakes out there.
The texture and taste are wonderful and you don’t even need a stand mixer to make the cake layers. Add a very simple whipped Nutella filling and a glossy chocolate fudge glaze and you have a crowd pleasing showstopper on your hands!
Ultimate Chocolate Cake step by step
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
STEP 1. Preheat the oven to 160C (325F). Grease and line three 20cm (8in) cake tins and dust with flour, shaking any excess. Alternatively spray with Cake Release.
STEP 2. Place the chocolate and butter in a bowl and set over a pot of barely simmering water. Allow them to gradually melt and stir together until smooth. Alternatively microwave in 40 second bursts, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
STEP 3. Add the hot coffee and use a small balloon whisk to mix it in.
STEP 4. Combine the eggs and buttermilk in a measuring jug and briefly whisk together to combine. Add to the chocolate and whisk it in – the batter will thicken.
STEP 5. Combine all the dry ingredients and then sift them over the chocolate.
STEP 6. Use a hand whisk to mix the batter together until completely smooth.
STEP 7. Divide evenly between your prepared cake tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cakes are firm on top and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
STEP 8. Cool in the tins for 15 minutes and then carefully remove from the tins and cool on a wire rack. Be gentle as the cakes can be a little fragile.
Nutella cake tips
• It is advisable to pipe the filling rather than spread it since the layers can be a bit fragile.
• The cake layers can be prepared a couple of days in advance. Once the cake is filled it is best consumed on the same day as it contains fresh cream. It will however keep in the fridge for another day or two.
• Replace the Nutella filling with whipped ganache, American buttercream or Italian meringue buttercream especially if you need to prepare the cake in advance for an event.
Have you made my Nutella Cake? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!
MORE RECIPES FOR CHOCOLATE LOVERS
- No-bake salted caramel chocolate tart
- Baileys chocolate ice cream
- Vegan chocolate gingerbread layer cake
- One-bowl chocolate cake
Ultimate Chocolate and Nutella Cake
Ingredients
- Makes 3x20cm 8inch layers
- 200 g | 7oz 70% dark chocolate chopped, or chocolate buttons
- 200 g | 7oz unsalted butter cubed
- 125 ml | 4fl oz | 1/2 cup filter coffee or water
- 75 ml | 5tbsp buttermilk
- 3 large eggs
- 200 g | 7oz soft light brown sugar
- 100 g | 3.5oz caster sugar
- 100 g | 3.5oz plain flour
- 100 g | 3.5oz self-raising flour
- 25 g | 4 level tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Nutella whipped cream
- 250 g | 8.8oz Nutella or generic hazelnut spread
- 600 ml | 20 fl oz double cream heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
Chocolate fudge glaze/icing
- 200 g | 7oz 70% dark chocolate finely chopped
- 250 ml | 8.4fl oz | 1 cup double cream
- 60 ml | 2fl oz milk
- 3 tbsp golden syrup or honey
- 75 g | 5 tbsp unsalted butter cubed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C (325F). Grease and line three 20cm (8in) cake tins and dust with flour, shaking any excess.
- Place the chocolate and butter in a bowl and set over a pot of barely simmering water. Allow them to gradually melt and stir together until smooth.
- Add the coffee and use a hand whisk to mix it in.
- Combine the eggs and buttermilk in a measuring jug and briefly whisk together to combine. Add to the chocolate and whisk it in.
- Combine all the dry ingredients and then sift them over the chocolate. Use a hand whisk to mix the batter together until completely smooth.
- Divide evenly between your prepared cake tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cakes are firm on top and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Cool in the tins for 15 minutes and then carefully remove from the tins and cool on a wire rack. Be gentle as the cakes can be a little fragile.
- Make the filling: put the Nutella and vanilla to the bowl of your stand mixer. Whisk for 3-4 minutes on high speed and then use a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Lower the speed and add the cream in a steady stream. Increase the speed to maximum and whip until you have firm peaks – be watchful as the cream will split if you overdo it.
