This Ferrero Rocher Cake is your favorite chocolate hazelnut treat in cake form! Chocolate hazelnut cake layers and with a Nutella buttercream.
Can you believe it’s almost November?? I honestly can’t. These past few months (and this year in general) have gone by crazy fast, despite all the chaos and craziness. I can’t believe we’re almost in the holiday season.
Of course, I welcome the holiday season with open arms. I plan to start packing away all the pumpkins and breaking out the Christmas decorations in the next week or so. I am one of those people.
Today, I’m bringing you one of my favorite cakes based on one of my favorite treats!
I know you can technically get Ferrero’s year-round but to me, they are a holiday treat.
Maybe it’s because of the commercials they always bust out during the holiday season. And it’s kind of a tradition these days that my parents always get Ryan a box of Ferrero’s for Christmas. It’s really cute actually.
Despite my many Nutella recipes, I’m actually not a huge fan of Nutella on its own. I used to eat it straight out of the jar with a spoon when I was younger, so maybe I just got sick of it.
In a Ferrero though? Heaven.
How to Make this Ferrero Rocher Cake
I wanted to make sure all the elements of a true Ferrero shone through. This cake is packed with chocolate and hazelnut flavor. There is hazelnut flour in the cake itself (optional, but it adds flavor and texture) and I added a layer of crunchy hazelnut meringue to emulate that crunchy shell that Ferrero’s have.
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
To make the cake layers I replaced some of the flour in my favorite Chocolate Cake recipe with hazelnut flour.
This adds a delicious flavor and texture to the cake. You can either make hazelnut flour at home by grinding up some toasted, skinned hazelnuts, or you can buy it. I talk a bit more about that here in my Hazelnut Cake recipe.
If you don’t want to bother with either you can just replace the hazelnut flour with more all-purpose flour.
Hazelnut Meringue
I initially planned to use feuilletine flakes to add the crunch, but I opted for something a little more elaborate and went with the meringue instead.
The meringue will lose some of its crunch the longer it sits with the buttercream though, so you can choose to use the flakes instead if you have them on hand.
Next time though, I’d probably just chop up actual Ferrero’s and spread them between the cake layers instead.
Nutella Buttercream
The rich Nutella buttercream is something I would happily eat with a spoon. It is SO good. A fluffier version of Nutella that pairs really well with the dense chocolate cake.
I used an American Buttercream recipe because I wanted the frosting to be dark and look more like what you see in a Ferrero. If you’d like though, I have a Swiss meringue buttercream version on my Nutella Cake that you can use instead.
I may have gone a little heavy-handed on the frosting between the layers, but I told you it was good!! You can’t totally see the hazelnut meringue layer, but I swear it’s there! And it’s delicious.
The cake is fudgy and delicious. Paired with a smooth Nutella buttercream and crunchy chocolate hazelnut meringue, it’s really the best thing ever.
If you’re looking for something unique this holiday season, or really any time of year, this Ferrero Rocher Cake is sure to wow!
Oh, and if you want an equally delicious and stunning holiday cake based on a Ferrero brand confection, you have to check out my Raffaello Cake!
Notes & tips for this Ferrero Rocher Cake:
- The recipe as-is will also work in two 8″ pans. For three 8″ pans, 1.5x the recipe. The layers will be slightly thinner though, so be sure to reduce the baking time.
- To make cupcakes, all you need to do is reduce the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so.
- The cooled cake layers can be baked ahead of time, double wrapped in plastic wrap, and frozen for up to 3 months. Take out 2-3 hours before assembly.
- The frosting can be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated for 1 week for frozen for 3 months. Bring to room temperature and rewhip before using.
- If you don’t have hazelnut flour on hand and/or don’t want to make any, you can just substitute in additional all-purpose flour.
- To enhance the chocolate flavor of the cake, you can use strong hot coffee instead of hot water.
