Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

This Chocolate Hazelnut Cake features two layers of rich chocolate hazelnut cake (made with fresh hazelnuts!) surrounded by fluffy Nutella buttercream frosting. Decorate with chocolate ganache and chopped hazelnuts for a show-stopping dessert.

hazelnut cake covered with nutella frosting and drips of ganache.

Let’s talk about this Chocolate Hazelnut Cake. Chocolate and hazelnut is one of those flavor combinations that just works. The nutty, toasted flavor of hazelnuts paired with deep, rich chocolate is like the grown-up version of chocolate and peanut butter. And this cake? It takes that pairing to a whole new level.

Many “chocolate hazelnut” cakes are just chocolate cake with Nutella. Which is delicious (obviously), but doesn’t carry a lot of hazelnut flavor. Not this cake! We’re including ground hazelnuts right into the cake batter to pack it full of flavor, along with a generous dose of cocoa powder. The cake itself has a little more texture thanks to the ground nuts, which is perfect to stand up to the Nutella buttercream frosting.

But we don’t stop there. This cake is topped with a glossy layer of chocolate ganache and a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts for a little crunch. I like to finish things off with a few Ferraro Rocher chocolates on top because why not lean all the way in?

Don’t just take my word on how good this cake is. I received an email from someone who made it who said, “My hubby wanted me to tell you that he never ate Chocolate Hazelnut Cake as delicious as yours. He event wanted to bring a piece to a local bakery so they could taste how real Nutella Cakes should be. He kept saying ‘OMG this is so good; with every bite.”

slice of two layer chocolate hazelnut cake on a dessert plate.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Chocolate + Hazelnut Combo: A rich, nutty twist on classic chocolate cake.
  • Real Hazelnuts: We’re not just relying on Nutella – ground hazelnuts are added right into the cake.
  • Fluffy Nutella Buttercream: Creamy, dreamy frosting that whips up light and airy.
  • Simple Yet Impressive: Easy to make but looks like it came from a bakery.
  • Texture Variety: Moist cake, silky ganache, crunchy hazelnuts.
  • Perfect for Celebrations: Dress it up with Ferrero Rocher for an extra special touch.

overhead view of the ingredients used to make a chocolate hazelnut cake.

Ingredients and Substitutions

  • All Purpose Flour: For a gluten-free cake, swap with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend containing xanthan gum.
  • Cocoa Powder: This recipe is designed to use Dutch processed cocoa power.
  • Baking Soda
  • Salt
  • Butter: Use unsalted butter at cool room temperature (~65°F)
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Eggs: Bring your eggs up to room temperature before adding to the batter.
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Buttermilk: The acidity in the buttermilk keeps the cake tender in moist. If you don’t have buttermilk, using whole milk with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice stirred in will work as an alternative.
  • Hazelnuts: Finely chop or grind roasted hazelnuts to small pieces (not into a paste). If your hazelnuts aren’t roasted, toast them first to enhance their flavor.
  • Nutella: Any chocolate hazelnut spread works, but I recommend sticking with Nutella for the classic flavor.
  • Confectioners’ Sugar
  • Heavy Cream: Whole milk can work in a pinch, but heavy cream really makes it better.
  • Chopped Chocolate: Dark chocolate is my favorite for this cake, but semi-sweet works as well if you prefer a sweeter flavor.
  • Decorations: Whole hazelnuts, additional chopped hazelnuts, or Ferraro Rocher chocolates are the perfect way to finish off the cake.

How to Make Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

  1. Cream the Butter and Sugar: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and stir well.
  1. Alternate Dry and Wet: Mix in half the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, followed by half the buttermilk. Repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk mixtures, mixing until just combined.
  1. Add Hazelnuts: Stir in the ground hazelnuts by hand until evenly incorporated into the batter.
  1. Bake the Cakes: Divide the batter evenly between prepared pans and bake. Cool in the cake pans, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  1. Make the Frosting: Beat the Nutella, butter, and salt until fluffy. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, followed by heavy cream. Beat on high until whipped and smooth.
  1. Make the Ganache: Heat the heavy cream, then add chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth.
  2. Assemble the Cake: Spread a generous layer of frosting over one layer of cake, then top with the second layer and frost the top and sides. Chill to set the frosting. Once set, pour the ganache onto the center of the cake and spread to the edges. Decorate as desired.
two layer chocolate hazelnut cake decorated with ganache and ferraro rocher.

Baking with Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts bring more than just flavor to this cake – they also have a direct impact on texture, structure, and moisture. Unlike nut flours or butters, where the nuts are processed until the oils are fully released, we’re using finely chopped or ground hazelnuts. This keeps their structure intact, allowing them to disperse their oils more gradually as the cake bakes.

The hazelnuts should be ground finely, but not into a paste. Pulverizing them into hazelnut butter would release too much oil too soon, weighing down the batter creating a dense cake. On the other hand, using whole or coarsely chopped hazelnuts would result in an uneven crumb, with large pieces disrupting the cake structure. Finely ground hazelnuts strike the right balance: small enough to fold seamlessly into the batter, but still structured enough to hold their shape and release oils slowly into the batter.

Kitchen Chemistry

Finely ground hazelnuts release natural oils during baking, which gradually disperse through the batter to create a richer, moister crumb. This added fat enhances tenderness without compromising structure, resulting in a cake that remains both soft and flavorful with a little extra density.

