I’ve always loved Nutella, but it wasn’t until I was pregnant with my son that I became obsessed. In fact, this pretzel Nutella cake recipe is solely inspired by my pregnancy cravings for dipping pretzels into a big ol’ jar of Nutella. Since I wrote that cake recipe, I’ve been whipping up this Nutella buttercream for all kinds of cakes: a Ferrero Rocher inspired cake you can find in my book and a Nutella fluffernutter cake you’ll find in my bonus recipes eBook, to name just a few. 

This buttercream is a chocolate hazelnut lover’s dream. It’s smooth and creamy, easy to whip up, and tastes just like Nutella yet somehow isn’t overly sweet. You can pair it with any cake flavor that you think would go well with Nutella. Here are a few of my favorite pairings:

• One Bowl Chocolate Cake (or the cupcake version)
• Banana Cake
• Pretzel Cake
• Peanut Butter Cake
• Coffee Layer Cake

The secret to the perfect chocolate hazelnut flavor here is (you guessed it): Nutella. It gets added into the buttercream after mixing together the butter and powdered sugar in the recipe. You can find Nutella at most grocery stores, but if you’re having a hard time finding it locally, you can substitute any chocolate hazelnut spread or order the real deal from Amazon. 

This Nutella Buttercream is super versatile. It’s perfect for filling and frosting cakes and it pipes like a dream, making it ideal for decorating cakes or cupcakes. Here’s what it looks like on cake: 

If you want to go really overboard (in the best way) with this Nutella buttercream, pair it with a Nutella ganache drip! Nobody who loves chocolate hazelnut will complain. No matter what you decide to pair it with, it’s a true crowd pleaser and family favorite around here. I hope it becomes one of your favorite frostings too.

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Nutella Buttercream

Silky smooth buttercream that's packed with Nutella flavor and so easy to whip up. Perfect for frosting cakes, using as filling, and piping cupcakes.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Servings 3 Cups

Ingredients

• 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 1/2 Cups (420g) powdered sugar
• 1/2 Cup (150g) Nutella
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
• 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

Instructions

• With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light in color, about 5 minutes.
• Add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each cup is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Add the Nutella and beat on med-high for a full minute. Turn the mixer to low and add the vanilla, milk, and salt. Mix for another 1-2 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed, until smooth and fully incorporated. 

Notes

Make Ahead Tip: this Nutella buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for one day. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-mix with your stand mixer on low speed to bring it back to piping/frosting consistency.

Yield: This buttercream makes enough to:

• Frost 12-15 cupcakes with a piping bag
• Fill and crumb coat a three-layer 6-inch cake or two-layer 8-inch cake. To have enough for frosting and decorating as well, double the recipe. 

I hope this Nutella buttercream is everything you wished it would be! Let me know what you think in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram if you post a pic! I love to see what you create.

The post Nutella Buttercream Recipe appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

When I realized that Nutella could be made into a ganache, I practically ran to the store to get a jar. Turns out it makes the shiniest, most beautiful cake drip ever, plus it tastes just like Nutella (aka chocolate hazelnut heaven) so it’s the most delicious of all ganaches in my humble opinion. If I had you at Nutella, you’re going to want to make this ganache asap and put it on everything. 

This Nutella Ganache is incredibly easy to make. There are only two ingredients involved here: Nutella and heavy whipping cream (also known as double cream). If you’ve ever made my Chocolate Ganache or White Chocolate Ganache recipes, you’ll be really familiar with the technique to make it: simply bring the heavy whipping cream to a simmer, pour it over the Nutella, and whisk it until uniform. That’s it! 

This Nutella Ganache goes with so many flavors and can be used as a drip, drizzle, or a cake filling. If you are planning on using it as filling between cake layers, be sure to use the Soft Fillings method detailed in this blog post to ensure it doesn’t bulge out from between your layers. 

So far, I’ve paired this Nutella Ganache with my Sweet & Salty Pretzel Nutella Cake, my Banana Nutella Birthday Cake, and a NEW recipe for a Ferrero Rocher Cake that I whipped up for a huge project I’m working on (more details on that VERY soon!). I’m dreaming about putting this drip on my Oreo Cookies & Cream Cake too, because yum. Here’s a quick video to show you how it’s made: 

PS if you’re into recipe videos like this one, be sure to check out my YouTube channel! I’ve got a growing collection of recipes, decorating tutorials, and my Cake Basics series in video format. Hit the Subscribe button while you’re there so you never miss a new vid.

