This Ferrero rocher cake is made with three chocolate hazelnut cake layers, topped and frosted with hazelnut buttercream, and topped with chocolate ganache, and Ferrero rocher candy.
If you like making layer cake as much as we do, check out our oreo cake, black forest cake, best ever chocolate cake, super moist carrot cake, lotus biscoff cake, and our Nutella cake!
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Why this recipe works
- It is perfect for you Ferrero rocher lovers!
- This cake is made with three layers of soft chocolate hazelnut cake!
- Perfect for any occasion or party.
- This cake is unbelievably moist and fluffy.
- It is topped with Ferrero rocher candy!
How to make even cake layers
Our biggest tip to make even cake layers is to use a scale and cake strips. Weigh the chocolate cake batter and divide it into two even pans. Then use cake strips to make sure your cake layers bake evenly and don’t develop a dome on top.
Cake strips give you an evenly baked cake with a flat top.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
Dutch cocoa powder– we like to use Dutch-process cocoa powder for our chocolate cake because we like the deep and rich chocolate taste, but the natural cocoa powder will work great as well!
Baking powder and baking soda – to help the cake rise.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Vegetable oil – we used vegetable oil for this recipe. canola oil will work great for this recipe.
Eggs- To give the cake a good structure. Make sure you’re using room-temperature eggs.
Buttermilk- gives the cake extra moisture. You can make your own buttermilk if you don’t have one on hand. Simply mix a cup of milk with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
Hot coffee- make a strong hot coffee, you can use espresso, or instant coffee, both will work.
Vanilla extract- Vanilla extract Is an essential ingredient for chocolate cake.
Salt- We used kosher salt for this recipe. Salt doesn’t give the cake a salty taste, it helps to enhance the chocolate flavor.
Nutella- you will need Nutella for this recipe. We like using Nutella for this recipe, but if you don’t like Nutella or are allergic to one of the ingredients, you can use any kind of chocolate hazelnut spread.
Hazelnuts- you will need to chop your hazelnuts into small pieces. We toasted our hazelnuts before adding them to the cookie dough. Roasting nuts gives them a tasty flavor. You will need hazelnuts for the cookie dough and the topping.
For the Nutella buttercream
Butter- make sure you are using room temperate butter. We used unsalted butter.
Powder sugar- is known as confectioners' sugar. For a smoother buttercream, sift it before adding it to the butter.
Cocoa powder- we used Dutch cocoa powder. You can use natural cocoa powder as well.
Vanilla extract- for extra flavor.
Nutella- use Nutella or any other chocolate hazelnut spread.
Heavy cream- makes this frosting extra silky smooth and fluffy.
For the chocolate ganache
Chocolate- use the best quality semisweet or dark chocolate bars for the best flavor. using the best quality dark chocolate is very important in this recipe.
Heavy cream- use full-fat heavy cream for this recipe. This cant is substituted.
Assembly
Ferrero rocher- use ferrero rocher candies. You will need about 8 of them. You can find it in most grocery stores.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 (350f) and prep three 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper.
Into a big mixing bowl, add the eggs, oil, Nutella, vanilla extract, sugar, kosher salt, and buttermilk. Mix well until combined.
Sift in the cocoa powder and add the chopped hazelnuts. Mix well until combined.
Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the hot coffee and mix until just combined and there are no visible lumps of flour showing.
Divide the mixture into three 8-inch baking pans, we suggest using cake strips for even baking. (weight the batter for better results) and bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely before frosting so the frosting won't melt off the cake.
Make the Nutella buttercream
Into a large bowl add room temperature butter and mix with a hand mixer or a stand mixer until the butter is light and fluffy.
Add half of the powder sugar and the cocoa powder and carefully mix until combined.
Add the other half of the powder sugar and mix until smooth.
Add the Nutella to the mixture and mix until well combined and smooth.
Make the chocolate ganache
Melt dark chocolate and heavy cream in a small to medium mixing bowl in the microwave for about 50 seconds.
Let the chocolate and the cream sit for 10 minutes for the chocolate to melt, then mix until the chocolate ganache is smooth and silky.
Assembly
Pipe a small dollop of the frosting on the surface that you will frost on. Lay the first cake layer over the frosting dot.
Top the first cake layer with ⅓ of the buttercream and spread an even layer using a spatula. Repeat with the second cake layer, and top it with the third cake layer.
Frost the cake with a very thin layer of buttercream, and place the cake in the freezer to set for 15 minutes. (this is the crumb coat)
Remove the cake from the freezer and frost it with more frosting (making sure that you save some for the dollops) and place it in the freezer for another 10 minutes to set.
Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake and use a spatula to carefully push the ganache around the edges of the cake until a drip design forms.
Make dollops of the remaining buttercream around the edges of the cake. We used a 1M piping tip.
Top each dollop of frosting with a Ferrero rocher candy and keep it in the fridge!
Expert Tips
- Don’t skip the coffee in the cake, you can’t taste the coffee, it simply enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Use cake strips! Cake strips give you even and perfectly baked cake layers. Click here for the amazon link.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making the buttercream, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the frosting.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to frost this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the cake cool for at least 1 hour so it will be more firm and won’t crumble up, and prevent the frosting from melting.
Faq's
Yes. You can use 8 or 9-inch cake pans. Take into consideration that the cake layers will be thicker.
No! you can’t taste the coffee. Adding the coffee simply enhances the chocolate flavor. So, don’t skip the coffee on the cake!
