Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
  • Home
  • Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake
Jump to recipe

Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake

Moist, nutty and loaded with bubbly Aero® flavour, this chocolate hazelnut cake is your new go-to recipe to impress your guests. Featuring Aero® Hazelnut, every bite is a dreamy mix of chocolate and crunchy hazelnut all wrapped up in a luscious chocolate sponge. This bubbly beaut is easy to make and comes together in no time at all, so don’t be fooled by its fancy appearance! Whatever the occasion, our Aero® chocolate hazelnut cake is here to make it even better.

Need individual portions? Try making Aero® cupcakes or brownies. Or for even more simplicity and crunch in your chocolate cake, try making the definitive Chocolate KitKat® Cake from our friends at KitKat – which can be decorated to suit any occasion! For more inspiration, why not dive into our Best Types of Cupcake article and find your favourite flavour?

For more recipes, inspiration and tips, sign up to our newsletter. Happy baking!

Recipe for Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake

Our Aero® Hazelnut is the star of this delicious cake, which shines brightly whatever the occasion!

Serving suggestions

This sweet cake is well balanced with a cup of frothy cappuccino, such as Nescafé Cappuccino – regular or decaf unsweetened – or even a cup of your favourite tea!

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake Substitutes and Variations

For a vanilla sponge, simply swap out the cocoa powder for the same amount of extra self-raising flour. If you can’t find hazelnuts, almonds or pecan nuts are a great substitution. Don’t forget to toast them in a dry frying pan for maximum nutty flavour. If you’d like nuts in the sponge, add 50g of the toasted hazelnuts into the mixture before baking. Use the rest of the hazelnuts to decorate the top of the cake. For a dark chocolate topping, you could swap the buttercream for a dark chocolate ganache icing.

Storage and reheating

Once you’ve iced the cake, don't reheat it as the icing will melt immediately. Store the cake in an airtight container in a cupboard for up to three days.

  • 60 min
  • 16 servings

You will need

  • 2 x 20cm cake tins
  • Baking paper
  • An electric whisk (optional)
  • A palette knife (optional)

Ingredients - For the decorations

  • 100g hazelnuts, chopped
  • 90g Aero® Hazelnut, chopped and divided
  • A dusting of cocoa powder

Ingredients - For the cake

  • 200ml sunflower oil
  • 200ml semi-skimmed milk
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200g self-raising flour, sifted
  • 50g cocoa powder, sifted
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Ingredients - For the chocolate buttercream

  • 100g buttery baking spread
  • 25g cocoa powder
  • 150g icing sugar
  • 1 tbsp hot water
Each slice (1/16) typically contains
  • Energy 1609kJ 386Kcal 19%
  • Fat 23.9g 34%
  • Saturates 4.9g 25%
  • Sugars 25.9g 29%
  • Salt 0.37g 6%

of an adult’s Reference Intake (RI)*
Energy per 100g: 1868kJ/448kcal

Method

For the cake

  1. Add the chopped hazelnuts to a dry frying pan and set it over medium heat. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
  2. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°fan/gas 4. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans with baking paper.
  3. In a large bowl, add the oil, milk, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
  4. In another bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda together and mix. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two stages, folding gently with a silicone spatula to combine, then mix briefly until smooth.
  5. Divide the mixture evenly between the cake tins.
  6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cocktail stick or skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  7. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then pop the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

For the chocolate buttercream

  1. Whisk the buttery baking spread in a large bowl until light and fluffy. 

  2. Gradually whisk in the sifted icing sugar and cocoa powder, then add one tablespoon of hot water and beat it until it's super smooth and creamy.

To assemble

  1. Spread an even layer of buttercream on the top of one cake.
  2. Sprinkle half the chopped Aero® Hazelnut and toasted hazelnuts onto the middle layer.
  3. Stack the second layer and cover the entire cake with an even layer of buttercream. For the best decorative swirls on top of the cake, use the back of a spoon.
  4. Top with the rest of the chopped Aero® Hazelnut, toasted hazelnuts and a light dusting of cocoa powder.

Top Tips

  • Toasting your hazelnuts in a dry frying pan will increase their nutty flavour so don’t skip this step! For even more hazelnut flavour, add ¼ tsp of hazelnut essence to the mixture before baking.
  • For the middle layer, chop the Aero® Hazelnut and the nuts more finely than the top layer. This will help the top cake layer sit more evenly.
Questions?
How big should I slice the chocolate and hazelnut cake?

Aim for a total of 16 slices.

How do I store my cake?

Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature. If the weather is hot, store your cake in the fridge to avoid runny icing!

How long will the cake last?

Stored in an airtight container, your cake will last for up to three days.

Can I freeze the cake?

Sure! Wrap the cooled, un-iced cakes in cling film, then a layer of tin foil and freeze for up to three months. To defrost, simply transfer the wrapped cake from the freezer to the fridge and give it a day to defrost slowly. This will prevent the cake from becoming soggy.

Why is my cake dry?

Overbaking can dry out your cake. To check if it is set, the cake should spring back when touched, and a cocktail stick comes out clean when inserted in the centre.

gigya-container