When I asked my sister what cake she wanted me to bake for her birthday I was delighted when she said a Ferrero Rocher cake. Not because I'm a huge Ferrero Rocher fan {they're not really my cup of tea} but because I loved the idea of a cake with big chocolate balls on top!
We had planned to eat out for her birthday but my nieces have both got chicken pox so, instead, we all congregated at my parents house for a little tea party. The darlings had chicken pox last year so luckily they won't catch it again. Anyway, my mum hid the cake from my sister until after dinner but when the time came to bring it out she realised she didn't have any candles. All she had in the form of candles were lavender scented tea lights! Oh well they would have to do.
So after singing 'Happy Birthday' and blowing out the candle four times {each child had to have a go!} we cut the cake and had a slice.
All I can say is 'Oh My'! It tasted amazing. It's very rich and moist and a small {but not too small} slice is just right.
Ferrero Rocher Cake
Preparation time
35 minutes
Baking time
30 minutes
Cake
50g cocoa powder
6 tablespoons boiling water
3 large eggs
100g softened butter
275g caster sugar
50ml whole milk
175g self raising flour
1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
Filling
200g Nutella
Nutella buttercream
225g unsalted butter, softened
200g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
125g dark chocolate {70% cocoa solids if poss}
100g Nutella
Pinch of salt
Decoration
10 Ferrero Rochers
100g chopped hazelnuts
Preheat oven to 180C {350F} gas mark 4. Grease two 20cm {8inch} deep cake tins and line the bases with baking paper.
Make the cake
Sift the cocoa powder into a large bowl, add the boiling water
and mix together until a smooth paste forms. Add the eggs, butter,
sugar, and milk and beat with a hand held electric
mixer until fully combined. Sift in the flour and baking powder and beat
again until the mixture becomes a smooth thickish batter.
Divide the mixture equally between the prepared tins and pop in
the oven for 25-30 minutes. The cakes will be ready when a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean and when gently pressed with a
finger, the cake springs back. Leave to cool in the tins for a 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the buttercream
Break or chop the chocolate into small pieces then gently melt in a heatproof bowl placed over a simmering pan of water. When it's mostly melted, give it a good stir and leave to cool slightly for a few minutes.
Sift the icing
sugar into a large bowl and add the butter. Beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
Add
the vanilla extract and the melted chocolate and beat on medium speed for another 2 minutes. Add the Nutella and pinch of salt, and beat on high speed for another minute.
Assemble the cake
Place one of the cakes onto a plate or cake board. Spread the Nutella onto the cake using a palette knife then place the
other cake carefully on top. Spread the buttercream
around the sides and top of the cake until it is fully covered. You should have
enough buttercream to give it a good thick covering. Don't worry about getting the sides really smooth as this will be covered with the chopped nuts.
Chop the hazelnuts as finely as you want. I found it easier to leave them in the packet then bash them with a rolling pin until they were in small pieces. Gently press them into the side of the cake and brush away any excess that falls off.
Decorate by placing 9 unwrapped Ferrero Rocher chocolates around the edge
of the cake with one still in it's wrapping in the middle.