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe over the cake layers. Sandwich together and pop in the freezer (or fridge) for 10 minutes.
- Use a palette knife to add a crumb coating of the Nutella cream over the entire cake. Return to the freezer (or fridge) while you prepare your glaze.
- Make the glaze: put the cream, milk and golden syrup in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-low heat.
- Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl and as soon as the cream comes to the boil pour it over the chocolate and set aside for a couple of minutes.
- Use a small balloon whisk and stir very gently in the centre of the bowl using very small motions. Be patient and keep stirring very gently until the chocolate melts and turns into a glossy glaze.
- Add the butter and stir together until completely smooth. By now the glaze should be still warm enough to be runny but not so hot that it melts your crumb coating.
- Take your cake out of the freezer and then pour the glaze over it until it starts to drip down the sides. You can cover the entire cake or reserve some of the glaze for decoration. Let the glaze cool and set slightly before adding any decorations.
- If you have reserved some of the glaze leave it to cool completely (in the fridge) then transfer to your stand mixer and whisk until it forms firm peaks. Put in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe some rosettes on the cake (be careful if the glaze is still wet).
- Serve the cake at room temperature but keep in the fridge until 30 minutes before you are ready to serve.
Video
Notes
• The cake layers can be prepared a couple of days in advance. Once the cake is filled it is best consumed on the same day as it contains fresh cream.
• Replace the Nutella filling with whipped ganache, American buttercream or Italian meringue buttercream especially if you need to prepare the cake in advance for an event.
Alli says
Hi Lucy! Can I prepare the cake and Nutella cream the night before and leave the Nutella cream in a piping bag in the fridge, ready to fill/ice the cake before presenting it the next day? Or will the cream to too hard?
My fridge isn’t big enough to house all the layers fully filled.
Lucy Parissi says
Hi Alli the cake layers can absolutely be made in advance but the Nutella frosting will harden and spoil if you chill it overnight. A different type of frosting such as Swiss meringue buttercream would be more suitable in this case. Would removing a shelf from the fridge temporarily work?
Jan says
Hi Lucy,
I would like to make this cake for an event and I would need to prepare it the day before. I really like this whipped cream Nutella frosting, however, I’m afraid it might collapse. Can I stabilise it somehow, for example, adding gelatine to it?
Thank you so much!
Jan
Lucy Parissi says
Hi Jan, yes adding gelatine is a good option. Take a look at this recipe, I have added gelatine to whipped cream frosting here https://www.supergoldenbakes.com/strawberry-rose-cake/
Sam says
I don’t have any buttercream. Can I bake this cake without it? Or is there an alternative I could use? Thank you
Lucy Parissi says
Do you mean buttermilk? You can use whole milk instead and add 1 tsp lemon juice. Leave it for a couple of minutes, it will curdle a bit – this is a suitable substitute.
Saloni Agarwal says
Is double cream & amul fresh cream same
Lucy Parissi says
You need to look at the fat content. Double cream is 48% fat and a quick googling on Amul fresh cream suggests it is much less. You need to find a cream with higher fat content otherwise it will not whip properly and it will be too runny
Natalie says
Hi Lucy,
this recipe sounds amazing! I am going to attempt it this weekend. I have a few questions…
I am baking it in 22cm tin in a fan oven, will the baking time and temperature differ?
Also I am baking the cake layers the day before and I will have to store them in the fridge as I live in a very hot country! How would you recommend to store them in the fridge without them going too dry?
Thanks! Natalie
Lucy Parissi says
Hi Natalie – assuming you are baking the cake in 2 or 3 22cm tins? If you are using three tins your layers might be a little thin/flat. I think baking time would probably be 20-23 minutes.
If you are keeping the layers in the fridge then cool them completely first then wrap well in cling film (plastic wrap) and keep in the fridge until needed. The layers are a little delicate/crumbly so handle with care. Hope the cake is a success!