March is my birth month and all I want for my birthday is this Vegan Chocolate Cake with Nutella Frosting! WHOO! Daniel’s birthday is this month too so all we’re doing is eating cake and celebrating! Cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Calories don’t count on your birthday, I promise.
So, I asked Daniel about 2 weeks ago what cake he wanted for his birthday and he said “I don’t care”. Which was the answer I was expecting, honestly. HA! But then he got the idea for a Ferrero Rocher inspired cake. A rich chocolate cake, a nutella chocolate frosting, and covered in chopped hazelnuts. YUM! How can that be bad?! Extra points to you if you can find vegan thin wafers to crumble and coat the sides of the cake with along with the hazelnuts. I couldn’t, which at first felt like a bummer, but honestly, this cake was so good I quickly forgot about it. It’s rich, moist, and extra chocolatey so make sure you serve your slice of Vegan Chocolate Cake with Nutella Frosting with a tall glass of almond milk!
What You Will Need For This Vegan Chocolate Cake
Kitchen Essentials:
You’ll need Two 8″ Cake Pans and a Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer for the Frosting.
Main Ingredients:
- All Purpose Flour
- Cocoa Powder
- Vegan Butter
- Vegan Nutella
- Hazelnuts
Substitutions:
If you can’t find vegan Nutella you can make your own or simply add more butter in replacement of it and add cocoa powder to make it chocolatey.
You can substitute the hazelnuts with walnuts, pecans or just leave them out entirely.
How To Make The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake with Nutella Frosting Every Time
Be sure not to over measure the flour. The dough will be too dry and you’ll end up having to add plant milk which will ruin the texture. To prevent this you’ll want to avoid scooping the flour out of the container or bag with your measuring cup. Simply spoon the flour in to the measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Do not pack the flour in to the cup or bang the cup on the counter. This will make the flour settle and you’ll end up with too much flour.
More Dessert Recipes You Might Like:
- Vegan Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
- Vegan Ginger Cookie Sandwiches w/ Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- Salted Chocolate Dipped Cookie Dough Bites
If You Make This Recipe:
Tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I would greatly appreciate if you share your review in the comments below. Don’t forget to add if you made any fun substitutions. Thank you!
Vegan Chocolate Cake with Nutella Frosting
Ingredients
- Chocolate Cake
- 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour properly measured
- 1 1/2 cups Organic Cane Sugar
- 3/4 cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Strong Brewed Coffee
- 1 cup Non-Dairy Milk mixed with 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3/4 cup Oil
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 10 oz bag of Vegan Chocolate Chunks or Chips
- Nutella Frosting
- 1/2 cup Vegan Butter I use Earth Balance
- 1/2 cup Vegan Nutella I use the brand Nutiva
- 3 cups Organic Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 tbsp Cocoa Powder more for dusting
- 3-5 tbsps of Non-Dairy Milk
- 1 cup Chopped Hazelnuts
Instructions
- Make the chocolate cake: Pre-heat oven to 350F and lightly oil two 8" cake pans and cut out a circle of parchment paper and line the pans as well. This ensures they will come out of the pan with no problem!
- Before adding dry ingredients to your bowl, be sure to measure the flour properly by spooning the flour into the measuring cup instead of packing it in the measuring cup. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together.
- In a smaller bowl, mix the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar together and let sit for a few minutes. This creates a vegan buttermilk. Next, add the coffee, oil, and vanilla to the buttermilk. Whisk until combined.
- Pour the wet into the dry and stir until just combined being careful not to over mix.
- Add the chocolate chunks and mix one last time.
- Divide the cake batter in to the 2 8" cake pans and bake in the oven for roughly 45-60 minutes. Every oven is different so keep an eye on your cake. You will know it's done when a toothpick is inserted in to the center and comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting: To a kitchen aid stand mixer, add vegan butter and nutella and mix with the whisk attachment until creamy. Add in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and keep whisking on medium speed. Next, add the cocoa powder, keep whisking. Add in the vanilla extract. Now, add in the non-dairy milk, 1 tbsp at a time, until your frosting is smooth and creamy.
- To roast the hazelnuts: At 350F, roast hazelnuts for 7-9 minutes until they are darker in color. After roasting, chop hazelnuts in to very small pieces.
- To assemble: If your cake has a slight dome shape, gently slice the the dome off with a sharp knife.
- Add 1 cup of frosting to the first layer of cake and spread it evenly with an off-set spatula, top it with the 2nd layer but with the bottom face up so you will have a nice flat surface. Add 1 1/2 cups of frosting on top and spread out evenly and letting it fall over the sides slightly. Now, take more frosting on the spatula and cover the sides until frosting is used up and cake is covered and has smooth edges.
- Take your crushed hazelnuts and cover the sides of the cake and lightly dust cocoa powder on to the top of the cake. Slice your cake and enjoy!
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