Yes! If you want to add more chocolate, you can add 1 cup of chocolate chips to the cake mixture. To prevent the chocolate chips from sinking, coat them with a little bit of flour before adding them to the batter.
Storing
This cake will last up to 5 in the fridge. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out. This cake tastes amazing the day after.
Freezing
Freeze this cake after it cooled completely in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months.
Our tip is not to freeze it decorated or covered with frosting, because it can ruin the decorating on the cake, we suggest freezing the cake and decorating it when you defrost it.
If you’re not looking to impress anyone with your decorating skills, it’s absolutely okay to freeze the cake with the frosting on.
Make it ahead
You can make this cake ahead by freezing the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap each cake layer with a few layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours or in the fridge overnight.
When you are ready to frost and assemble the cake, make the frosting, chocolate ganache, and whipped cream and assemble the cake!
Substitutions
Dairy-free- to make this cake dairy-free, replace the buttermilk with almond milk and replace the butter in the frosting with vegan butter. Also, replace the chocolate ganache with vegan chocolate ganache.
Egg-free- to make this cake egg-free, replace the eggs with ⅔ cup of applesauce.
Hazelnut spread- We like using classic Nutella spread for this recipe, but if you don’t have Nutella spread in your area, or are allergic to one of the ingredients, you can use any kind of chocolate hazelnut spread.
Variations
Frosting- Use your favorite chocolate frosting like dark chocolate frosting, stabilized chocolate whipped cream frosting, chocolate cream cheese frosting, etc.
Chocolate ganache- make a white chocolate ganache or milk chocolate ganache instead of a classic ganache.
More hazelnut recipes
Ferrero rocher cookies- These Ferrero rocher cookies are made with chewy hazelnut chocolate cookies, filled with chopped hazelnuts, and topped with Nutella. These cookies are unbelievably delicious!
Nutella cupcakes- These Nutella cupcakes are made with delicious chocolate Nutella cupcakes, filled with Nutella, and topped with Nutella buttercream and chopped hazelnuts!
Nutella cookies- These Nutella cookies are chocolate cookies that are made with Nutella inside the cookie dough and topped with dollops of melted Nutella.
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📖 Recipe
Best Ferrero Rocher Cake
Equipment
- Cake strips to make perfect baked cakes with even tops.
- 8-inch cake pans to bake the cakes in.
- Mixing bowls best glass mixing bowls.
- Whisk set our favorite copper whisk set.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 cups Flour
- ½ cup Cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 2 cups Granulated sugar
- 3 Eggs
- ½ cup Vegetable oil
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1 cup Coffee hot
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup Nutella
- ½ cup Hazelnuts chopped
For the nutella buttercream:
- 440 g Butter
- 2 ¾ cups Powder sugar
- ⅔ cup Cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 130 g Nutella
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup Heavy cream
For the chocolate ganache:
- 100 g Dark chocolate or semisweet
- 100 g Heavy cream
Assembly:
- 8 Ferrero rocher candy
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180 (350f) and prep three 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper.
- Into a big mixing bowl, add the eggs, oil, Nutella, vanilla extract, sugar, kosher salt, and buttermilk. Mix well until combined.
- Sift in the cocoa powder and add the chopped hazelnuts. Mix well until combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the hot coffee and mix until just combined and there are no visible lumps of flour showing.
- Divide the mixture into three 8-inch baking pans, we suggest using cake strips for even baking. (weight the batter for better results) and bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting so the frosting won't melt off the cake.
Make the Nutella buttercream
- Into a large bowl add room temperature butter and mix with a hand mixer or a stand mixer until the butter is light and fluffy.
- Add half of the powder sugar and the cocoa powder and carefully mix until combined.
- Add the other half of the powder sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add the Nutella to the mixture and mix until well combined and smooth.
Make the chocolate ganache:
- Melt dark chocolate and heavy cream in a small to medium mixing bowl in the microwave for about 50 seconds.
- Let the chocolate and the cream sit for 10 minutes for the chocolate to melt, then mix until the chocolate ganache is smooth and silky.
Make the chocolate whipped cream:
- In a cold big mixing bowl add the heavy whipping cream, sift the cocoa powder, and add the sugar and vanilla.
- Whip with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer until stiff peaks form. Make sure that you don't overmix the whipped cream so it won't turn into butter.
Assembly
- Pipe a small dollop of the frosting on the surface that you will frost on. Lay the first cake layer over the frosting dot.
- Top the first cake layer with ⅓ of the buttercream and spread an even layer using a spatula. Repeat with the second cake layer, and top it with the third cake layer.
- Frost the cake with a very thin layer of buttercream, and place the cake in the freezer to set for 15 minutes. (this is the crumb coat)
- Remove the cake from the freezer and frost it with more frosting (making sure that you save some for the dollops) and place it in the freezer for another 10 minutes to set.
- Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake and use a spatula to carefully push the ganache around the edges of the cake until a drip design forms.
- Make dollops of the chocolate whipped cream around the edges of the cake. We used a 1M piping tip.
- Top each dollop of frosting with a Ferrero rocher candy and keep it in the fridge!
Notes
- Don’t skip the coffee in the cake, you can’t taste the coffee, it simply enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Use cake strips! Cake strips give you even and perfectly baked cake layers. Click here for the amazon link.
- Cool the melted chocolate before adding it to the chocolate frosting! This step is a must, if the melted chocolate will be hot, it will melt the butter and the chocolate frosting will be ruined.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making the buttercream, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the frosting.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to frost this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the cake cool for at least 1 hour so it will be more firm and won’t crumble up, and prevent the frosting from melting.
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