This balance is what gives the chocolate hazelnut cake its signature texture: slightly more decadent and compact than a traditional chocolate layer cake, but still light enough to layer and frost with ease.

chocolate cake with a few slices removed and leaning against the cake.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

  1. Use Roasted Hazelnut – Or Roast Them Yourself: If your hazenuts aren’t already roasted, spread them on a baking sheet and toast at 350°F for 8-10 minutes, until fragrant and slightly darkened. Let them cool and remove the skins before chopping or grinding.
  2. Grind or Chop Hazelnuts Finely: Use a food processor and pulse in short bursts to avoid turning the nuts into a paste, or chop finely with a sharp knife and then smash the pieces with a rolling pin. You’re aiming for a texture similar to coarse sand.
  3. Level Cake Layers: Use a serrated knife to trim the tops of your cakes if they dome in the oven.
  4. Chill Cakes while Decorating: Refrigerating the frosted cake firms it up, allowing for smoother frosting application and so the ganache drips cleanly down the sides.
  5. Decorate Just Before Serving: If you’re using Ferraro Rocher chocolates, add them shortly before serving so they stay crisp and don’t soften in the refrigerator.
  6. Storage: The cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days, in ther refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
  7. Recommended Tools: 8-inch Cake Pans | Stand Mixer | Food Processor | High-Quality Dutch Process Cocoa Powder | Roasted Hazelnuts | Ferraro Rocher

More Nutella Recpies

two layer chocolate hazelnut cake with nutella buttercream frosting.

Chocolate Nutella Cake

Yield: Serves 12
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Cooling Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake features two layers of rich chocolate hazelnut cake (made with fresh hazelnuts!) surrounded by fluffy Nutella buttercream frosting.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 2 1/4 cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup (21 grams) Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup (151 grams) unsalted butter, cool room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups (297 grams) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cup (340 grams) buttermilk, room temperature
  • 1 cup (89 grams) ground roasted hazelnuts

For the Frosting:

  • 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, cool room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (224 grams) Nutella
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups (341 grams) confectioners' sugar
  • 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream

For the Ganache:

  • 1 cup (170 grams) dark chocolate, chopped
  • 3/4 cup (170 grams) heavy cream
  • optional decorations: whole roasted hazelnuts, Ferraro Rocher hazelnut chocolates

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and lightly grease.
  2. Make the Cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.  Lower the speed to low and beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla extract.
  4. On low speed, mix in half the flour and cocoa powder mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk.  Add the remaining flour mixture, followed by the rest of the buttermilk.  Beat the mixture until dry ingredients are just incorporated and no pockets of flour remain.  Add the ground hazelnuts to the batter and stir in until incorporated.
  5. Bake the Cake: Divide the cake batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bang the pans lightly on the counter to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a tester comes out with a moist crumb.  Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
  6. Make the Frosting: While cake cools, prepare the frosting.  Beat the Nutella, butter, and salt together in a mixer, until fully combined and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Slowly add in confectioners sugar while mixer is running on low speed.  The mixture will appear very dry and crumbly.  Add in 3 tablespoons of the heavy cream and beat on high speed until the frosting is light and smooth. If the frosting still seems a little thick or dry, beat in the remaining additional tablespoon of heavy cream.
  7. Assemble the Cake: Level the cakes if necessary. Cover the bottom layer with a heap of frosting, spreading to the edge.  Top with the second cake layer, followed by another heap of frosting.  Use the remaining frosting to cover the sides of the cake.  For a smooth finish, dip an offset spatula or knife in hot water and gently spread over the frosting.  Refrigerate the cake for at least an hour, until the frosting is set.
  8. Make the Ganache: While the cake chills, make the ganache.   Add the heavy cream to a small, microwaveable bowl, and microwave for 2-3 minutes until steaming, or heat the heavy cream in a saucepan on the stovetop.  Add the chopped chocolate to the bowl and allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes to melt the chocolate.  Whisk the heavy cream and melted chocolate together until smooth.  Set aside to cool until room temperature, whisking occasionally.
  9. Decorate the Cake: Pour the chocolate ganache into the center of the cake.  Push the ganache to the outside of the cake using a spatula, allowing the ganache to run down the sides of the cake.  Decorate with additional piped Nutella frosting, whole or chopped hazelnuts, and/or Ferraro Rocher hazelnut chocolates.

Notes

  1. If the hazelnuts you are using are not roasted, toast them first. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast at 350°F for 8-10 minutes, until fragrant and slightly darkened. Let them cool and remove the skins (if on) before chopping or grinding.
  2. To grind the hazelnuts, use a food processor and pulse in short bursts to avoid turning the nuts into a paste. Alternatively, chop finely with a sharp knife and then smash the pieces with a rolling pin until the nuts have a texture similar to coarse sand.
  3. If you're using Ferraro Rocher chocolates for decorations, add them shortly before serving so they stay crisp and don't soften in the refrigerator.
  4. The cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days, in ther refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
  5. Recommended Tools: 8-inch Cake Pans | Stand Mixer | Food Processor | High-Quality Dutch Process Cocoa Powder | Roasted Hazelnuts | Ferraro Rocher

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Rich chocolate meets toasted hazelnuts in this decadent Chocolate Hazelnut Cake! Topped with Nutella buttercream and a silky chocolate ganache, it’s a bakery-worthy dessert you can easily make at home.

This Chocolate Hazelnut Cake recipe was originally published in September 2016 and updated with new photographs and helpful tips in April 2025.