Chocolate Hazelnut Layer Cake with Nutella and Coconut Frosting!

We spent the May bank holiday weekend this year at my parents house in Shropshire.  I worked out that we would be there for my mom's birthday so of course I would have to make her a spectacular cake!

Her favourite chocolate bar in the world is Cadbury's Whole Nut...so I used that as my inspiration and the cake evolved from there!

The chocolate-hazelnut cake is made without any butter at all and the batter consists mainly of whipped eggs -the batter triples in size the longer you whip the eggs! I had never made a cake using this method before and I actually loved it! It was so fast and easy and the cake was unbelievably light and airy! 

The original recipe I was following filled the insides as well as the outsides with chocolate nutella frosting but I decided that might be too rich, so I whipped up some light and fluffy coconut frosting to go in between the cake layers and kept the creamy dreamy nutella frosting just for the outside of the cake! 

The cake was finished off with some chunks of whole nut chocolate and some chopped hazelnuts coating the outside.  

It was super delicious, and a must for any chocolate & hazelnut lover in your life!!

Also, I was featured last week as a top UK food blogger and if you head over to the site there's an interesting little infographic about reasons why people blog - I'm definitely motivated by food being my passion!!

Chocolate-Hazelnut Nutella & Coconut Whole Nut Layer Cake:

Serves 12-14

Adapted from Let the Baking Begin!

for the cake:

7 large eggs

1/2 cup caster sugar

2 cups finely ground hazelnuts

3 tbsp plain flour

3 tbsp cocoa powder

3 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line 2 8 inch round cake tins with parchment paper and butter.  

In a medium size bowl, sieve the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together.  Stir in ground nuts.

Whip the eggs on high speed in a free standing mixer, until frothy.  Slowly add the sugar and continue whipping until the mix has tripled in volume, for approx. 5 mins. 

Fold dry ingredients into the eggs, in 3 additions.  

Divide the batter evenly between the tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Once baked, leave in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Cut each cake in half again so that you have four cakes.  

for the coconut filling:

465g icing sugar

150g unsalted butter

50ml coconut milk

Beat half of the icing sugar together with the butter in a free standing mixer.  Start on low, and turn to high until they have come together.

Add the remainder of the icing sugar and beat until incorporated.

Beat in the coconut milk.

Turn the mixer to high speed, and continue to beat for 5 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.

for the nutella frosting:

200g unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate

1/2 cup nutella

Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each time until completely melted.

Let cool to room temperature.

Whip butter, chocolate and nutella together until combined.

for decoration:

4 tbsp coconut filling

4 tbsp nutella frosting

12 single squares whole nut chocolate

1 double rectangle whole nut chocolate

1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

To assemble:

Spread a thick layer of coconut filling in between each layer of cake.  Once all four layers have been assembled, cover the entire top and sides of the cake in the nutella frosting.  

Cover the bottom half of the cake in the chopped hazelnuts by grabbing handfuls of the nuts and sticking them to the frosting.  

In a small bowl, mix together the coconut filling and nutella frosting.

Spoon it into a piping bag fitted with a star tip.  Pipe 12 swirls - try and evenly pipe 6 swirls on each side of the cake in a symmetrical pattern.

Stick a piece of whole nut chocolate in each swirl.  

Pipe a larger swirl in the middle of the cake and stick a double piece of whole nut chocolate in the centre.

Eat and enjoy!

Nutella Swirled Chocolate Hazelnut Chunk Cookies!

So unless you've been living under a rock, I'm sure social media has made you aware that it is national chocolate chip cookie day today! I simply couldn't let this 'food holiday' pass by without paying homage to that classic cookie! 

Choc chip cookies are one of the things my mom baked most when we were growing up...and then when my older sister was old enough she started whipping them up too so there was always a good chance of finding a fresh batch in the kitchen! Whoever invented chocolate chip cookies deserves a giant trophy and a medal, make that a million medals...they've paved the way for cookie goodness forever! I like my desserts to be on the extravagant side, but even I can't turn down a simple humble chocolate chip cookie - they are timeless classics! and I think they are the kind of sweet treat that will be peoples favourites forever! 

On that note...let me introduce the humble chocolate chip cookie's older and crazier sister - the Nutella swirled chocolate hazelnut chunk cookie! yes you read that right.  Let's take a minute to break this down.  You start off with a brown sugar cookie which by itself would be delicious enough...but then you swirl a ton of dreamy creamy Nutella through the dough, and instead of just adding regular chocolate chips, you pimp it up by adding chocolate chunks because everyone knows chunks make a superior cookie! but not just any chunks, oh no...we're adding in Cadbury's whole nut chunks! so that to compliment the Nutella you have actual hazelnuts in your cookies too! 

