Hazelnut Meringue Nutella Cake Recipe
Hazelnut Meringue Nutella Cake – Layered Chocolate Poppyseed Cake, Crunchy Hazelnut Meringue and luxuriously creamy Nutella Custard Buttercream will have your guests swoon from this deliciousness! Step by Step pictures are included for guaranteed success!
A few weeks ago we celebrated my dad’s birthday, so for this occasion I decided to make a cake that will have all the things my dad loves – chocolate, nuts, poppy seeds, dulce de leche and even though Nutella isn’t on his named list, who in the world doesn’t like Nutella, right? This cake was a raving success and I am jumping in excitement (on the inside guys, on the inside) as I share this Hazelnut Meringue Nutella Cake recipe with you all!
To be honest, I wasn’t sure how well everything would work together since this cake was just something I put together hoping that it would work. But, when we cut the cake, the inside of the cake looked incredible, as you can see from the picture inside!
Then as everyone started tasting it their eyes got wide open, because the cake was so, so good! Of course, I was on heaven 7 from excitement that, my little experiment had worked! Even though we just had a good dinner, almost everyone asked for a second slice. I haven’t had this kind of success in a while! Check this out!
The flavors:
The flavors are a combination fo chocolate and Nutella, with textural contrasts of tiny pops from the poppy seeds in the chocolate sponge cake as well as large nutty hazelnuts pieces in the crispy meringue layers. As the meringue dissolves from crunchy to melt in your mouth sweetness your tongue gets hit with the roasted hazelnut flavor from the chunks or hazelnut in the meringue.
The creaminess of the custard, buttercream and Nutella just help to bring all the crunch of the meringue, nuts and the chocolate cake with creamy, sweetness into one bite of perfection.
The raspberries on top add a flavor contrast by adding the pop of tartness to otherwise overall mellow cake.
If the description made your mouth water, this Hazelnut Meringue cake is for you!
Tips for success:
The cake has quite a few moving pieces so make sure to read through the info below for best chance at perfect outcome.
- Grease free tools – make sure to use thoroughly cleaned mixer and whip when whipping egg whites. Any trace of grease (or egg yolk) will hinder the whipping of the meringue to proper volume and texture.
- Roast the hazelnuts – I know this might seem like an unnecessary step if you haven’t work with nuts, but roasting the nuts brings out the flavor and makes it more pronounced. Do not skip this step.
- Ingredient temperature – when making the Nutella custard buttercream make sure all the ingredients are same temperature at the last step when you’re whipping the cooled custard, room temperature butter and room temperature Nutella. Otherwise, you might end up with soupy, curdled mess.
- Whip it – make sure to whip the eggs for the sponge cake long enough to proper consistency described in the recipe. Whipping the eggs adds aeration to the end product. Whipping until the whipped eggs and sugar form a ribbon that doesn’t disappear for a second or two will make the sponge cake perfectly fluffy instead of dense.
- Cover it – after you assemble the cake cover the cake with a cake dome to prevent the edges from drying out. My cake dome is 11-12 inches in diameter and 10+ inches tall. You can get a similar one on Amazon.
Hazelnut Meringue Nutella Cake Recipe
Yield: One 9″ round cake, 8 -12 servings
Hazelnut Meringue Ingredients:
- egg whites
- granulated sugar
- lightly roasted hazelnuts (or any other nut), roughly chopped – roasting brings out their flavor, so don’t skip this step.
- lightly roasted hazelnuts, chopped – if you would like to sprinkle some on top of the meringue disks.
How to make the Hazelnut Meringue:
Prepare the Hazelnut Meringue Disks following the recipe HERE.
Nutella Custard Buttercream Ingredients:
- egg yolks
- sugar
- salt
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- milk, boiling hot
- Nutella spread
- butter
How to make the Nutella Custard Buttercream:
Follow the recipe HERE to make the buttercream.
Chocolate Poppy Seed Cake Ingredients:
- eggs
- granulated sugar
- all-purpose flour
- cocoa powder
- dry poppy seeds
- baking powder
- melted butter
Make the Chocolate Poppy Seed Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F with the rack in the middle. Line a 9 -nch baking pan with parchment paper. Or line with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Fasten a wet cake strip around the baking pan.
Whip 4 eggs and 3/4 cups sugar with a stand mixer for 15 minutes, or until the ribbon of dough flowing from the whisk doesn’t disappear for a couple of seconds.
- Add sifted 3/4 cups flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder in halves, folding carefully after each. Don’t worry if the flour is not fully incorporated at this point.
- Add 2 tablespoons of melted butter and fold several times to incorporate slightly.
Now add the 1/4 cup dry poppy seeds and fold until just incorporated.
