The Ingredient Freak

02/02/2024

This burrito bowl platter on a bed of spinach is the perfect family-friendly meal you can make ahead of time for those busy weekdays 😋

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Seasonal Recipes & Home Decor �
Specialty Cakes
Family Fun & DIY

30/01/2024

Easy weeknight twisted cobb salad.
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Seasonal Recipes & Home Decor �
Specialty Cakes
Family Fun & DIY

29/01/2024

Ferrero Rocher Cake

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INGREDIENTS

CAKE:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup boiling water

BUTTERCREAM:
2 cups unsalted butter softened
1 cup Nutella spread
8 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup hazelnuts roughly chopped
Ferrero Rochers (as many as you can fit!)

FOR THE NUTELLA GANACHE
1-1/4 cup (175g | 6.2oz) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup (150g | 5.3oz) Nutella
3/4 cup (180ml) heavy cream
1-1/2 tbsp butter, at room temperature

TO GARNISH THE CAKE
1/2 cup Nutella ganache (reserved from above)
3/4 cup buttercream (reserved from above)
13 Ferrero Rocher
2-3 tbsp melted Nutella ganache (reserved from above

INSTRUCTIONS

CAKE:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees/F and grease 3 8-inch cake pans by rubbing generously with vegetable shortening or butter and dust with unsweetened cocoa powder.
Using a mixer,, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder and whisk until well combined.
Add in the vanilla, eggs, milk, and vegetable oil and mix until there are no dry spots remaining.
Add in the boiling water last and mix on low speed. Slowly increase to high for 1-2 minutes.
Divide the batter evenly between the three cake tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow the cakes to cool completely on a wire


NUTELLA BUTTERCREAM
In the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on high speed for at least 5 minutes until creamy and smooth. Add in the Nutella and mix until just combined.

Add half of the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the remaining powdered sugar and mix well.

Slowly pour in the heavy whipping cream and mix on low speed until combined. Increase speed to high and mix for another 5 minutes, scraping the sides ever so often, until you get a fluffy, spreadable consistency.

TO MAKE THE NUTELLA GANACHE
Combine the finely chopped chocolate, Nutella, whipping cream and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave for 1 minute, allow the mixture to rest for 1 full minute and then stir delicately for 1 full minute. Repeat the process one more time, cooking, resting and stirring for 30 seconds this time. At this point, the ganache should be completely smooth and combined, but if there were still lumps remaining, repeat the process again but for no longer than 20 seconds at a time; continue doing that until the ganache is smooth and silky. It's imperative that your ganache never becomes hot, it should barely feel warm to the touch.
Reserve about 1/2 cup of that ganache into a small bowl and place it in the freezer, stirring regularly, until it has the consistency of fudgy frosting, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, take your cake out of the fridge and delicately pour about half of the remaining ganache over its top. Spread it all the way to the edge, pushing it slightly past the edge to create little drizzles down the sides of the cake. Repeat the process with the rest of the ganache, but leave a few tablespoons in the bowl to drizzle over the Ferrero Rochers later.

ASSEMBLY:
If needed, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes off of the cake layers.

Place one cake layer face down on a serving tray or cake stand and top with about 1 1/2 cups frosting and smooth. Top with about 1/4 cup crushed hazelnuts and gently press into the frosting. Repeat with the remaining cake layers.
Once you place the last cake layer on, smooth a thin layer of frosting all over the cake sealing in the crumbs. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the refrigerator and cover the cake in the remaining buttercream, reserve about 1 cup of frosting if you want to pipe swirls on the top of the cake.
Return cake back to fridge for at least half an hour to let buttercream harden.

THE FINAL TOUCHES:
Take the fudgy nutella ganache out of the freezer and spread it on one side of a pastry bag bag equipped with a medium open star tip) and then fill the bag with the reserved buttercream. Pipe 12 generous swirls around the top of the cake and 1 in the center, then delicately push a Ferrero Rocher on top of each swirl.
Prepare a piping cone out of parchment paper and then melt the few tablespoons of ganache you reserved earlier in the microwave - it will only take 3-4 seconds!! Pour it into your parchment paper cone and then drizzle a little bit over each Ferrero Rocher. Note that you could also use a squeeze bottle instead of the parchment paper cone, but that doesn’t work quite as well when dealing with such small quantities.
Keep your finished cake in the refrigerator but be sure to take it out at least 3 hours prior to serving.

Enjoy!!