Nutella Cake with Chocolate Ganache

I cut out a recipe from a magazine ages ago that has become a real emergency staple for me – Nutella Cookies. It is literally a jar of Nutella, a cup of flour and an egg beaten together, rolled into balls and rolled in granulated sugar. It’s the perfect last minute recipe because its easy to have those ingredients always on hand. I send them to my nieces at college in care packages, and whip them up if I need to take a last minute treat to a friend. Eventually, this got me thinking about baking other treats with Nutella, and I landed on a Bundt cake. I found several simple recipes on the internet, and with some tinkering ended up with a version that I really liked.

That being said, the first time I made this, I served it straight up and it was delicious, but I felt like I wanted something a little more decadent. Unadorned, it felt more like a breakfast or a snack cake than dessert to me. So I have since added this rich, glossy chocolate ganache. It takes it from a playful little sweet to an elegant dessert worthy of the best parties. You could even get fancy and call it a chocolate and hazelnut or gianduja cake if you want! I also love that the ganache holds onto the lovely shards of hazelnut with their amber and taupe autumn colors. That’s also why I make it in a tube pan – I find the flat top allows for a deep layer of frosting and the delicate hazelnut garnish. You can certainly make it in a bundt pan instead. One of the many attributes of this cake is that it serves a crowd, so it is perfect for a party.

Nutella Cake with Chocolate Ganache

For the Cake:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

1 cup Nutella (1 jar)

2 ¾ cups flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

For the Ganache:

5 ½ ounces bittersweet chocolate

¾ cup heavy cream

¼ cup chopped hazelnuts

For the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a tube pan with baking spray.

Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer to break it up, then add the sugar and beat on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the Nutella until completely combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the flour, baking powder and salt alternately with the milk and beat until smooth and combined, again scraping the bowl. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top, then bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 – 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert on a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Ganache:

When the cake is cool, break the chocolate into a small bowl. Heat the cream until it is almost boiling, just bubbling away around the sides, then pour it over the chocolate. Leave it for a minute or two, then stir vigorously until the chocolate is melted, thick and smooth. Spoon the ganache slowly over the top of the cake, letting a little drip down the sides. While the ganache is wet, sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts over the ganache so they adhere to the surface.

Serves 12