Italian Nutella Cake
Nutella Cake, a soft very typical Italian Yellow Cake filled with a generous helping of Nutella, the perfect Snack, Breakfast, or even Dessert recipe. Kids will love it and adults too!
Who doesn’t love Desserts? And who doesn’t love the taste of a delicious, homemade, soft cake? Especially if that amazing cake is layered with Nutella.
This Nutella Cake is very simple and easy to make Italian Cake, not your regular overly moist North American Cake. It’s one of my favourite simple layer cakes that really is so easy to make.
My mother-in-law would make this cake at least once a week and it was always served as a Breakfast Cake. Of course, she would bring it out again in the afternoon to eat with a cup of espresso coffee. Although, she very rarely filled it with Nutella.
But since there was always a jar hanging around when my kids were little. My girls would always want me to fill it (“and don’t be stingy Ma”) with some creamy chocolate and hazelnuts spread. Nutella really did make the flavor even more delicious and my husband and my kids certainly agreed with me on that!
Ingredients
- Large eggs
- Large yolk
- Sugar
- Milk
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
- Cake flour (pastry flour)
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Nutella
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans or two 9 inch ones (20-22cm). Springform pans or standard cakes pans are fine.
Beat the eggs, egg yolk, and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer or stand mixer. After about two minutes, add the water, oil, and vanilla and mix for one minute. Add all of the dry ingredients (except for the powdered sugar) and beat the cake batter for two minutes.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake them for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs.
Cool the cakes for 15 minutes in the pan before removing them. Cool them completely on wire racks.
When the cakes are cooled, place one cake top-down on a serving plate. Spread the Nutella over the top and then place the second cake top-side up on top of the filling.
Dust the cake with powdered sugar, slice, and serve!
Recipe Tips
Instead of greasing the cake pans, you can line them with parchment paper instead.
You can make your own cake flour with all-purpose flour and cornstarch. For every cup of flour, remove two tablespoons and replace them with the same amount of cornstarch. Sift or whisk the mixture to combine before adding to the batter.
For the best cake, use room temperature ingredients.
If the Nutella is too thick to spread you can thin it by heating it in the microwave or you can warm it using a bain-marie on the stove.
For storage, wrap the cake in plastic wrap and keep it at room temperature. It should keep for a couple of days.
The cake can also be frozen. Freeze tightly wrapped in plastic in an airtight freezer safe bag or container. Properly stored it will keep for up to six months in the freezer.
Recipe Variations
Instead of filling it with Nutella, you could add a layer of frosting or a delicious Homemade Jam and it would be delicious.
To tell the truth, this cake is even tasty with no filling and just a dusting of powdered sugar and served “the Italian Way” with a cup of tea or coffee. But the chocolate hazelnut spread layer is a special treat.
Everyone also loves when I would use this cake as a base for Tiramisu. Drizzle the cake with a strong coffee and add that delicious creamy Mascarpone filling.
Ahhh Nutella! Are you ready to grab your jar in the cupboard, turn on the oven and start baking? I hope so because this Nutella cake recipe really is the Perfect Sunday Night Dinner Dessert. Or anytime dessert for that matter!
More Cake Recipes
- Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Nutella Chocolate Layer Cake
- Homemade Angel Food Cake
- Baci Chocolate Birthday Cake
Yellow cake with Nutella (Ciambellone soffice con Nutella)
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 large yolk (room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup milk (room temperature)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups pastry/cake flour*
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
*To make homemade pastry/cake flour, for every cup of all purpose flour remove 2 tablespoons of flour and replace with cornstarch, sift to combine.
EXTRAS
- ½-¾ cup Nutella
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° (180° celcius). Grease and flour 2 x 8 or 9 inch (20-22cm) cake pans (springform or classic) or line with parchment paper.