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Nutella Ganache Drip Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Servings 1 Cup

Ingredients

• 1 Cup (300g) Nutella
• 3/4 Cup (180ml) heavy whipping cream or double cream

Instructions

• Measure the Nutella into a heat resistant bowl (glass or metal) and set aside. In a saucepan over medium-high, heat the heavy whipping cream until it begins to simmer, whisking constantly.
• Once the cream begins to simmer, remove the pan from the heat and pour the cream over the Nutella. Let it sit for about 30 seconds before whisking together until the consistency is uniform and well blended. Let it cool to room temperature before dripping the cake. 

Notes

This Nutella Ganache can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to use it, heat the ganache in the microwave in 15 second intervals until it’s drip consistency again. 

If you need some pointers on how to drip a cake with ganache, this post shares everything you need to know (including troubleshooting tips!). 

Did you make this recipe? I want to know how it went! Leave a comment below and be sure to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see my recipes out there in the world!

The post Nutella Ganache Recipe for Drip Cakes appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Have you ever tried dipping pretzels in Nutella? My, oh my. If you have, you know that it’s sweet and salty heaven. These two flavors belong together, and I love the pairing so much that I decided to make a cake recipe out of them: layers of pretzel-flavored cake with Nutella buttercream, topped with Nutella ganache and pretzel bits for added crunch. I was a little skeptical of whether or not I’d be able to pull these flavors off in cake form, but it totally worked!

Let’s talk about this pretzel-flavored cake, cause you’re probably wondering how that’s done. I essentially used the same method as my Milk & Cereal Cake – ground up some salted pretzels into a fine crumb with a food processor, whisked them together with the dry ingredients, and added them right into the cake batter. Surprisingly, it worked! The cake has a wonderful flavor of salted pretzel, yet it’s still cakey, tender, and sweet. It even smells like pretzel when you’re baking it! The little tiny flecks of pretzel in the cake crumb end up flavoring it perfectly without going stale or getting lost in the sweetness of the cake. 

Next, I whipped up some Nutella buttercream for filling and frosting these pretzel cake layers. I’m not gonna lie, this stuff is so tempting. I found myself dipping the extra pretzels into it along the way and I feel like I could write a whole separate post about how delicious that is! It’s silky smooth and the chocolate hazelnut flavor of Nutella really shines in this recipe. It’s not subtle at all, nor is it too over-the-top in sweetness. I want to try this stuff with my Chocolate Cake recipe next!    

To take this cake beyond, I added a Nutella ganache drip and plenty of crushed pretzels for extra crunch. The Nutella ganache uses the same method as any chocolate ganache: bring some heavy whipping cream to a scant boil, pour it over the Nutella, and whisk it until smooth. It works beautifully as a drip, and I think it’s the best tasting ganache of all time. Then again, I’m really just a sucker for Nutella. 

This cake recipe is a little non-traditional when it comes to flavor, but it is so delicious! If you’re a fan of pretzels dipped in Nutella and salty-sweet flavor combos in general, you’re going to love this cake. If you’re not sure if you’re a fan of pretzels dipped in Nutella, go drop everything and try it right now. You will not regret it!

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Sweet & Salty Pretzel Nutella Cake

Layers of salty-sweet pretzel cake paired with decadent Nutella buttercream, Nutella ganache, and pretzel bits.

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Pretzel Cake

• 1 1/2 Cups (70g) salted pretzels (equals about 2/3 Cup when finely ground)
• 2 1/4 Cups (220g) cake flour, sifted before measuring
• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 Cups (358g) granulated white sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 Cup (112g) sour cream, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 Cup (300ml) whole milk, room temperature

Nutella Buttercream

• 2 Cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 7 Cups (840g) powdered sugar
• 1 Cup (300g) Nutella
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp salt

Nutella Ganache

• 1 Cup (300g) Nutella
• 3/4 Cup (180ml) heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Make the Pretzel Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F and prepare three 6-inch cake pans or two 9-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting a parchment or wax paper circle to the bottom of each pan. 
• In a food processor, grind the salted pretzels into fine crumbs. Keep in mind that 1 1/2 Cups of whole pretzels equals about 2/3 cups of finely ground crumbs. Place the ground pretzels into a medium sized bowl and add the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside. 
• In the bowl of your stand mixer (a handheld mixer works fine too!), cream the butter for on high for two minutes until it's light and fluffy. Add in sugar and continue to mix on high for another two minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix for one minute on high, scraping down the bowl and paddle once more. 
• With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the milk slowly and mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs to make sure there are no lumps (without over-mixing). The batter will be slightly thick, but pourable. 
• Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans (no more than 2/3 of the way full) and bake for 30-35 minutes. They're done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for five minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack for an additional few hours of cooling. Make sure they're entirely room temperature before applying any frosting. 

