Rich, fudgy layers of chocolate sponge stacked with pourable Nutella, crunchy bits of chopped Ferrero Rocher, and the most luscious chocolate-hazelnut buttercream you've ever spread with an offset spatula. This Ferrero Rocher Cake is the kind of thing that makes a room go quiet for a second when you set it on the table.
If you've ever made my Peaches and Cream Cake or dabbled in Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles, you already know the kind of rich, layered dessert I love. This cake sits in that same category, deeply chocolatey, bakery-beautiful, and made entirely at home.
Why You'll Love This Ferrero Rocher Cake
Three tall layers of moist chocolate sponge, rivers of poured Nutella, crunchy chopped Ferrero Rocher pieces tucked inside every tier, and a creamy Nutella frosting that tastes like the inside of your favorite chocolate hazelnut candy. Every slice has real texture, real depth, and that crunch you can actually hear.
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Ferrero Rocher Cake Ingredients
Here's everything you need to build this layered Ferrero Rocher Cake from scratch.
See Recipe Card Below This Post For Ingredient Quantities
For the Chocolate Cake
- All-purpose flour: Forms the structure of each layer and keeps the crumb soft and even. Spoon it into the measuring cup, don't scoop, to avoid packing it.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process recommended): Gives the cake a deep, dark chocolate color and a rich, slightly earthy flavor. Dutch-process cocoa makes a noticeable difference here.
- Cornstarch: Mixed into the dry ingredients, it softens the crumb and helps keep the cake tender even after it cools.
- Baking powder + baking soda: Both work together to give the layers a gentle lift. Don't skip either one.
- Salt: One teaspoon balances all that richness and keeps the chocolate flavor from tasting flat.
- Canola or vegetable oil: Oil keeps this cake moist longer than butter would. It's also what makes the crumb so soft when you cut into it.
- White granulated sugar: Sweetens the batter and helps with browning.
- Pure vanilla extract: Adds warmth and rounds out the chocolate flavor naturally.
- Eggs (room temperature): Bind everything together and add moisture. Room temperature eggs blend into the batter more smoothly than cold ones.
- Buttermilk (room temperature): Adds a gentle tang and reacts with the leaveners to keep the texture light. Pull it from the fridge two hours before you start.
- Hot steaming water: Blooms the cocoa powder and intensifies the chocolate flavor. It also thins the batter just enough to give you layers that bake up evenly.
For the Nutella Frosting and Filling
- Unsalted butter (softened): The base of the buttercream. It needs to be fully soft, not just slightly cool, so let it sit out for a full hour before you start.
- Nutella: Swirled into the frosting, it adds that hazelnut richness and a beautiful depth of flavor. A second portion gets melted and poured directly over the filling layers.
- Powdered sugar (sifted): Sweetens and thickens the frosting. Sifting it keeps the texture smooth and lump-free.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Deepens the chocolate flavor in the buttercream and keeps it from tasting purely sweet.
- Pure vanilla extract: Rounds out the frosting just like it does in the cake.
- Ferrero Rocher chocolates (chopped): Frozen first to firm up, then chopped into rough pieces and folded between the layers for crunch. A second pack can be used whole for decoration on top.
How to Make Ferrero Rocher Cake
Chocolate Cake
Prep your pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray three 8-inch cake pans generously with nonstick baking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper circles, and spray again. That double layer of spray and parchment makes sure nothing sticks.
Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set this aside while you work on the wet ingredients.
Combine the wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and buttermilk until smooth. Heat your water separately until steaming, then slowly pour it into the wet mixture while stirring. Adding it slowly keeps the heat from scrambling the eggs.
Bring the batter together: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined. You want no dry streaks, but don't overmix. The batter will be thin, and that's exactly right.
Fill the pans: Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared pans. If you have a kitchen scale, weigh each pan for perfectly even layers.
Bake: Slide the pans into the oven and bake for 25 to 28 minutes. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The edges will pull away slightly from the sides of the pan.
