Hazelnut Nutella Cake

This recipe is based one that was given to me when I was around 17. It was hand copied from a scribbled note into my beautiful Liberty recipe book that is stacked full of treasured recipes. In order to change what was a chocolate cake into a Hazelnut Chocolate Cake I switched the chocolate for the same weight of Nutella. I didn’t use any sugar the in the ganache, sweetening it instead with 2 tbsps of the Nutella.

I have to say the result was amazing light textured but rich in flavour with an icing that you could eat with a spoon. My husband says it may be my best recipe yet!

Ingredients:

100g butter, softened

250g sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

100g Nutella

100g cocoa powder

150g self-raising flour

1tsp baking powder

250ml milk

Topping:

Gananche:

100g 70% plain chocolate (I like Green & Blacks)

100ml double cream

2 tbsp Nutella

Butter 1 x 9 inch cake tin.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.

Method:

Mix together the butter and sugar then add the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time. Stir in the Nutella followed by the sifted cocoa powder. Mix in the flour and baking powder followed by the milk. Give the mixture a good stir.

Pour mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for around 50 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.

Leave the cake to cool for 10 mins then turn out onto a cooling rack.

To make the topping:

To make the icing bring the cream to boiling point in a small saucepan then add the chocolate which should have been broken into pieces. Turn off the heat and stir until the chocolate has melted. Now add the Nutella and mix until combined. Leave to cool and thicken up. You can put it in the fridge to speed things up.

Once the ganache is spreading consistency you can spread it over the cake. Leave a thicker edge around the cake and fill the centre of the cake.