I mean, if that description hasn't lured you in, I don't know what will! 

You need to bake these today! Sally, who invented this cookie on her blog shared a picture of them to instagram and that very same evening I just had to bake a batch because they looked too good not to! I then baked another batch two days later which is rare in this house, but we ran out of them so quick that it was essential to make more!! 

Don't say I didn't warn you, these are dangerously addictive! and will probably become your new favourite cookie! They are definitely the BEST cookie I've made this year! 

Nutella Swirled Chocolate Hazelnut Chunk Cookies:

Makes 18 

Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup (150g) packed light brown sugar 

1/2 cup (100g) caster sugar

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup (148g) Nutella, divided

2 1/3 cups (295g) plain flour 

1 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp cornflour

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups (225g) whole nut milk chocolate, divided

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line three large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  

In a free standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until creamy.  Add the brown sugar and caster sugar and beat on medium high speed until fluffy.  Beat in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla on high speed until combined.  Stir the Nutella in the jar vigorously before using so the oils are not lurking at the top as this will cause your cookies to spread.  Beat in 1/4 cup (74g) of Nutella until combined.  

Whisk the flour, cornstarch, bicarbonate of soda and salt together in a large bowl.  On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined.  Chop chocolate into chunks.  Add 1 cup (180g) of whole nut chocolate chunks and mix on low for about 5-10 seconds until evenly distributed.  Turn the mixer off and add the remaining Nutella.  Beat for 5-10 seconds so the Nutella streaks through the cookie dough and is not fully mixed...be careful not to overbeat.  Dough will be a little crumbly but that's not a problem. 

Roll dough into balls, larger than a tablespoon.  The warmth of your hands will help them come together.  Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until slightly golden brown around the edges.  Rotate the sheets once during baking time.   The baked cookies will look extremely soft in the centre when you remove them from the oven.  Allow them to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet.   Gently press the remaining chocolate chunks into the tops of the slightly warm cookies (this is purely for looks!)

Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.  

Ferrero Rocher & Nutella Fudge Cream Pie

So I know I promised you a Nutella break for a while...but I just can't keep away from the stuff!

Also, I'm having a hard time shifting my baby weight - because did you know that baby weight doesn't fall off itself, and it also doesn't fall off when you eat brownies and cupcakes and huge slabs of dairy milk and toblerone nightly!

So my husband suggested we abstain from any chocolate or baked goods during the week, and that we can 'treat' ourselves on the weekend! Do you know that I can't recall the last time I even went for one single day without a chocolate fix??? So this was a really big deal! At the end of our first week, I felt like I had just run a 20k marathon - does that even exist? See I'm so busy eating the whole pan of brownies I don't even know what distance marathons are run in, but anyway it felt like a massive massive achievement!

So to reward myself for being so good for a whole 5 DAYS I made this beast of a pie! because I may or may not have been dreaming it up the whole week long!

...and what a way to break a diet! Nutella? check, Chocolate? check

 

 Oreo crust? check



 Ferrero Rocher's? check



 Double cream? check

 Oh and don't forget the Nutella drizzle!

You can't finish off a beast of a cream pie like this without copious amounts of warm drizzled Nutella!

It is super rich and pretty sweet because of the addition of the Nutella to the chocolate fudge filling - both of which are absolutely fine by me but if you're not into super sweet fillings (then why are you following my blog?!) then perhaps you'd want to increase your dark chocolate to Nutella ratio.  I do think the cream balances it all out nicely though and it would certainly make a great dessert at any dinner party, for a Nutella lover, or just to sit in front of the T.V with on a rainy weekday night ;)

Ferrero Rocher & Nutella Fudge Cream Pie:

Serves 14

From Cupcake Crazy Gem

  For the base:
18 Oreos, crushed
60g unsalted butter, melted

For the Nutella fudge filling:
397g condensed milk
100g milk chocolate
100g dark chocolate
 200g Nutella
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract

9 Ferrero Rocher's, halved

For the topping:
250ml double cream, whipped
2 tbsp Nutella
3 Ferrero Rocher's, chopped

For the frosting:
1 tbsp cream cheese
3 tbsp icing sugar
3 heaped tbsp Nutella

4 Ferrero Rocher's, halved

Grease your pie dish with a thin layer of butter.

Crush the Oreos in a blender.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave.  Mix the butter in with the Oreo crumbs until the mixture is sticky and when you roll it in a ball it holds its shape.  Spread the biscuit layer into the bottom of the pie dish, pressing down with the back of a teaspoon.  I used my hands to press the remaining crumbs into the sides of the dish to ensure the crust was evenly distributed.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes whilst making the fudge filling.