- The hazelnut meringue will soften the longer it sits in the cake. Ideally, serve the same day. Regardless though, it will still taste delicious! You can use chopped up Ferrero’s between the layers instead though.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Ferrero Rocher Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup hazelnut flour*
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup hot water or hot coffee
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Nutella Buttercream:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup Nutella
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
Hazelnut Meringue (optional):
- 2 large egg whites
- 5 Tbsp granulated sugar
- pinch salt
- pinch cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (toasted skinned)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
Assembly:
- toasted hazelnuts to decorate chopped and whole
- Ferrero Rocher chocolates if desired
Instructions
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F, grease three 6″ round baking pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line bottoms with parchment.
- Place all dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl whisk all wet ingredients (pour hot water in slowly while whisking as not to cook the eggs).
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix on medium for 2-3 mins. Batter will be very thin.
- Pour evenly into prepared pans. I used a kitchen scale to ensure the batter is evenly distributed.
- Bake until a cake tester comes out mostly clean, a total of 30-35mins.
Nutella Buttercream:
- Prepare a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and whip butter until creamy (2 mins).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together sifted powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
- Reduce speed to low and add in powdered sugar mixture 1 cup at a time until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl and whisk as needed. Add in Nutella and whip on high for approximately 5 mins.
Hazelnut Meringue:
- Preheat oven to 250F and line a 10×15″ pan with parchment. Trace two 5″ circles onto the parchment, flip over so the traced side is down.
- Combine egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer**. Beat on high until soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar (1 Tbsp at a time) and beat until stiff peaks.
- Dab a bit of meringue under the corners of the parchment to secure it. Fold chopped hazelnuts and cocoa powder into the meringue. Pipe into discs using the 5″ circles as a guide. Pipe or spread remaining meringue in empty spaces on the parchment.
- Bake for 90mins and cool on pan.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of the cake onto a cake stand or serving plate. Top with 2/3 cup of buttercream and spread evenly.
- Place one meringue disc on top and top with additional buttercream if desired (or sprinkle with chopped Ferrero's. Repeat with remaining layers and crumb coat the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- Frost the cake with the remaining buttercream, smooth the sides and chill for 20mins. Press chopped hazelnuts into the sides and top with rosettes if desired.
Notes
Originally published on Nov 6, 2016
Jen says
Let me start by saying I am doing something crazy! I am making this cake for my grandma’s 86 birthday. I live in the US and she is in Switzerland! I have already baked my cake layers and they’re in the freezer triple wrapped so they’ll be easy to transport. I won’t have any baking supplies in Switzerland so I can only really take the layers and add the buttercream from a piping bag…. which I plan to prebag, put in freezer ziplocks and freeze until it’s time to go to the airport. Any suggestions on the buttercream? Do you think it will be okay to fluff the cake after sitting out for travel at room temp? Would you change any ingredient ratios to help make it more stable? Thanks in advance!
Olivia says
Hi Jen! Wow, that is quite the journey for this cake! And so special for your grandma. How long is the total travel time? Meaning, how long will the buttercream be out of the freezer? You will need to rewhip the buttercream again before use, so wrap it in any way that’s easiest. I recommend spreading it on a sheet of plastic wrap, wrapping it up, and sticking it in a freezer bag. The cake will be fine, but make sure it doesn’t get squished as it starts to thaw. Otherwise, I suggest making sure you’re allowed to import the cake and buttercream into Switzerland. I’d hate for you to go to all that trouble and not be allowed to take it into the country!
Jen says
I will update you on what happens! Everything is double, triple, quadruple wrapped in the freezer. I actually plan to check them in a bag with bubble wrap around the cake layers. Since I won’t be taking it in the cabin it should be okay on getting it there.. just need lots of fragile warning stickers on my suitcase 🙂 The total trip time will be about 16 hours!
Olivia says
Sounds like a good plan. Good luck!!
meredith says
I doubled the recipe and used 3 8″ pans, which came out perfectly. The cakes are in the freezer and i have not yet done the meringues but plan to. I am going to use a mocha buttercream. I am very happy with the taste and texture (used Bob’s hazelnut flour and coffee instead of water).
