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Nutella Cake

Love Nutella?? Then this chocolate Nutella cake recipe is for you!

It’s made with moist chocolate cake layers, frosted with decadent Nutella buttercream, and decorated with Nutella swirls.

image of a slice of nutella cake on a plate that's been cut into to show its Nutella buttercream filling

How to Make This Nutella Cake

To make sure this Nutella cake turns out as amazing as possible, let’s walk through each step together!

I’ve also included a video tutorial of the process below.

Step 1: Make the Chocolate Simple Syrup

Make the chocolate simple syrup first because it needs time to cool down. Adding simple syrup to the cake layers is optional, but I love the moisture it adds.

Adding chocolate simple syrup is optional, but it makes the cake layers super moist!! I think it really takes this cake to the next level, and don’t recommend skipping it.

image of chocolate simple syrup being poured into a small bowl to cool

Step 2: Bake and Level the Chocolate Cake Layers

Make the chocolate cake batter next. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 23-26 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Remove the cake layers from the oven and let them cool in the pans for about 30 minutes.

Gently run an offset spatula around the rim of the cake pans to loosen them, then flip them into wire racks to finish cooling.

Once the cake layers have cooled to room temperature, use a serrated knife to level the top of each cake layer.

image of baked and leveled moist chocolate cake layers

If you’re making these in advance, you can wrap and freeze them at this point.

Wait to soak the cake layers with chocolate simple syrup until right before you plan to assemble the cake.

Step 3: Make the Nutella Buttercream

While the cake layers bake and cool, make the Nutella buttercream.

This frosting can also be made in advance if needed and kept in the fridge for up to a month.

image of Nutella buttercream being mixed in a glass KitchenAid bowl

Step 4: Soak and Stack the Cake Layers

Stack and frost cake layers on a greaseproof cake board or flat plate, using a dab of Nutella buttercream to help stick the first cake layer to the board.

Before you add each cake layer, use a silicone brush to soak the top of the cake layer with chocolate simple syrup.

image of chocolate simple syrup being brushed onto moist chocolate cake layers to make a Nutella cake

Spread an even layer of Nutella buttercream on top of each cake layer with a large offset spatula.

Drizzle 1/3 cup of warmed Nutella on top of the buttercream.

image of Nutella being drizzle over Nutella buttercream and chocolate cake layers to make a Nutella cake

Repeat with the remaining cake layers. Flip the top cake layer upside down to make it easier to frost.

image of chocolate cake layers being stacked to make a Nutella chocolate cake

Then freeze the cake for about 10 minutes in the freezer, or until the buttercream between the layers is firm to the touch. This makes the cake way easier to frost!

I usually add a crumb coat to my cakes, but since we’re going for a textured look with this cake, I found the crumb coat wasn’t necessary.

Step 5: Add on the Frosting and Nutella Swirls

Cover the cake with a thick, even layer of buttercream. Use the back of a spoon or a large offset spatula to give the buttercream a textured look like in the photo below.

Then add swipes of warm Nutella around the cake using a spoon or offset spatula.

image of a cake that's been decorated with chocolate buttercream and Nutella swirls

Substitutions & Swaps: Chocolate Cake Layers

While I love this Nutella cake just the way it is, I know some of you might not have all these ingredients on hand.

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe:

  • All Purpose Flour – This recipe turns out best with all purpose flour. However, you can swap in a good gluten free flour blend (like this) if needed. Just be sure to stir the batter longer than normal to help give the cake proper structure, and let the batter sit for about 20 minutes before baking it if you opt to make a gluten free version.
  • Granulated Sugar – I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar, as it will change the texture of the cake layers.
  • Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – If you can’t find unsweetened cocoa powder or don’t have any on hand, you can use Dutch cocoa powder or dark baking cocoa in its place.
  • Sour cream – You can also use full fat yogurt, buttermilk, whole milk, or an alternative yogurt or milk (almond, soy, oat).
  • Vegetable Oil – Any flavorless oil can be used in this recipe. Canola, vegetable, or even sunflower oil would all work great. I don’t recommend olive oil though, as it has a strong flavor and will change the taste of the cake.
  • Eggs – This recipe uses 2 large eggs. If you have an egg allergy you can try using a vegan egg replacer.
image of Nutella being scooped out of the container with a spoon

Substitutions & Swaps: Nutella Buttercream

Below are some great swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe.

  • Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place!
  • Nutella – If you can’t find Nutella, any brand of chocolate hazelnut spread will work.
  • Heavy Cream – Whole milk or alternative milk (soy, almond, oat) can also be used to make the frosting. However, it will thin out the frosting more than cream, so I recommend using half the amount the recipe calls for.
  • Dark Chocolate – You can use dark chocolate chips, baking chocolate, or good-quality chocolate bars to melt and add into the frosting. Alternatively, you can also use milk or semi-sweet chocolate if you have a strong preference.
image of Nutella buttercream being swirled around a Nutella cake with a large offset spatula

Making This Nutella Cake in Different Sizes

I used 4, 7-inch cake pans to make this cake, but this recipe can be used to make different sized cake layers.

You can also half or double the ingredients to make a half or double batch!

image of a cross section of a Nutella chocolate cake that's been filled with Nutella buttercream frosting and warm Nutella drizzles

You can make three, 8-inch cake layers with one batch of batter. Bake 8-inch cake layers at 350 F / 175 C for 23-26 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

To make four, 6-inch cake layers with one batch of batter, bake them at 350 F / 175 C for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

One batch of batter can also be used to make one 9×13-inch sheet cake. Bake it at 350 F / 175 C for 35-40 minutes and use flower nails or heating cores to help the cake bake evenly.

If you want to use a large cake pan and are curious how much batter you’ll need, I recommend using my cake batter calculator. One batch of this recipe makes about 10 cups of batter.

If you want to make Nutella cupcakes, use my Nutella cupcake recipe. It’s just as delicious as this cake recipe and is scaled down to make a dozen cupcakes.

Making this Nutella Cake in Advance and Storage Tips

I highly recommend making the cake layers in advance and freezing them. It breaks the process up and makes it more approachable.

image of a moist chocolate cake layer that's been leveled with a serrated knife

You can also make the Nutella frosting ahead of time or save any leftover frosting. It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

This frosting can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months! Just be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to make it nice and smooth again.

A frosted cake can last in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for a month. The buttercream locks in the moisture and keeps the cake fresh and delicious!

If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store it in the fridge for up to a week.

Tips for Making the Best Nutella Cake

  • Ingredients at room temp mix together better! Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
  • Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level). Or better yet, use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
  • Mix the cake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated. This will ensure your cake layers are tender and fluffy.
  • Use a scale to weigh your cake pans as you fill them. If each pan has the same amount of batter, the cake layers will end up being the same height and bake more evenly.
  • Level the room temperature or thawed cake layers with a serrated knife to make them easier to stack and fill.
  • Chill the cake layers in the freezer for about 20 minutes before assembling the cake and before adding the simple syrup. It makes them so much easier to stack and frost!
image of a slice of Nutella cake on a plate that's been cut into to show its Nutella buttercream filling

Let Me Know What You Think

If you try this Nutella cake recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and comment below.

And don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and #chelsweets so that I can see your delicious creations!

Other Recipes You Might Like:

Yield: 24

Nutella Cake

image of a slice of Nutella cake on a plate that's been cut into to show its Nutella buttercream filling

Love Nutella?? Then this Nutella cake is for you! It’s made with moist chocolate cake layers, decadent Nutella buttercream frosting, and is decorated with Nutella swirls.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate Simple Syrup - Optional

  • 1/2 cup water (120g)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
  • 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (10g)

Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (260g)
  • 2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (75g)
  • 2 tsp baking powder (8g)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda (9g)
  • 1 tsp fine salt (6g)
  • 1 cup warm water (240g)
  • 1 cup sour cream, room temperature (255g)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil (110g)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature (112g)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract (8g)
  • 1 tsp instant espresso or coffee (1g) - optional