Make the Nutella Buttercream

• With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light in color, about 5 minutes.
• Add the sifted powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each cup is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Add the Nutella and beat on med-high for a full minute. Add vanilla, milk, and salt and mix on medium-low for another minute until fully incorporated. 

Make the Nutella Ganache

• Measure Nutella into a heatproof bowl and set aside. In a saucepan over medium-high, heat the heavy whipping cream until small bubbles form (just before the start of a rolling boil), stirring constantly with a whisk. Once the cream begins to boil, remove the pan from the heat and pour the cream over the Nutella. Let sit for about 30 seconds before whisking together until the consistency is uniform and well blended. Let it cool to room temperature before using on the cake. 

Assembly

• Once the Pretzel Cakes have cooled completely, use a cake leveler to torte them before filling and frosting with the Nutella Buttercream. To create the design pictured, create a smooth Nutella Buttercream finish and add salted pretzel bits around the bottom third of the cake.
• Place the cake in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before dripping with Nutella ganache (here are some drip cake tips for success if you need them!), then place the cake back into the refrigerator for another 5-10 minutes to let the Nutella ganache set up. Finish by piping swirls of Nutella Buttercream around the top edge of the cake with Wilton Tip 1M and add more salted pretzels wherever you'd like!

Notes

Make ahead tips: 

1. The pretzel cake recipe can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for one day. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature. 
2. The Nutella buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for one day. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip with your stand mixer to bring it back to piping/frosting consistency.
3. The Nutella ganache can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it as a drip, microwave it in 10 second increments, stirring after every interval until your ganache is room temperature and uniform in consistency.

Did you make this recipe? I want to know how it went! Leave a comment below and be sure to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me your cake creation. I love to see my recipes out there in the world!

The post Sweet & Salty Pretzel Nutella Cake Recipe appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Huzzah! It’s my birthday! Well, technically it was last week but I’m still celebrating. I’m a whopping 32 years old now, and although I usually dread birthdays because of the whole getting older thing, this year I’m feeling pretty content. I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with my very most favorite people, and I’m feeling so truly loved that I just can’t complain.

When you’re a caker it’s quite common to make your own birthday cakes, and this year was no exception. I thought about making something classic and reminiscent of my childhood (like yellow cake with chocolate frosting, the all-time favorite of my youth) but then I thought, why not use my birthday as an excuse to pair some flavors I love in a way that I’ve never done before? Even if it didn’t turn out right, it could be a good laugh. But spoiler alert: it turned out real good!

One of my all-time favorite desserts is Baked Alaska from a restaurant called Papa Haydn. The dessert is about a foot tall, and it involves layers of dulce de leche and banana ice creams, chocolate ganache, and vanilla sponge cake, all topped with toasted Italian meringue. It’s different than a traditional Baked Alaska because of the ice cream flavors – the classic Baked Alaska involves Neapolitan ice cream instead of the dulce de leche and banana combo that Papa Haydn has created. I love what they’ve done with the flavor pairings though, and I get the same thing almost every time I go.

I thought about trying to replicate the Baked Alaska in it’s true form, but since I’ve never actually made ice cream and don’t really have the right equipment yet, I decided to pull some inspiration from the flavors of my favorite Baked Alaska and then add some new ones. What I ended up with was a spiced banana cake with vanilla buttercream, drizzled with Nutella ganache and topped with toasted meringue flourishes. It ended up being real pretty and so tasty! Pair it with a little ice cream if you’re feeling fancy and you’ll have yourself a time.

To get the perfect banana flavor, you’ve got to start with bananas that are nice and spotted. That means you either have to plan ahead and buy your bananas about a week before making this cake, or store some spotted bananas in the freezer until the time is right. The more over-ripe (spotty) the bananas are, the more banana flavor will come through in the cake.

To get the full effect of this toasted masterpiece, you’ll need a culinary torch to toast the meringue. Trust me, I’ve tried with everything from matches to one of those lighter gun thingys and nothing will give you the look and taste of toasted goodness quite like a good culinary torch. You can use some piping tips to pipe unique designs with the meringue (I’ve used Wilton 4B for the open stars and 1M for the rosettes) or keep with the traditional look of swirling the meringue with an offset spatula before toasting to perfection. Whatever you decide for the final look, I can promise these flavors are sure to please.

