This showstopper cake combines the rich flavor of chocolate with the nuttiness of hazelnuts. So moist and tender that it melts in your mouth. Glazed with a luxurious chocolate ganache and tangy cream cheese icing, it's a chocolate lover's dream. Perfect for any occasion or as an afternoon snack, it will leave everyone craving for more.
Chocolate + hazelnuts are a perfect match
Picture a rich and decadent chocolate hazelnut bundt cake, oozing with a luscious chocolate ganache and topped with a velvety smooth cream cheese icing. Sounds divine, right?
Right off the bat, let me tell you that the cake batter is not difficult to make, and the layered frostings are also simple preparations. Overall, it's a more laborious recipe than an everyday one-bowl recipe, but so are the results.
The bundt cake itself is made with unsweetened cocoa powder and finely ground hazelnuts, which infuse the cake with a nutty, chocolaty flavor that will have your taste buds dancing.
The texture is dense and moist, with a tender crumb that practically melts in your mouth. It's the perfect balance of sweet and rich without being overly cloying.
This cake can be a showstopper if you host a dinner party or other special occasion, similar to the white chocolate bundt cake with raspberries. Your guests will be impressed by your baking skills and love the delicious dessert.
Ingredient list
For the cake (image below):
- White, granulated sugar.
- Brown sugar: light or dark.
- All-purpose flour.
- Ground hazelnuts or hazelnut flour.
- Cocoa powder: always use unsweetened.
- Salt.
- Baking powder and baking soda: are used as leaveners to help the cake rise, so make sure they aren't expired.
- Milk: we use whole milk, but reduced fat also works.
- Vegetable oil: I use sunflower oil.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- Vanilla extract.
- Prepared coffee.
For the toppings:
- Heavy or whipping cream.
- Chocolate: use your favorite dark semisweet chocolate.
- Brown sugar.
- Runny honey or corn syrup.
- Unsalted butter.
- Cream cheese: regular, full-fat cream cheese is needed for consistency and creaminess.
- Powdered sugar: also called confectioners or icing sugar.
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
Preparing the bundt pan
If you love making bundt cakes, you probably know the pain of not being able to remove it from the pan in one piece. It has happened to me many times!
There are several ways of dealing with this:
Shortening and flour: use soft shortening to grease the pan, every angle, every nook and cranny until it's completely covered. Using your fingers is messy but effective. You can also use a brush. Sprinkle flour and rotate the pan to cover it completely. You'll have to do it to one side and then the other. Make sure you flour the center tube. Turn the pan upside down over the kitchen sink and smack lightly it against the edge. The excess flour will fall, leaving a thin layer behind. Your pan is ready to be filled.
Cake goop or cake pan-release paste: it's one of my favorites, along with the shortening method above, because it's very effective. Mix equal parts (volume: cups or tablespoons) of shortening, flour and vegetable oil (sunflower or canola) to make a paste. Use it to coat the pan with a brush. Store it in an airtight container (I use a jar) for a month at room temperature or up to 3 months in the refrigerator.
Baking spray: use a spray labeled as having flour or specifically made for baking (as opposed to cooking). It has to have flour; otherwise, the cake will likely stick when removed. At least, that's my experience. I hardly use it anymore.
Recipe: whenever I find a great bundt cake recipe that can be easily removed from an intricate bundt pan, even though I didn’t follow step 1 above, I cling to it like life itself.
Steps to make a chocolate hazelnut bundt cake
This cake is pretty simple as it uses oil and can be made with a whisk. You can use an electric mixer if that's easier for you.
Dry ingredients
Sifting the cocoa powder and flour mixture is essential as some ingredients can clump during storage.
Hazelnuts
The dry ingredients are then combined in a large mixing bowl. The hazelnuts should be finely ground. I use the small food processor from the immersion blender.
Wet ingredients
They are mixed in a separate bowl, and both preparations are then combined.
Hot coffee
It's added at the end. It will make the cocoa powder 'bloom', intensifying the chocolate flavor but not making the cake taste like coffee.
Bundt pan
The final batter is very thin. Pour it carefully into the prepared pan and make sure the oven is preheated to the right temperature.
The bundt cake pan should be filled ⅔ to ¾ of its capacity, no more than that. This way, the batter has space to grow and bake well.
Frostings
Though this cake is fantastic on its own, the toppings take it to the next level. The dark chocolate and white creamy icings make for a stunning presentation.
Nutella: since it's a chocolate cake with hazelnuts, add a few tablespoons of the hazelnut spread to the chocolate ganache or the cream cheese icing for an extra dose of nutty flavor.
First layer
The chocolate ganache is made with melted dark chocolate, heavy cream, and a pinch of sea salt, resulting in a silky smooth glaze that drips down the sides of the cake in a mouth-watering cascade.
Second layer
The cream cheese icing is the perfect complement, adding a tangy, slightly tart note to balance out the sweetness of the cake and ganache. You can take it up a notch with a tablespoon of hazelnut liqueur as I do.
Storage
Proper storage is crucial to keeping your hazelnut chocolate bundt cake fresh and delicious. Here are some tips on how to store the cake:
- Room temperature: to keep it fresh for up to 2 days, place it in an airtight container or under a cake dome.
- Fridge or freezer: if you need to store the cake longer, you can keep it in the refrigerator or frozen. Wrap it with plastic wrap and then foil, or place it in an airtight container.
