Nutella Dream Cake

Nutella Dream Cake - made March 11, 2018, modified from Cleobuttera

My obsession and preference for feuilletine continues. I had to order a second container of the stuff to try out this recipe. At first I was skeptical of making the cake layers. The base was a cake mix and you know how judgy I am about grocery store box cake mixes. But there were enough added ingredients to it that I figured my snobby taste buds could deal.

Second moment of pause is when I baked these for only 20 minutes and the toothpick test came out almost completely clean. Did I overbake them? Were they going to be dry? Ugh. But thankfully, my paranoia was unfounded. In fact, I discovered the cake came out pretty well, was moist, had a good crumb and was appropriately chocolaty.

I simplified my version of the cake from the original blog several ways. I used the Nutella-feuilletine layer as the bottom layer as directed although I didn’t see the need to freeze it since it set just fine at room temperature. But I only used two of the three cake layers for the rest of the cake as I didn’t want the cake to be too tall. A towering cake looks impressive but once you start cutting it, things can go south really fast (ask me how I know). I didn’t cut each layer in half either but just went with them as is. That’s because more layers mean more frosting between the layers and I want more cake, not more frosting.

I also omitted the Nutella sauce. Instead, I frosted the feuilletine layer with straight Nutella then used the Nutella frosting as the filling between the cake layers and the overall cake. I also frosted the third layer and presented that as just a plain cake.

Despite all my simplifications, this was a really, really good cake. As in, when I brought it into work, I got a lot of compliments on it, getting stopped in the hall, people cursing me for ruining their diets (yeah, I’m that coworker), others sneaking in a second piece. I liked the contrast of the crunchy feuilletine layer on the bottom, the Nutella and chocolate combination of soft cake and I even liked the frosting. It was a bit too soft to use to pipe decorations (I tried and the results were disastrous) so I simply used it just as frosting and gave up on any fancy decorations.

Nutella Crunch Layer
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Nutella
2 1/2 cups (7 5/8 ounces) feuilletine

Cake
1 15.25-ounce box chocolate cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups water
1 cup sour cream

Nutella Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups Nutella
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (4 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (4 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup Nutella

1. Make the Nutella Crunch Layer: Line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper then spray with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the chocolate chips and butter; melt over a double boiler set over hot water.
3. Stir in the Nutella until well combined. Add in the feuilletine and gently stir into the Nutella mixture to coat.
4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap then chill in the freezer until set and a firm layer, at least 30 minutes. Keep chilled until ready to assemble cake.
5. Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Line three 8-inch cake pans with parchment rounds and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
7. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt until well combined.
8. Add in the eggs, vanilla, oil, water and sour cream. Beat at low speed until all ingredients are combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl to keep even-textured. Beat for 1 minute longer.
9. Divide batter equally between prepared cake pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
10. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes then invert onto a plate, peel off the parchment paper and reinvert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Make the frosting: in the top half of a double boiler set over hot water, melt chocolates.
12. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add in the cream cheese and beat until smooth and well combined, about 1 minute.
13. Add in the Nutella and mix until completely incorporated. Add in the melted chocolate and mix until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in a cool place until ready to use.
14. Assemble the cake: take the Nutella crunch layer out of the freezer, remove plastic wrap and parchment and place in the middle of a cake board or large cake plate.
15. Frost the crunch layer with a thin layer of the 1/2 cup Nutella. 
16. Place the first cake layer over crunch later. Top with 1/2 cup of the Nutella frosting.
17. Repeat with remaining layers. Frost entire cake with remaining Nutella frosting.