Cool completely: Let the cakes rest in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack. They must be fully cool before you frost them, otherwise the buttercream will slide right off.
Nutella Frosting
Sift your sugars: Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together into a large bowl. Getting rid of lumps now means a smoother frosting later.
Beat the butter and Nutella: Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the softened butter and Nutella together on high speed for a full 3 minutes. It should look pale and fluffy before you add anything else.
Add the dry ingredients: With the mixer on low, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and cocoa mixture. Take your time here, pouring it in slowly keeps a cloud of sugar from rising off the bowl.
Finish with vanilla: Add the vanilla extract, then beat on high for another minute or two until the frosting is light, creamy, and holds its shape.
Prep the Ferrero Rocher: Pop one package of Ferrero Rocher chocolates into the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, then chop them into rough pieces. Freezing them first makes chopping much cleaner and keeps the chocolate from crumbling everywhere.
Assemble the Cake
Level the layers: Use a serrated knife or cake leveler to trim the domed tops off each cake layer. Flat layers stack more evenly and keep the finished cake from leaning.
Anchor the first layer: Pipe or spread a small amount of frosting onto your cake board to act as glue. Place the first cake layer on top.
Prepare the Nutella filling: Divide the ⅔ cup of Nutella into two equal portions, about ⅓ cup each. Microwave each portion for about 15 seconds until it's pourable.
Layer one: Spread ½ cup of frosting over the first cake layer. Pipe a frosting border around the outer edge to act as a dam, then spread one portion of the melted Nutella inside the border. Scatter half the chopped Ferrero Rocher pieces over the Nutella, then pipe a few small dollops of frosting over the chocolates.
Layer two: Repeat the same process with the second cake layer, using the remaining Nutella filling and the rest of the chopped chocolates.
Top layer: Place the final cake layer on top with the bottom side facing up. That flat bottom gives you the smoothest top surface.
Crumb coat: Apply a thin, even layer of frosting all over the outside of the cake to seal in any crumbs. Slide the cake into the freezer for 15 minutes to set.
Final frost: Take the cake out and finish it with the remaining frosting, smoothing the sides and top with an offset spatula. Decorate the top with whole Ferrero Rocher chocolates if you like.
Substitutions
No buttermilk? Stir 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into 1 cup of whole milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes, and you've got a solid substitute.
Dairy-free version: Use a plant-based butter and a dairy-free Nutella-style spread. The texture will be slightly different, but it still works well.
Dutch-process cocoa: Regular natural cocoa works in a pinch, but the flavor won't be quite as deep or dark.
Oil swap: Any neutral-tasting oil, like sunflower or light avocado oil, can replace the canola oil.
No Ferrero Rocher for decoration? A handful of roughly chopped hazelnuts or a drizzle of melted chocolate looks beautiful on top.
Equipment For Ferrero Rocher Cake
- Three 8-inch cake pans
- Parchment paper circles
- Baking spray
- Large mixing bowls
- Fine mesh sieve
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Rubber spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cooling rack
- Serrated knife or cake leveler
- Offset spatula
- Piping bag
- Microwave
- Kitchen scale (optional but helpful for even layers)
Storage Tips
Room temperature: The finished Ferrero Rocher Cake keeps at room temperature, covered, for up to 2 days. Keep it away from heat or direct sunlight.
Refrigerator: Cover it well and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Let individual slices come back to room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before eating, the frosting softens up and the flavor really blooms.
Freezer: Wrap the whole unfrosted cake layers tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before assembling.
Make ahead: You can bake the cake layers up to 2 days ahead and store them wrapped at room temperature, or freeze them for longer. The frosting can also be made a day in advance and refrigerated, then re-whipped before using.
Serving Suggestions
With a scoop of vanilla ice cream: The contrast of the cold, creamy ice cream against the rich, dense Ferrero Rocher Cake is genuinely perfect. It also helps cut through some of that sweetness.