- Pour into a parchment-lined 9-inch cake pan and bake for about 30 minutes at 350F. Insert a toothpick in the center of the cake to check for doneness, it should come out clean with no crumbs or wet dough.Remove the pan to a cooling rack and cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan. Then run a knife on the inside of the pan to loosen the cake from the pan and invert the cake onto the cooling rack, to cool completely.
Make the soaking syrup:
- Mix the following ingredients together in a cup or a squeeze bottle: 1/4 cup warm water, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 Tbsp Liqueur (I used Amaretto di Amore), 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract.
How to assemble Hazelnut Meringue Nutella Cake:
- Remove the parchment paper from the cake.
Cut the cake in two even layers horizontally using a long serrated knife.
- Place the meringue disk on top of the cake layers and trim the chocolate cake layers so they are all the same size if needed.
Reserve 1 cup of frosting and set it aside (this will be used for decorating. Put a dab of frosting onto the serving plate/board.
- Top with an upside-down top layer of the split cake. Drizzle with half the soaking mixture. Put 1/3 of the frosting on top and spread evenly. Add the first meringue disk, putting it upside down. Press gently to adhere.
- Add 1/3 more of the frosting, and spread into an even layer; add the second meringue disk bottom side up; top with the last 1/3 frosting; put the last chocolate poppy seed layer bottom side up; drizzle with the remainder of the soaking syrup.
- Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium french star tip (Ateco 869) and pipe the frosting in dots, making three circles going from the outside in. Squeeze whatever is left out in the bag and spread in the middle. Top the middle with about 2 cups of fresh raspberries.
- Add some hazelnut halves to the top of the piped frosting if you wish.
Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving. Best eaten within 12-24 hours of assembly.
Try these other recipes:
- Esterhazy Cake – A Hungarian cake made of Hazelnut Meringue layers and rich Custard Buttercream.
- Hazelnut Meringue Recipe – Classic meringue recipe with hazelnuts.
- Peaches and Cream Layer Cake – Sponge cake with layers of peach jam and sweetened whipped cream.
Hazelnut Meringue Nutella Cake Recipe
A delicious Hazelnut Meringue Nutella Cake made with chocolate sponge cake, Meringue and a Nutella Custard buttercream.
Ingredients
Hazelnut Meringue Ingredients:
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup lightly roasted hazelnuts or any other nut, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup lightly roasted hazelnuts chopped - if you would like to sprinkle some on top of the meringue disks.
Nutella Custard Buttercream Ingredients:
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk boiling hot
- 1/2 cup Nutella spread
- 6 oz unsalted butter
Chocolate Poppy Seed Cake Ingredients:
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 dried poppy seeds
- 1 1/2 baking powder
- 2 Tbsp unsalted melted butter
Soaking Syrup:
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp Liqueur I used Amaretto di Amore, but Bacardi will work too
- 1 Tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
How to make the Hazelnut Meringue:
-
Prepare the Hazelnut Meringue Disks following the recipe HERE.
How to make the Nutella Custard Buttercream:
-
Follow the recipe HERE to make the buttercream.
Make the Chocolate Poppy Seed Cake:
-
Prep: Preheat oven to 350F° with the rack in the center. Line a 9-inch round baking pan with parchment paper, or line with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Fasten a wet cake strip around the baking pan.
-
Whip eggs & sugar: In a stand mixer whip 4 eggs and 3/4 cups sugar with whip attachment for 15 minutes, or until it flows off the whisk in a ribbon that doesn't disappear for a couple of seconds.
-
Add dry ingredients: Add sifted 3/4 cups flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder in halves, folding carefully after each. Don't worry if the flour is not fully incorporated at this point.
-
Add butter: Add 2 tablespoons of melted butter and fold several times to incorporate slightly.
-
Add poppy seeds: Now add the 1/4 cup dry poppy seeds and fold until just incorporated.
-
Pour & Bake: Pour into a parchment-lined 9-inch pan and bake for about 30 minutes at 350F or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
-
Remove the pan to a cooling rack and cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan. Then run a knife on the inside of the pan to loosen the cake from the pan and invert the cake onto the cooling rack, to cool completely.
Make the soaking syrup
-
Mix the following ingredients: 1/4 cup warm water, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 Tbsp Liqueur (I used Amaretto di Amore), 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract.
How to assemble Hazelnut Meringue Nutella Cake:
-
Peel the parchment paper off the cake. With a long serrated knife, cut the cake into two even layers horizontally.
-
Place the meringue disk on top of the cake layers and trim the chocolate cake layers so they are all the same size if needed.
-
Reserve 1 cup of frosting and set aside (this will be used for decorating). Put a dab of frosting onto the serving plate/board.
-
Top with an upside-down top layer of the split cake. Drizzle with half the soaking mixture. Put 1/3 of the frosting on top and spread evenly. Add the first meringue disk, putting it upside down. Press gently to adhere.