Olivia says
Hi Meredith! Thanks so much for the great feedback. I’m so glad you like it!
Katrina says
Hello,I noticed the recipe called for Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder. I was wondering if i can substitute and use Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa powder instead??
Olivia says
Hi Katrina! That will work fine too.
jo rao says
This cake turned out exceptional! Thank you! I got so many compliments today!
Olivia says
Yay! So happy to hear that Jo. Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Jemila says
Omg i love it . I gave it a go and it turned brilliantly so much good feedbacks and my kids loved it … thank you so much for posting such an easy recipe 🙌🏾
Olivia says
Hi Jemila! So happy to hear that, thanks for the feedback! 🙂
M says
This cake sounds amazing! I really loved the taste and crunch from feuilletine flakes in other recipes I’ve made, but your meringue also sounds delicious so I am torn.
Do you think it would be possible to incorporate some feuilletine flakes into the meringue recipe? Or maybe do one layer with meringue and one layer of the feuilletine?
Olivia says
Hi M! The meringue is crazy delicious for sure! But it does get lost a bit in the cake and softens. I like to add it, but some people prefer using chopped up Ferrero’s and I think that’s a great option too. But yes, I do think you can fold feuilletine into the meringue and/or do one layer with feuilletine. Let me know what you try!
Nancy says
I’m a home baker and thought this cake sounded (& looked) divine! I just made this, but without the hazelnut meringue (no room in fridge/freezer to chill). Followed the recipe exactly but doubled using 2 9″ cake pans, which worked perfectly. I also used hot coffee vs. hot water to intensify the chocolate flavor.
I had to bake the cakes approx. 50-55 min as my pans were about 2″ deep. They cooked beautifully. This was my first time using hazelnut flour and I must say I can certainly taste something different in the cake…it takes some time to get used to. The Hazelnut flour I used was a reputable brand and organic. To be honest, I loved the intense chocolate flavor and loved how moist the cake turned out, but in the future would substitute the hazelnut flour for AP flour. Just a personal preference, but I’m curious if anyone else noticed something ‘different’?
I’m not suggesting the flavor is off-putting, but maybe an acquired taste. I’ve read that hazelnut meal adds to the texture. This may be the case, but in any event – I’m not very fond of the taste and I love hazelnut! The frosting was delicious, but a little sweet. I may cut down on the powdered sugar next time. I added some sifted cocoa powder to offset the sweetness. The amount of frosting per the recipe was just enough to frost the entire 2 layer cake.
Thank you for this unique recipe…anyone who loves chocolate and/or Nutella will be a fan 😉
Olivia says
Hi Nancy! Thanks so much for your detailed feedback. Strange about the hazelnut flour taste! I assume the flour tasted ok on its own? I’m so glad you liked it overall though and appreciate your input!
Sabrina says
This was a big labour of love but all my friends raved about how good it was, especially commenting on the meringue layer. I used regular flour in the cake, included the strong coffee, and tried skinning the hazelnuts with the method linked in this recipe but the skinning didn’t work out so well for me (but no one had a problem with there being some skin on the hazelnuts). This took almost 4 hours to make to completion, including the time it took to make my own cake strips using the method mentioned in this recipe (that did work and I was amazed). If I had made my own hazelnut flour for the cake, it would have taken even longer (obviously). I want to give this half a star less simply because it took so long and created quite the mess of bowls in my kitchen but I can’t because it got such great reviews from my friends!
Olivia says
Hi Sabrina! I am so happy to hear that you and your friends loved it — that meringue layer is my fave!
Chelsea E. Adams says
I like this very much because it will be my recommendation for the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner in my family’s dessert menu
Olivia says
Hi Chelsea! I’m so glad, I hope you guys love it!
May says
Your cake looks delicious! Did you use 3 (6 x 3) or 3 (6 x 2) pans?
Thank you
Olivia says
Hi May! Mine are all 2″ tall. I hope you love this one!
Sherri says
Would like to add hazelnut liqueur somewhere here. Should I put it in the cake, frosting, or both? How much would you add?
