High Altitude Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

This decadent high altitude chocolate hazelnut cake has three layers of moist chocolate sour cream cake, filled and frosted with salted Nutella buttercream and toasted hazelnuts. Topped with Ferrero Rocher chocolate hazelnut truffles for a simple but delicious decoration. If you love Ferrero Rocher chocolate truffles, this is the cake for you!

Looking for more nutty recipes? You’ll love orange pistachio cake, chocolate hazelnut linzer cookies, chocolate almond tart, and butter pecan pound cake with brown butter bourbon icing.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The Best Flavors and Textures. There’s no denying that a Ferrero Rocher truffle is one of the best treats during the holidays. This chocolate hazelnut cake combines all the flavors and textures of the truffles into a moist, chocolatey, simply delicious cake.

Salty and Sweet. The best desserts have a hint of salt in them, and the coarse Kosher salt in the cake and buttercream really brings out the nuttiness of the hazelnuts.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

• Flour. Plain, all-purpose flour gives this cake structure and strength.
• Sugar. Granulated sugar adds sweetness and moisture.
• Cocoa Powder. Use unsweetened, Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a deep, rich chocolate flavor and dark color.
• Baking Powder + Baking Soda. Leavens the cake so it rises as it bakes.
• Salt. Coarse Kosher salt balances the sweetness in the cake and enhances the flavor of the chocolate and hazelnuts.
• Eggs. Eggs give cakes structure, as well as fat and richness.
• Milk + Sour Cream. Adds moisture, flavor and acidity. Be sure to use whole milk and full fat sour cream for the best flavor.
• Vegetable Oil. Oil, rather than butter, makes a very moist cake with a light texture.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• Espresso Powder. Enhances the flavor of the chocolate.

Buttercream & Garnish

• Hazelnuts. The hazelnuts add the best crunch and texture in the buttercream. Be sure to toast them first, to deepen their flavor.
• Butter. I use unsalted butter in my buttercream, and then add salt, but if you use salted butter, just reduce or omit the extra salt.
• Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the buttercream.
• Meringue Powder. Adds stability and improves the texture.
• Salt. Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the hazelnuts.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• Milk. Only add as needed, to thin the buttercream if it’s too stiff.
• Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. Gives the buttercream its chocolate hazelnut flavor.
• Ferrero Rocher Truffles. A simple and pretty decoration.

Instructions

Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray.
• In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt, then whisk until completely combined.
• In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, oil, vanilla and espresso powder until smooth.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk for about 15-20 seconds until well combined and mostly free of lumps.
• Divide the batter between the pans.  Tap the pans lightly on the counter a few times to pop any large air bubbles.  Bake the cakes on the center rack for about 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging to it, and the tops spring back when gently touched.
• Set the pans on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream

Toast the hazelnuts.

• Preheat the oven to 300. Spread the hazelnuts out onto a baking sheet, and toast for 5-7 minutes, until hot and fragrant.
• Cool completely, and then finely chop the toasted hazelnuts. Set aside.

Whip the buttercream.

• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for one minute until smooth.
• With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt, mixing to combine.
• Add the vanilla; whip on medium speed for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, until very light and fluffy.  Add the milk as needed, for desired spreading consistency.
• Add the Nutella and the toasted chopped hazelnuts, mixing on low to combine.

Frost and decorate the cake.

• Stack and fill the cooled cakes with the buttercream, then frost all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream.  Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then finish frosting the cake with a final layer of buttercream.
• Garnish with the truffles.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I bake this cake in 9-inch pans instead of 8-inch?

If you use larger pans, your cake layers will be thinner, so the finished cake won’t be as tall. I’d recommend increasing the recipe by 1 1/2x for 9 inch pans.

What size pans should I use if I cut the recipe in half?

You can make half the cake recipe and bake it in three 6-inch pans.

If I don’t have hazelnuts, what other nuts would work?

You could try chopped almonds or macadamia nuts instead.

Can I make this cake in advance?

To make the cake in advance, bake and cool the cake, wrap each layer individually in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3-6 months. Let thaw overnight at room temperature before frosting.

You can make the buttercream in advance as well, keeping it refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 days, or frozen for up to 3-6 months. You may need to re-whip the buttercream if it’s been frozen for a while.

Will this recipe work as cupcakes?

It sure does! You can see my chocolate cupcake recipe here, which is based on the same high altitude chocolate sour cream cake recipe.

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