- No toppings: if making it ahead, freeze the cake plain and top it a few hours before serving it. Thaw in the refrigerator the day before or at room temperature for a few hours, depending on the environment.
Kitchen Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, utensils and equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use an oven thermometerto check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend tracking how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Preparing the bundt pan: I grease it well with soft shortening and flour it. Until a few months ago, I used butter. But let me tell you shortening or margarine works like a charm. It's never let me down so far.
A baking spray with flour in it works well for some people. Lately, I've seen this bundt pan release mixture featured in several places, and people swear by it. I haven't tried it yet. - Adding coffee to the batter enhances the chocolate flavor and marries wonderfully with hazelnuts. You won't taste a coffee flavor. You can use hot water instead.
- Toppings: the chocolate ganache must be dry and set before you pour the cream cheese icing over it. Otherwise, it will be a messy frosting. The chopped hazelnuts add a wonderful crunch and make a prettier cake.
Troubleshooting common issues
- Overbaking or underbaking: the first can cause the cake to be dry and tough. Underbaking can make it excessively gooey and undercooked, but not in a good way. To ensure that your cake is baked evenly, use a cake tester or toothpick to ensure the cake is fully baked. Insert it into the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean, the cake is done.
- Difficulty removing the cake from the pan: since a bundt cake has a unique shape, it can be challenging to remove it from the pan without it breaking apart. Use shortening to grease the pan and flour it. Set aside while making the batter. Let the cake cool for at least 10 minutes before attempting to remove it. You can also use a smooth-bladed knife around the edges and center tube to loosen up any bits that might be stuck to the walls.
- Using cold ingredients: the ingredients should be at room temperature before mixing them, as cold ingredients can result in an unevenly mixed batter and an uneven cake texture.
- Frosting that won't set: if it's too runny, it can slide off the cake or create a messy appearance. Make sure the cake is cold when you drizzle the toppings. The ganache should be pourable but not hot, and the cream cheese icing should be fluid and not thick as the one we use in carrot cakes.
Related recipes you might like:
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Chocolate Hazelnut Cake (ganache and cream cheese frosting)
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons shortening, soft, to grease the pan
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup ground hazelnuts, or hazelnut flour
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar, light or dark, firmly packed
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup milk, at room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil, like sunflower oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup drip coffee, very hot
For the ganache:
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup, or runny honey
For the cream cheese icing:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar, this is an estimate, you might need more
- 1 tablespoon cream , or milk, if you want a thinner glaze
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Grease a 12-cup bundt cake pan with 2 tablespoons shortening and flour, shaking off excess. Reserve.
- Sift together 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup cocoa powder, 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder, 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda and ¾ teaspoon salt in a large bowl.
- Add 1 cup ground hazelnuts, 1 cup sugar and ¾ cup brown sugar and combine.
- Beat together 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, ½ cup vegetable oil and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract for 1 minute in a medium bowl. You can use an electric mixer. I normally use a hand whisk.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry ones while beating on low speed or mixing.
- Heat 1 cup drip coffee until very hot, almost boiling. Add slowly to the chocolate batter while you continuously stir. Integrate well. The batter will be thin.
- Pour into the prepared pan, filling no more than ¾ of its capacity.
- Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
- Let cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack. Use a smooth-bladed knife around the edges and center tube to loosen up any bits that might be stuck to the walls. Shake the pan right and left, up and down until you feel the cake is loose. Be careful when doing it.
- Invert the cake onto the cooling rack, lifting the pan slowly. If the cake resists, invert again and cool in the pan for 10 more minutes before attempting to remove it again.
- Let cool completely before glazing it.
For the ganache glaze:
- Finely chop 8 ounces semisweet chocolate and put it in a heatproof bowl. I always use glass or ceramic bowls.
- Heat 1 cup heavy cream with ¼ cup dark brown sugar in a small saucepan. Remove *just* when it's about to boil. It can have small bubbles on the outer rim or you'll see movement like large bubbles are wanting to burst.
- Immediately cover the chopped chocolate with the hot cream. For best results make sure all the chocolate is covered. Let stand 1 minute to soften.
- Start mixing from the middle out with a wire whisk. The chocolate will mix with the cream and create a smooth and shiny chocolate mixture.
- Add 1 tablespoon corn syrup or runny honey, mix well and it's ready to use. If it's too thin and hot still, let it cool down for ten minutes or so, or until it's the consistency you want.
- Drizzle it over the cooled cake and let it drip down the sides. Let it dry before adding the white glaze.
For the cream cheese icing:
- Beat together 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons cream cheese in a medium bowl until creamy and no lumps remain.
- Add 1 cup powdered sugar and integrate well until very smooth. The amount of sugar depends on how thin or thick you want the glaze. Add 1 tablespoon cream if you want to thin it.
- Drizzle a layer of cream cheese icing on top of the chocolate and let it drip down the sides.
- Sprinkle with some ground hazelnuts immediately, before the icing starts to set. Let dry and serve.
- Store leftovers covered for up to 3 days at room temperature, covered or under a cake dome. Refrigerate after that, wrapped or in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out.
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from the Kahlua Chocolate Bundt Cakes
Rachel Page says
What an awesome way to prepare a pound cake!
Flair 4 Cakes says
These look beautiful. Just what you need with nice cup of tea!
Cocoa and Lavender says
These sound like mini nutella bombs! I don't have any mini bundt cakes, so I am going to go wild and try them in ramekins. Yum-o-liscious! ~ David