-
Add 1/3 more of the frosting and spread into an even layer; add the second meringue disk bottom side up; top with the last 1/3 frosting; put the last chocolate cake layer bottom side up; drizzle with the remaining of soaking syrup. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium french star tip and pipe the frosting in dots, making three circles going from the outside in. Squeeze whatever it left out in the bag and spread it in the middle. Top the middle with about 2 cups of fresh raspberries.
-
Add some hazelnut halves to the top of the piped frosting if you wish.
-
Refrigerate for a couple hours before serving. Best eaten within 12-24 hours of assembly.
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Marina | Let the Baking Begin
I absolutely love this Hazelnut Meringue Nutella Cake Recipe, it’s so delicious and makes me happy.
Can I do chocolate ganache on top of cake as decor? Not sure if it will taste good
Yes, it will be fine 🙂
I made the cake definitely took some time but the next day the middle part was wet and goey, what did I do wrong, maybe did too much soaking and it made the meringue wet ir the cream it self melted the meringue. That ruined my cake, other then that it was good I did like the cream just not sure what I did wrong.
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
This looks so good! What a great blend of flavors!
I am a sucker for nutella cake and thanks for the recipe it took me almost 2 hours 30 minutes to make and it was delicious
Excelente receta! La hice y me salió muy bien… serví la torta con una salsa de dulce de leche…muy rico!! .
While the cake looks so good, I got lost and discourage by the amount of hoops you have to jump through and links you have to click/ print to make one cake. I love to bake and enjoy looking through your recipes and making the more simple ones, This one is simply daunting and by the time I found a note that the egg whites or other ingredients needed to be a certain temp or that there were other ingredients I needed on the recipe print out, it was too late to run back to the store and put it all together.
Hi Kali,
Thank you for sharing your feedback on this recipe. I take each feedback to heart and make sure to use it to make the experience on this site an easier and more enjoyable one. I’ll go through the links and ingredient lists to make sure they’re all correct and not missing anything. I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience on this page.
But, you’re right that this cake isn’t an easy one and does have quite a few ingredients and steps involved.
There are easy recipes with only a few ingredients and others will have a lot of steps involved. This one is a complex cake, but definitely yields a spectacular flavor and presentation.
All the ingredients needed for the cake are listed in the ingredient list listed in the recipe card to this cake so there should not be any surprises once you print the recipe that goes with it.
Because each of those recipes (meringue, buttercream, sponge cake) is not a simple and quick recipe on it’s own, and needs a lot of know-how to get it done right it’s posted on a separate page with a ton of helpful information, tips and tricks to get you to the perfect result.
It is also because each of those components of the cake can be used in many other cakes, so it would be redundant to type out the same information in multiple places especially given the volume of text each one of those recipes.
Definitely a mix of wonderful delicious components. Just reading the ingredients has your mouth watering! Made it on the fly for an event and turned out perfect!
That’s wonderful! So glad the flavor combination worked for you guys too!
The sponge cake is very dry, poppy seeds weren’t necessary as the meringue and hazelnuts added texture. Like the concept, especially the meringue layer, unfortunately the cake and buttercream need some work. The buttercream was perfect consistency for a mid layer but too loose to pipe decorations with. The recipe was annoying, in that I had to keep clicking links and going back and forth between pages for the different components. To make matters worse, the buttercream recipe was lacking. For example, how long should the curd have been on the stove for.
Its really delicious cake. I never work with meringue before, so I had some problems . But I didn’t give up . On the etnd it’s totally worth it it. My family loves it . For sure I will make this cake again. My daughter asked me , to make it for her birthday . Thank you for the recipe.
I love hearing this! Thank you for sharing your feedback!
Thank you for using my recipe! I’m glad to hear that our favorite is also to your liking!
This is the first time that I’ve ever committed on a blog, shame on me. However, I was so very impressed with your most helpful tips and your delicious recipes I just had to thank you. I’m not a regular baker, we have an amazing one in the family, however, I do occasionally dabble in it. I soooo want to make the raspberry Nutella cake and hopefully will in the next couple of days. Your tips on making the meringue and the custard filling are going to be so helpful, I’ve had failures with them in the past and you have clearly pointed out the reasons, thank you.
I appreciate you, Tereasa! My goal is always to provide all the info you would need to have success with the recipe, so I’m glad to hear that it’s been helpful.
I hope you had success with this recipe!
Hi Marina, I want to make this came for my daughter’s 10th birthday, it has all her favorite sweets:hazelnut, meringue, chocolate.
I would like to add couple variations 1) homemade nuttela, do you see any issues with that?
2) make extra frosting to cover the cake all around so that we can decorate with chocolate bark. Make it look like a stomp. Do you know merengue will handle more frosting well?
The party is at 5 pm, I like to prepare everything in advance but was wondering if it’s better to assemble the day off or day in advance is ok? Will merengue get soggy?