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Banana Nutella Birthday Cake

A moist banana spice cake topped with vanilla buttercream, drizzled with Nutella ganache, and finished with toasted meringue flourishes.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

Banana Spice Cake

• 3 cups (414g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3 large)
• 3/4 cup (169.5g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (205g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (94g) packed light brown sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk, room temperature

Nutella Ganache

• 1 cup (300g) Nutella
• 3/4 cup (180ml) heavy whipping cream

Vanilla Buttercream

• 2 cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 7 cups (840g) powdered sugar
• 4 Tbsp (59ml) whole milk, room temperature
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Meringue Topping

• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp cream of Tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Banana Cake

• Preheat oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and placing a pre-cut wax or parchment paper circle in the bottom. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt and set aside.
• Mash the bananas by hand or use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to whip them until they’re nice and mashed (about 30 seconds on medium). Set them aside.
• Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, whip the butter until it’s fluffy and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle halfway through. Add the white granulated sugar and the brown sugar and cream on medium for another 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle, turn the mixer to low, and add the eggs and vanilla before beating on medium for one minute.
• Add the mashed banana and beat on medium for a full minute before scraping down the bowl and paddle again. Turn the mixer to low and alternate adding the dry ingredients in three additions and buttermilk in two additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix each addition until just incorporated before alternating. As soon as the last addition of the flour mixture is incorporated, turn the mixer off and give it a few stirs by hand to make sure there’s no flour lurking at the bottom of the mixing bowl. 
• Fill the cake pans with batter no more than 2/3 full and bake for 45-55 minutes (baking times will vary). The cakes are done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan for five minutes before turning out to cool on a baking sheet or wire rack for several hours. 

Make the Nutella Ganache

• Measure Nutella into a heatproof bowl and set aside. In a saucepan over medium-high, heat the heavy whipping cream until small bubbles form (just before the start of a rolling boil), stirring constantly with a whisk. Once the cream begins to boil, remove the pan from the heat and pour the cream over the Nutella. Let sit for about 30 seconds before whisking together until the consistency is uniform and well blended. Let it sit at room temperature until it reaches room temperature. 

Make the Vanilla Buttercream

• In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter on high for until it’s fluffy and almost white in color, about 7 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle a few times during the process. Add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time and mix on medium until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and paddle before each addition.
• Turn the mixer to low and add the vanilla extract, milk, and salt. Beat on medium for another minute until well incorporated, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. 

Make the Meringue Topping

• Whisk the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar together in a small heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with an inch or two of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water (or else it will cook your eggs!). Whisk the mixture constantly until the sugar has dissolved, about 4 minutes. 
• Once the sugar has dissolved, pour the mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the vanilla and whisk the mixture on high for 6 full minutes, until stiff peaks form. You should be able to dip the whisk into the meringue and it forms a peak that maintains its shape when turned right side up and upside down.

Assembly

• Wait until Nutella has reached room temperature. Starting with your first cake layer, spread a good amount of Vanilla Buttercream as a filling and drizzle a little Nutella Ganache before placing your second cake layer on top. Repeat the process before placing the final cake layer on top.
• Crumb coat the cake with Vanilla Buttercream and place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to firm up before frosting with a final layer of Vanilla Buttercream. In the cake pictured, I colored a little Vanilla Buttercream yellow with food color gel and created an ombrè finish. Place the cake back into the refrigerator for another 20 minutes or more to chill before dripping with Nutella ganache. 
• For the meringue topping, you can either use a piping bag with piping tips (I used Wilton 4B for the open stars and 1M for piping rosettes) or swirl the meringue onto the cake with a spatula. Feel free to get creative! Use a culinary torch to toast the meringue as a finishing touch.

Notes

The cake layers can be baked ahead of time and stored (wrapped in plastic wrap) for up to two days at room temperature, or up to three months in the freezer. 

The Nutella Ganache can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to drip consistency by microwaving in ten second spurts. 

The Vanilla Buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip with your stand mixer. 

The Meringue topping must be made and torched on the spot. 

What do you other cakers do on your birthdays? Do you make your own cake or let someone else make one for you for a change? Honestly, this year was a both/and/and situation, meaning I made my own cake, and let someone make me a cake, and went to Papa Haydn and got that Baked Alaska. Because hey, I do what I want on my birthday.

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