Alongside a cup of strong coffee or espresso: The bitterness of the coffee plays really well against the hazelnut and chocolate notes. A hot cup while the Ferrero Rocher Cake is still slightly cool from the fridge is a wonderful combination.
With a drizzle of warm ganache: Thin out a little chocolate with heavy cream, warm it, and pour it over each slice right before serving. It makes an already indulgent cake feel even more like something from a fancy bakery, sort of like my Black Forest Tart, which gets the same treatment.
For a birthday spread: Pair it with lighter things like fruit, sparkling water, or a simple French Silk Pie Cookies situation for a dessert table that has something for everyone.
Expert Tips
Room temperature dairy is non-negotiable. Cold eggs and buttermilk don't mix into the batter as smoothly, and you'll get a slightly uneven crumb. Pull them from the fridge at least 2 hours before you start.
Freeze the Ferrero Rocher before chopping. Ten or fifteen minutes in the freezer makes a huge difference. Room-temperature chocolates tend to smear and melt the moment the knife hits them.
Don't rush the cooling. Frosting a warm Ferrero Rocher Cake is the number one reason buttercream slides off and fills melt. Cool the layers completely, even if that means making them the day before.
The crumb coat is your friend. That thin first layer of frosting seals everything in and gives you a clean surface to work on. Don't skip it.
FAQ
How do you make a Ferrero Rocher cake from scratch?
You bake three layers of a rich cocoa-based chocolate cake, make a Nutella buttercream, and assemble them with layers of poured Nutella and chopped Ferrero Rocher chocolates in between. The full process takes about 2 hours and 25 minutes, and most of that time is cooling and chilling. A great tip from my mom: always let the crumb coat firm up in the freezer before the final frost. It keeps everything cleaner.
Can I use Nutella in chocolate cake filling?
Absolutely. Warming it for about 15 seconds in the microwave makes it pourable and easy to spread. It adds a creamy hazelnut layer between each cake tier that tastes incredible alongside the chopped chocolates. It's one of the things that makes this easy Ferrero Rocher cake feel extra special.
What frosting pairs best with Ferrero Rocher Cake?
This Nutella buttercream is the move. It's made with softened butter, Nutella, sifted powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla, and it has a creamy, slightly nutty flavor that mirrors the chocolates layered inside. A straight chocolate buttercream works too, but the Nutella version is the one that really makes this a Ferrero Rocher Cake through and through.
How do you keep a layered chocolate cake moist?
A few things help here. Using oil instead of butter keeps the crumb from drying out as quickly. Hot water in the batter blooms the cocoa and adds moisture. And storing the finished Ferrero Rocher Cake properly, covered at room temperature or in the fridge, keeps it from drying out between servings. If you're baking layers ahead of time, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap as soon as they cool.
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Ferrero Rocher Cake
Ferrero Rocher Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and lightly grease the parchment as well.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- Warm the water until steaming. In another bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and buttermilk, then slowly stream in the hot water while whisking continuously to prevent the eggs from cooking.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until no dry streaks remain. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans.
- Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl to remove any lumps.
- Beat the softened butter and Nutella together on high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add the sifted sugar mixture while mixing on low speed.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and continue beating until the frosting becomes fluffy and smooth.
- Place the Ferrero Rocher chocolates in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes, then chop them into small pieces.
- Trim the domed tops from the cooled cake layers. Divide the Nutella filling into two equal portions and warm each briefly until spreadable.
- Place one cake layer on a serving board. Spread about ½ cup of frosting over the surface, pipe a frosting border around the edge, spread one portion of warmed Nutella inside the border, sprinkle over half of the chopped Ferrero Rocher pieces, and add a few small dollops of frosting before placing on the next cake layer.
- Repeat the filling process with the second cake layer, then place the final cake layer on top with its flat bottom facing upward.
- Apply a thin crumb coat of frosting over the entire cake and chill for about 15 minutes until firm.
- Cover the cake with the remaining frosting, smooth the sides, and decorate with whole Ferrero Rocher chocolates if desired.
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