Does the cake freeze well?
Thank you!
Hi Alexandra, I’m so happy you chose this cake for your daughter’s birthday! I hope she loves it!
I haven’t tried adding homemade Nutella so can not tell you for sure, but if I had to guess I would say that it should work.
2. If the meringue is properly made even with a moist filling it will only become less brittle, but not gooey. If the meringue didn’t come out right, then with the addition of moisture the meringue will become marshmallow like or just melt away. I think properly made meringue will handle the frosting just fine.
3. The cake can be made a day in advance with no problem (as long as the meringue came out right).No need to assemble it right before.
4. I haven’t frozen this cake, so can’t really advise you on that.
Hope it all goes well!
Hi, is there any substitution for poppy seeds as I can’t get them into the country I live in? Looking forward to trying this recipe…
You can easily just omit them. They add just a tiny bit of crunch in the cake, but it’s not essential.
Wow like this recipe should be illegal..lol jk it looks delicious!!
haha!
How you make ckream for decoration like kind of thick? Do add something ?
Hi Nadia,
I use the recipe you see in the post to make the cream.
Can you freeze this?
Yes, this cake would ok to freeze. Just make sure you put it into something that would block out any freezer smells.
Can I just say, you are one of the most tallented bakers out there! I’m so thrilled just to look at your pictures and read your recipes, and wait till I actually roll my sleeves and get working in my kitchen! Thank you for your hard work and inspirations to be a better baker! I prefer your desserts over any bloggers out there. (And I follow many ).
Wow Yelena, thank you so much! Your comment really means a lot to me! I do my best and it’s nice when someone finds value in my work!
Just came across this recipe… and my jaw dropped, my prayers have been answered! Everything I love.. is in this cake !!! From A to Z ! Will be definitely one of the things to try on my list does look a little difficult but I think will be worth it !!!! Thank you so much for the detailed recipe you are amazing !!!!! ❤️
Hi Oliana,
Comments like yours make my heart sing 😀 Thank you for your sweet comment! Let me know if you have any questions along the way, when you make it!
Hi Marina, i was wondering if i can make tge cream today and assemble the whole cake tomorrow? how would i prepare it to work out? do I make just the custard today and cream it with butter tomorrow? thanks
Hi Yelena,
I would make the custard and the cake today, but whip the butter into the custard and assemble it tomorrow.
The only thing, make sure to heat the custard to room temperature before combining it with whipped butter, otherwise as soon as you start adding the cold custard into room temperature butter the cream might separate. If this does happen or start to happen, heat the whole thing in the microwave, a couple seconds at a time until it starts to come together.
Thank you so much! I’ll give it a try tomorrow
This cake was so so yummy!!!
It has all of my favorite things in it: chocolate, nutella, hazelnuts, meringue and custard!
Absolutely wonderful!
Thank you for this recipe 🙂
One thing I had trouble with though was the custard, I couldn’t get it to thicken enough but still put it on the cake and it still ended up so so good!
Sounds like we’re not the only ones here fond of this combination! I’m glad you liked the cake!
For the frosting, try to make sure the butter is room temperature, but not too soft, otherwise it tends to make the cream runny in the end.
This looks just so incredibly yummy and includes pretty much everything I really love… Thank you! Seems like the measurement unit was skipped in the recipe in the poppy seeds line. 1/4… My guess is 1/3 cup but I am not sure. Just wanted to point that out to you. Again: thank you!
Thanks Martina for catching that! Fixed it!
Hi there, i have a question. I made this cake but when i assembeled it together, meringue got sooo super soft and yucki! I was very upset with the cream and the cake overall. What did i do wrong?? My cream did not turn out stiff, it was pretty runny
Hi Lyu,
Sorry you were having trouble with the cake 🙁
It is very hard for me to say why things didn’t go as they should have, as I am not sure at which step the trouble started. This is not an easy recipe and has a lot of steps involved, so many things could have gone wrong.
Since I have step by step pictures, you can tell what your dough/meringue/cream should look like at each step. Is there any step in particular where your preparations didn’t look like mine? If you can specify where the trouble started, it would be easier for me to figure out what might’ve been done wrong.
Hello what can I substitute liquer with? Thanks in advance
You can just omit it.
Wow. Marina.
This cake looks so good. I am trying to bake this cake soon for some occasion.
Thank you dear.
Thank you Silvia! Hope it all worked out well and the cake was to your liking!
Marinochka,
You are a very, very talented and amazing, amazing person and mom! Thank you for sharing pictures of you beautiful baby! She is absolutely adorable doll and has grown so much. Your cake is an amazing creation! I admired your awesome pictures and decides that I am going to try to replicate for Thanksgiving Day! Thank you for inspiring and sharing with us your family, talents and time!
Wow, this looks incredible! Definitely on my list to try! Thank you so much!