Nutella Buttercream Frosting

  • 2 cups (or 4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (452g)
  • 1 1/2 cups Nutella (420g)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (4g)
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)
  • 5 cups powdered sugar (625g)
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream, room temperature (160g)
  • 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips, melted and cooled (90g)

Cake Filling and Decoration

  • 1 cup Nutella, warm (280g)

Recommended Tools

Instructions

Chocolate Simple Syrup

  1. Make the chocolate simple syrup first because it needs time to cool down. Adding simple syrup to the layers is optional, but I love the moisture it gives them.
  2. Pour 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup granulated sugar into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously until the mixture starts to boil.
  3. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 Tbsp cocoa powder. Pour into a separate bowl to cool to room temperature, then cover and set aside. If you're making this in advance, it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. 

Chocolate Cake Layers

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F / 175 C. Grease and line four, seven-inch or three eight-inch cake pans.
  2. Sift or whisk together 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a separate, large bowl, add 1 cup warm water, 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup oil, 2 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla, and 1 tsp instant espresso and whisk together until fully incorporated.
  4. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until they're just combined, and the batter is smooth.
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 23-26 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
  6. Remove the cake layers from the oven and let them cool in the pans for about 30 minutes. Gently run an offset spatula around the rim of the cake pans to loosen them, then flip them onto wire racks to finish cooling.
  7. Once cooled, use a serrated knife to level the top of each cake layer. If you are making these in advance, wrap and freeze them at this point.

Nutella Buttercream Frosting

  1. Place 2 cups of butter and 1 1/2 cups of Nutella in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Beat on a medium-high speed for 2 minutes with a paddle attachment or hand mixer until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
  2. Add in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix on low until the ingredients are combined.
  3. Gradually mix in 5 cups of powdered sugar and 2/3 cup of heavy cream on a low speed.
  4. Next, add in 1/2 cup of melted and cooled dark chocolate. Mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent the frosting from crusting and set aside.

Assembling this Chocolate Nutella Cake

  1. Stack and frost the cake layers on a greaseproof cake board or flat plate, using a dab of Nutella buttercream to help stick the first cake layer to the board.
  2. Before you stack each cake layer, use a silicone brush to soak the top of the cake layer with chocolate simple syrup.
  3. Spread an even layer of Nutella buttercream on top of each cake layer as you stack them with a large offset spatula. Drizzle 1/3 cup of warmed Nutella on top of the buttercream.
  4. Repeat with the remaining cake layers, flipping the top cake layer upside down to make it easier to frost.
  5. Freeze the cake for about 10 minutes, or until the buttercream between the layers is firm to the touch. I usually add a crumb coat to my cakes, but since we're going for a textured look with this cake, I found the crumb coat wasn't necessary.
  6. Cover the cake with a thick, even layer of buttercream. Use the back of a spoon or a large offset spatula to give the buttercream a textured look like in the pictures above. Then add swirls of warm Nutella around the cake with a spoon or a large offset spatula and enjoy!

Notes

Tips for Making the Best Nutella Cake

  • Ingredients at room temp mix together better! Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
  • Properly measure the flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level). Or better yet, use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
  • Mix the cake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated. This will ensure your cake layers are tender and fluffy.
  • Use a scale to weigh your cake pans as you fill them. Make sure each pan has the same amount of batter helps the cake layers bake to the same heigh and bake more evenly.
  • Level the room temperature or thawed cake layers with a serrated knife to make them easier to stack.
  • Chill the cake layers in the freezer for about 20 minutes before frosting the cake. It makes it so much easier to stack and frost them!
  • If you want to add a bit of texture to this cake, I recommend adding some chopped and toasted hazelnuts between the layers.

Making this Chocolate Nutella Cake in Advance & Storage Tips

I highly recommend making the cake layers in advance and freezing them. It breaks the process up and makes it more approachable.

You can also make the Nutella buttercream ahead of time or save any leftover frosting. It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

This frosting can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to make it nice and smooth again.

