Hazelnut Cake with Nutella Cream Frosting
1 cup crushed hazelnuts. You can get whole hazelnuts and use a food processor to crush them.
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup caster sugar (or 3/4 cup if you’re a sweet tooth)
1. Preheat your oven at 200c.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl except for the sugar and set aside.
3. In a separate large bowl, beat the sugar and oil until smooth, then gradually add the eggs and continue to beat until you get a smooth mixture.
4. Gradually, add your dry ingredient mixture and continue to beat.
5. Once all smooth, add your 1/2 cup of milk and fold from the sides to the center.
6. Pour your cake batter into a lightly greased cake pan. Reduce the temperature in the oven to 180c and pop the cake in for about 20-25 minutes depending on the heat of your oven on both top and bottom.
As you wait for the cake to cool down to room temperature, you can start preparing your cream frosting.
For maximum success, all your whipping tools must be super cold, so it’s best to pop your whisks, mixing bowl and all other tools in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before you start the process. I also put the whipping cream in the freezer for about 5 minutes as the tools are cooling down too.
Mix the sugar, whipping cream and and whisk using an electric hand mixer for about 10 minutes or until a smooth peak forms as you lift your whisk. Keep the cream frosting in the fridge for about 30 minutes before you start spreading it on the cake. Make sure the cake temperature is absolutely down room temperature or even cooler before you spread the cream or otherwise it will quickly melt down and make a mess.
Garnish with some crushed and whole hazelnuts dipped in melted Nutella, and voila!