- On medium speed beat the eggs, yolk and sugar for approximately 2 minutes, add the milk, oil and vanilla, beat again for 1 minute. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, beat for 2 minutes.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans, bake for approximately 20 – 25 minutes (check with toothpick to make sure they are done, when 2 or 3 crumbs are stuck to the toothpick they are done). Let cool for about 15 minutes before removing from the pans and cool completely before filling with the Nutella.
- On round serving dish place one of the cakes top down, spread with the Nutella*, then place the 2nd cake on top (top side up) and dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
*If the Nutella is too hard to spread then you can thin it out either by heating in a microwave or by heating with a bain marie.
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from July 16, 2016.
Recipe says to add 1/2 cup milk. Directions say to add 1/2 cup water. I have everything prepared and now I find the discrepancy. Could you clarify? Thank you
Hi Carol, it is milk, sorry about that.
Hi Rosemary. Thank you for another great recipe. We truly enjoyed. The cake is so delicious that I plan to use with various fillings. Real keeper ! Thanks again. Doreen
Hi Doreen, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Have a great week.
Hello rosemary
method in recipe says to use water but it’s not listed in ingredients. How much water is used?
Thank you
Hi Tania, I take it you mean for thinning out the Nutella, if using the bain marie method, just add enough water to cover half the jar. Hope that helps.
Hi there, quick question, I was going to bake this tonight but realise that I only have self raising flour. Can I use that instead of plain flour please?
Thanks, Sangeetha
Hi Sangeetha, I am not sure it would work as there is more baking powder in self rising per cup than needed in the recipe. If you to try you can, just make sure you don’t add extra baking powder. Let me know if you do try it.
Do you really mean 1 1/2 tablespoon (tbsp) thus 4 1/2 teaspoon (tsp)?
1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoon.,
Just making sure.
Thanks!
Regine
Hi Regine yes I do mean 1 1/2 tablespoons or 4 1/2 teaspoons. 🙂
Rosemary, I did use the 41/2 tsp or 11/2 tbsp baking powder as in your recipe. Excellent cake recipe. I used caramel frosting instead of nutella. Thanks! Regine
Hi Regine, thanks so glad you enjoyed it and a caramel frosting sounds delicious. Have a great weekend.
I’m always trying out different yellow cake recipes. This one will definitely be a keeper. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Ann, thanks hope you enjoy it!
Love this cake. My only quibble is that it needs more Nutella:) (I might add Nutella on top.)
Hi Laura, haha you are probably right!
Thanks for the clarification 😉
I just recently chanced upon your blog & loved your narrative of Italy and, the simple yet detailed presentation of the recipes! I am going to bake your easy yogurt cake today & the next on the list is this yellow cake with Nutella since the latter is a staple in our house; & both myself and my daughter are a huge fan 😉 Just a quick Q though; why ‘water’ instead of milk or sour cream or the likes? Other than cake mixes, this is the first time I came across a cake recipe which called for water as the liquid ingredient!
Thanks,
Ambika
Hi Ambika, thanks very much and so glad you enjoy my blog, although the Nutella Yellow Cake is made with milk, the water is mixed with the instant coffee in the filling, is that what you read? Have a great weekend, let me know how you liked the cake.
Hi Rosemary,
Thanks for the reply 🙂 But I am a little confused here; I see no mention of milk or instant coffee or filling any where in the ingredients or the instructions. I changed the browser to see if anything is wrong with the page view; still came out the same. Please advise. Have a great weekend.
Thanks,
Ambika
Hi Ambika, what recipe are you looking at?
The question about adding water was regarding ‘YELLOW CAKE WITH NUTELLA (CIAMBELLONE SOFFICE CON NUTELLA)’. I baked the ‘easy yoghurt cake’ yesterday and I loved it. Planning to bake it again soon :). Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Oh my gosh I am kind of out to lunch these days, I was looking at totally different recipe! My mother-in-law said that some Italian cakes call for water because it makes the cake lighter and softer. This cake is actually a favourite of my husbands. Sorry about that. Thanks again.
a delicious combination of flavors. Thank you for sharing your lovely blog at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop xo