A frosted cake can last in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a month. The buttercream locks in the moisture and keeps the cake fresh and delicious!

Nutrition Information

Yield

24

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 497Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 11gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 38mgSodium 318mgCarbohydrates 76gFiber 2gSugar 62gProtein 4g

Judith

Wednesday 31st of January 2024

Is this cake suitable for a wedding cake? I’m making my daughter’s wedding cake in a few months and want to make sure it is stackable. Thanks. Judy.

Chelsweets

Sunday 4th of February 2024

Hi Judith,

This cake is stackable, but the layers are quite soft!! Once they're covered in buttercream they will hold their shape, but they can definitely be more finicky to stack than my other chocolate cake recipes. As long as you properly support the cake with dowels or plastic supports it should work though! I usually default to my chocolate buttermilk cake recipe for stacked, tiered cakes that need to be chocolate because it's super sturdy, here's the link: https://chelsweets.com/the-best-chocolate-layer-cake-recipe/

It's essentially the chocolate version of my popular vanilla layer cake recipe! It would be a lot easier to use this recipe, but it's up to you! Whatever you chose, I hope your daughter's wedding cake turns out amazing and I'm sending you all the good cake vibes :)

Veronica

Tuesday 21st of November 2023

I love this recipe and I can’t wait to make it for my brother’s birthday. I wanted to ask though, is there any other frosting that can go well with this cake other than the chocolate buttercream? It will still be with the Nutella and everything but an alternative to the chocolate buttercream. I’m thinking something in the lines of heavy whipping cream or cream cheese frosting or vanilla buttercream - something to break the richness of the chocolate? Do you think any of those would work or maybe you have a completely different suggestion? ?

Chelsweets

Monday 27th of November 2023

Hi Veronica,

Great question!! And absolutely, I think all of those would be delicious! I'd recommend using my whipped cream frosting (it's stabilized with cream cheese but you can't really taste it) or my vanilla buttercream, I think both would work great (linked below)! Cream cheese frosting might be good too, but I'd be worried the cream cheese would compete with the flavor of the Nutella. Hope that helps, and that your brother's birthday cake turns out great!!

Whipped cream frosting: https://chelsweets.com/whipped-cream-frosting-with-cream-cheese/ Vanilla buttercream: https://chelsweets.com/the-best-american-buttercream-recipe/

Shirley

Sunday 19th of November 2023

Hi Chelsea, I am baking a Nutella cake, you have 2 recipes. I am looking at both at the moment. I baked the chocolate cake from 1 recipe, now I have to decide whether I make the 3 buttercream flavours from 1 cake or just use this Nutella Buttercream Frosting. The cake is for my super fussy 9 year old nutella lover niece. Are both buttercreams stable? 1 buttercream has melted chocolate and the other does not. Which one would you suggest is better?

Chelsweets

Monday 27th of November 2023

Hi Shirley,

Apologies for the delayed response, I hope your Niece's cake turned out great!! Both buttercreams are stable (the melted chocolate just makes the frosting a bit richer /less sweet), it really just comes down to how much time and energy you want to put into the cake. This Nutella cake recipe is simpler and just as delicious, but not quite as exciting to look at. My Ultimate Nutella cake looks a bit fancier, but you do have to make 3 different frostings!!

Back in the day I used to enjoy going all out on my cakes, but over the years I've started to enjoy slightly simpler / more approachable cake recipes. I hope that whatever you ended up going with turned out great, and that your niece loved it :)

Sally

Monday 16th of October 2023

Is this cake and buttercream stable / strong enough to make a 2 tiered stacked 8 inch and 6 inch cake ?

Chelsweets

Sunday 22nd of October 2023

Hi Sally,

This cake recipe has pretty soft layers, but as long as the cake is properly supported and the tiers are chilled, it should be fine as a tiered cake! Hope that helps, happy baking!

Abdulaziz

Tuesday 29th of August 2023

Hi Chelsey you gonna kill me with this amazing Moist Chocolate Cake

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