High Altitude Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Three layers of moist chocolate sour cream cake, filled and frosted with salted Nutella buttercream and toasted hazelnuts.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- 8-inch cake pans (x3)
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp instant espresso powder
Buttercream & Filling
- ¾ cup shelled hazelnuts
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp meringue powder, optional
- 1/4-1/2 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 cup Nutella or chocolate hazelnut spread, divided
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-4 tbsp milk, if needed
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray. If making half the recipe, use three 6-inch round cake pans.
- 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
- First, toast the hazelnuts. Preheat the oven to 300 F. Spread the hazelnuts out onto a baking sheet, and toast for 5-7 minutes, until hot and fragrant. Cool completely, and then finely chop half the nuts, keeping the rest whole for decorating. Set aside.
- 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, cocoa powder, 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 1/2 cup of the Nutella, mixing on low to combine.
Assembly
- Remove the cooled cakes from the pans. Set one cake layer on a cake plate.
- Spread 1/4 cup of Nutella over the cake, then sprinkle with half the chopped nuts, pressing them into the Nutella. Spread a layer of buttercream over the hazelnuts.The nuts can make it difficult to add the frosting layer, so if you like, simply fold the chopped hazelnuts into the buttercream for easier assembly. Otherwise, you may need to use a piping bag to pipe a layer of buttercream on top of the nuts.
- Repeat the above step with a second layer of cake, Nutella, hazelnuts and buttercream, then place the third cake layer on top.
- Frost the cake all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream. Chill in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes, then finish frosting the cake with a final layer of buttercream, and decorate with more hazelnuts.
Notes
The cake should be kept in an airtight container or cake carrier at room temperature for up to three days.
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