Olivia says
Hi Sherri! I would add it to the cake. You can replace up to 1/4 cup of the buttermilk with the liqueur. Alternatively you could make a simple syrup with it and drizzle it onto the baked layers (https://livforcake.com/simple-syrup-recipe/). I think that would be delicious! You could add it to the frosting too, but I don’t know if it would add that much flavour without affecting the texture.
Shoby says
Hi! I am baking for 24 people this weekend, can I use three 9″ pans instead of the 6″ pans? or would that mess it up? HELP!
Olivia says
Hi Shoby! You’ll need to adjust the recipe to use larger pans, but it should work fine. Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
Christine B says
I made this earlier this year and it was such a hit! I wouldn’t change the recipe at all!
Topped it off with some nutella ganache too 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Christine! Thanks so much for the great feedback, I’m glad you loved it!
bea says
Hello, I wanted to know if the cake is soft and fudgy, if is not do you have a recipe of this type of cake?
Olivia says
Hi Bea! This cake is VERY fudgy — take a look at the cut slice picture.
Lara says
i tried this cake last week , and it was amazing , th le best chocolate cake i ever made.
I reduced the sugar quantity in the frosting and it did not affected the taste!
THank youuu
Olivia says
Hi Lara! So glad you loved it 🙂
Marie-France says
Hi! In the buttercream, can I use melted chocolat instead of cocoa powder? How much should I use?
Olivia says
Hi Marie! You can give it a try but I worry that with the Nutella and melted chocolate the buttercream will be a bit too soft. Here’s a recipe where I used melted chocolate in it: https://livforcake.com/birthday-cake-recipe/
Lori Koutsouftikis says
Hoping to make this in the next month but I have a question — if I substitute the feuilletine flakes instead of the meringue, how much feuilletine do I use? 1/4 cup? 1 cup? What would be a good amount to have the crunch and flavor yet not be too much that it would be overpowering? Thank you! I’m so excited to find this recipe as my mother loves Ferrero Rocher chocolates and now I can surprise her with a Ferrero Rocher cake for her (not for mother’s day or her birthday — just because she is a wonderful mother!)!
Thanks again, Lori K.
Olivia says
Hi Lori! I would just sprinkle some on top of the frosting for each layer — maybe 2-3 Tbsp per layer? I would also sprinkle chopped hazelnuts as well for more texture. Let me know if you try it!!
Carolyn says
Hi Liv, I made this for an Easter gathering, and it was AMAZING! It was honestly loved by all. I ended up doing your dark chocolate drip on top, instead of coating the bottom in hazelnuts, because that seemed like too much work lol. I’ve made a handful of your cakes and brought them to gatherings, and they’ve all been very well-received. My sister thinks I’m an amazing baker, but really, I’m just following your recipes to a “T” lol. In my defence, I always credit your blog, and I do try to put my own spin each cake when decorating. Thanks so much for yet another fantastic recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Carolyn! So happy everyone loved this one and love that you added a drip! Thanks for the great feedback and I can’t wait to hear what you make next!
Ikhlas Hussain says
I’m making this this weekend! I wasn’t able to find skinned hazelnuts and am wondering if the meringue will work with the skins on or if there is a way to remove them. Can’t wait for this to get in my belly!
Olivia says
Hi Ikhlas! You can remove the skins somewhat easily. Here are the instructions: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/to-toast-and-skin-hazelnuts-14905
Jessica says
Hi Liv! How long before the meringues start to lose their crunch in the cake? I really don’t want to have to omit the meringue, yet I really don’t want a soggy meringue layer either! My last resort will be to make a hazelnut praline to replace the meringues with. Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Jessica! They will go soft quite quickly, but the texture from the nuts will still be there and they will have a different texture to the cake still. It won’t be soggy, just softer and almost mousse-like. But the praline will work too!!
Christine says
Made this cake on the weekend – it was absolutely perfect! The meringue is an absolute must! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Christine! The meringue is my fave part — so glad you liked it!