To Try Tuesday - Nutella Buttercream Chocolate Cake

I might have to think about abbreviating the title of To Try Tuesday to Triple T, or just TTT.  That is a lot of typing just in one title.  However, this cake is worth it.

Once again Tuesday rolled around and I wasn't quite ready for it.  My youngest headed back to school today and I think I was a little more focused on that, when I realized I had better start thinking about baking something or the day would be gone.  This is when I realized that it would be a perfect time to try out something with Nutella.

I had recently read about Dessert Wars which which was created by Reeni from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice and Christine from The Cupcake Bandits.  Dessert Wars is a progressive blogger competition with a winner each month.  The winner from each month will reach the finals at the end of December to decide the "Ultimate Dessert Warrior".  Sounds like fun!  I am sure we are going to see some fantastic desserts, and I can't wait to see the entries each month.  I am going to post this for Dessert Wars but I am not quite in that league.

The prizes available are:

-Whisk and cupcake necklace from Moon & Star Designs

-The Smartshopper Electronic Grocery List Organizer

-Beanilla Sampler Pack of Vanilla Beans

-Lenox Personalized Musical Cupcake

-1,000 ideas for Decorating Cupcakes, Cookies & Cakes

-Endless Vanilla and Cinnamon Extract

-Unlimited Layers: A Recipe for Turning Your Passion into Profits

-A $50 gift certificate to  Theme Kitchen's online store

-Organic Valley & Organic Prairie have each donated a $50 ($100 total) coupon to redeem products from each company to the winner of January's challenge!

You can read more about all of these wonderful January prizes on the Dessert Wars Prize Page.

When I found out the this month's theme for Dessert Wars was Nutella, I thought that it was perfect timing as I had a recipe that I was eager to try.  As I mentioned in a previous post I purchased a holiday magazine called Popular Plates Holiday Baking. I already tried one recipe, a flan, that I really enjoyed. There was also a picture for a cake by Rose Levy Beranbaum from her book Rose's Heavenly Cakes. The recipe for this cake is not in the magazine, but I do own this cookbook.  I was surprised to find that this cake is a Chocolate Tomato Cake with Mystery Ganache.


I didn't really have the time for the whole cake so I decided to stick with the design, but take an easier route and use (gasp) a box mix.  I checked my options in the Chocolate Cake Mix Doctor and decided to dress it up a bit with some sour cream, melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and of course Nutella.  I then looked around for a good buttercream recipe.  I liked the one that I found for a Rich Nutella Buttercream.  I just wish that I had the dark cocoa powder, but we can't get that here.  I think the cake would have looked a little better if it had been darker.

I used a knife to cut the wafer cookies in half before adhering them with buttercream to the side of the cake.  One last tip - maybe think twice about decorating with finely grated white chocolate on the top of the cake.  I thought this would be a nice touch but I think it ended up looking like shredded cheese. 

Nutella Buttercream Chocolate Cake

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients - Cake
1 package (18.25oz) devil's food cake mix with pudding
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup Nutella

Ingredients - Frosting

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup butter, softened to room temperature

1 small jar Nutella

4 cups sifted powdered sugar

1/4 cup dark cocoa powder

1/4 cup whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract
About 60 4-inch Pirouette Wafer Cookies, preferably Pepperidge Farm brand (2 cans, optional)

Preparation - Cake 

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside. 
2. Place the cake mix, sour cream, water, oil, eggs, Nutella, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
3. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined. 
4. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side. 
5. Bake the cakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 28 to 32 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. 
6. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. 
7. Allow to cool completely, 30 minutes more.

Preparation - Frosting

1. Place the chocolate chips in the microwave on high for about 90 seconds, stopping to stir every 20-30 seconds.  Stir until completely melted and smooth.  Set aside.
2. Beat the butter and Nutella on medium-high speed until creamy.  Beat in the melted chocolate chips. 
3. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time.   
4. Beat in the cocoa, milk, and vanilla until smooth. 
5. Once the cakes are cool frost cake and decorate with Pirouette Wafer Cookies.

Recipe adapted from the Cake Mix Doctor cookbook and Rice and Beans and Other Fine Things.