Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 cups Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup vegetable oil (can be olive or avocado oil)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 2 1/2 cups hazelnuts
Nutella Buttercream Frosting
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups unsalted butter), soft at room temperature
- 1 jar (13 oz) Nutella®
- 2 1/2 cups Dixie Crystals Confectioners Powdered Sugar
- Pinch salt
Directions
- Preheat oven temperature to 310°F. (Low temp is not an error). Butter and flour 3, 8 or 9-inch baking pans and fit a round piece of parchment paper on bottom of baking pan for easy removal of cake. Set aside.
- Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and sugar. Set aside.
- In a bowl large enough to hold all ingredients whisk eggs and buttermilk until well combined. Add oil, vanilla, and salt. Whisk smooth.
- Meanwhile, heat water until hot.
- Add dry ingredients to buttermilk-egg mixture and whisk smooth. Add hot water in 3 increments, while whisking batter smooth in between additions.
- Pour very runny batter into pan and place in oven, bake for 40-45 minutes until center of cake bounces back when lightly pressed with a finger or until an inserted toothpick comes clean.
- After 5 minutes turn upside down on plastic food-lined surface and allow to cool.
- Place hazelnuts on a jelly roll pan and place in oven until light golden and fragrant, about 15-18 minutes. Once cool enough to handle reserve some whole hazelnuts for decoration and chop remaining in small pieces, set aside.
- For frosting beat butter until creamy and completely lump free. Add Nutella® and mix until well creamed.
- Add powdered sugar and salt and beat until fluffy.
- Place a cake layer on a serving platter and remove parchment paper.
- Spread 1/4 of frosting on layer.
- Top with another cake layer and cover with another 1/4 of frosting.
- Frost cake with remaining frosting reserving some for decoration.
- Press chopped hazelnuts onto sides of cake.
- Using a pastry bag fitted with a medium French star tip pipe swirls on edge of cake.
- Decorate with hazelnuts and sprinkle with powdered sugar.