In a medium saucepan, add the condensed milk, chopped dark chocolate, Nutella, salt and vanilla.  Stir over a medium-low heat until melted.  Get your Oreo crust out of the fridge and spread the fudge layer on top, save back a small amount - about half a cup.

Now the fun part: chop 9 Ferrero Rocher's in half.  Press them into the fudge layer - filling side down.  Spread the remaining fudge on top so most of the Ferrero's are hidden.

Whip double cream in the bowl of an electric mixer on high for 3-4 minutes until peaks start to form.  Meanwhile melt 2 heaped tablespoons of Nutella in a small microwaveable bowl for 30-60 seconds.  Spread your whipped cream on top of the fudge filling.  Smooth it out.  Dip a knife into the bowl of melted Nutella and flick it across the top of the cream, repeat several times.  Chop up 3 Ferrero Rocher's and throw them on top of the cream.  

To make the Nutella frosting, beat the cream cheese with the icing sugar until creamy and then stir in the Nutella.  Put the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star attachment.  Pipe 8 swirls evenly around the edge of the pie.  

Cut four Ferrero Rocher's in half.  Alternate each half between filling down and filling up and press them into the frosting.

Eat and enjoy!

Ferrero Rocher Brownie Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

Generally, I like to try and space out blogging about similar flavours but too be honest I've been baking with Nutella SO much recently that it's proving difficult! Also, I instagrammed this picture of the cupcakes earlier and my sister messaged me to say her and her colleagues were drooling over the pic and since it's her turn to bring cakes in to work on Wednesday she'd like the recipe so I figured it had to be done!!

So hot on the heels of the Fudgiest Nutella Brownies, I bring you these Ferrero Rocher brownie cupcakes with Nutella frosting. 

 Our time in Scotland is very swiftly coming to an end, we have just a week and a half left! So when some of my mummy friends organised an impromptu picnic for today, since it was going to be nice weather...and in Scotland when the sunshine finally comes you do drop everything and get outside, I decided it would be one of my last chances to bake for them and so I'd better pull out all the stops!

So I whipped up my all time favourite Martha Stewart Brownie Cupcakes as the base, because they are so fudgy and delicious...and I'm not going to lie, because they can be made in just one bowl and don't require turning my Kitchenaid on because the baby was napping!  When she woke up, I brought her into the kitchen in her little bumbo as my 'sous chef' whilst I whipped up this creamy dreamy Nutella frosting - Ella just loves the loud noise of the Kitchenaid so was more than happy to sit and listen to it working its magic!

...and of course no Nutella cupcake is complete without a Ferrero Rocher topper! So a whole, I was considering cutting them in half but I figured if we were going to go decadent we might as well go all the way, Ferrero Rocher was placed on top of each mound of frosting and some melted Nutella was drizzled across them as the finishing touch!

If you're a chocolate lover...you are going to love these, if you are a Nutella lover - even better! Go and whip up a batch today, you will be so happy that you did!

Ferrero Rocher Brownie Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting:

Makes 12

Adapted from Martha Stewart via Cupcake Crazy Gem

175g dark chocolate

50g milk chocolate
113g unsalted butter

200g caster sugar

3/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

65g cup plain flour

30g cup cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F.  

Place both chocolates and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Stir occasionally until just melted, about 4-5 mins.

 Remove bowl from heat.  Whisk in sugar and salt until mixture is smooth, whisk in eggs to combine.  Gently whisk in flour and cocoa just until smooth (do not overmix).

Fill cupcake cases until 3/4 full.  Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until an inserted knife comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, for 20-25 minutes*.

*Mine were ready at 22 minutes - you want moist crumbs to still be attached to your inserted knife since these are brownies and fudgy, and not cake like.

Nutella Frosting:

From My Baking Addiction

113g unsalted butter

185g Nutella

pinch of salt

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

340g icing sugar

4 tbsp heavy cream or milk

12 Ferrero Rocher chocolates

4 heaped tsp Nutella, melted

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and Nutella until thick, fluffy and well combined for about 5 mins.  Slowly add in icing sugar, and continue mixing until well blended.

Add salt, vanilla, and 2 tbsp heavy cream or milk.  Blend on low speed until moistened.  Add an additional 1-2 tbsp of heavy cream or milk until you reach desired consistency*.

Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

*I added 3 tbsp of milk to create stiff enough frosting that would hold its shape when piped.  If I'd had cream in the house I would have rather used that as it makes for a tastier frosting!

Frost cupcakes.  Add a Ferrero Rocher on each one.

Melt 4 heaped tsp of Nutella in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute.

Transfer to a piping bag, snip a tiny bit of the end and drizzle over the cupcakes.

Eat and enjoy!