If you ever wanted to combine Chocolate with Lemon flavor, here is the perfect cake for you!
A decadent cake that combines light citrus layers and chocolate nutty frosting! This Lemon Cake with Chocolate Hazelnut frosting is a pure perfection!
And if you like this taste combination, check out also the Lemon and Chocolate Semifreddo and the Lemon Mousse No-Bake Cake.
What kind of dessert is that
This cake consists of four spongy lemon layers and chocolate hazelnut buttercream frosting. The lightness of the cake base combines perfectly with the richness of the icing.
This cake was inspired by the Baci Perugina limited edition chocolates in collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana. Their taste impressed me so much that I decided to create a cake featuring chocolate, hazelnut and lemon.
What ingredients you need
For the layers you would need very common ingredients: eggs, all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, oil, buttermilk and of course, lemon zest or extract.
The frosting is made of chocolate hazelnut spread like Nutella or similar combined with butter, confectioners sugar, cocoa powder and some whole milk.
You will find the ingredient quantities below the post in the recipe card!
Preparation of the layers
To make the layers first you need to beat the eggs with the sugar for a long time: that is to increase the quantity of air inside that will make the layers puffy. Then add the oil and gradually add the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk.
Make sure the flour, mixed with the baking powder, are very well incorporated in the batter and there are no lumps remaining. This will ensure that the cake will raise evenly.
After baking the layers in two 7 inch/ 18 cm pans, you need to let them cool completely. Then cut each in half and assemble with the frosting.
Frosting preparation
To make the frosting, first you need to cream the butter and the chocolate spread. Then add gradually the cocoa powder, the sugar and the milk.
This is not exactly the typical Nutella frosting you may find. In this version of mine I decreased the quantity of powdered sugar as much as possible and added cocoa powder to balance the sweetness. The result is still sweet as most buttercream frostings are but the taste is more balanced.
Another version of Nutella frosting I used in my Kinder Cake, which might be also interesting for you.
Recipe tips
The layers of this cake contain little flour. That makes them lighter but also quite crumbly. For that reason I would recommend you to refrigerate them for few hours or overnight before cutting them in half.
This is a partially naked cake: the frosting is not enough to cover completely all around. There is a simple reason behind: I find the frosting very sweet and decadent so I wouldn't want it to overpower the freshness of the layers.
But if you need a cake that is completely covered, you can make more by increasing the frosting ingredients with ⅓ of the original quantity.
A side note
I don't normally make a lot of cakes with buttercream frosting as they require large quantities of powdered sugar. So this cake might seem a bit too sweet for the ones that are used to my general cake style.
However the sugar here has a stabilising function so I don't recommend you to decrease it: neither in the layers nor in the frosting. It keeps the layers moist and spongy and makes the frosting fluffy.
Still I think this cake is not to be missed! The contrast between the light layer texture and the decadent frosting, in addition to the flavor contrast make this cake really special!
Decoration
The beauty of this cake is in the simple decoration. Use a spoon to make swirls on the top of the cake and then sprinkle gently with hazelnuts and chopped chocolate.
Other decoration ideas might be to sprinkle dried lemon zest or use candied lemon peels.
I hope you would like this cake! It was a long planned project which I was very happy to bring into reality!
If you are a fan of the decadent citrus desserts, here are few more recipes you might enjoy:
📝 Recipe
Lemon Cake with Chocolate Hazelnut frosting
Equipment
- 7 inch/ 18 cm spring form pan
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
For the lemon layers:
- 1 cup/ 200 g granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup / 80 ml olive oil , or other vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups/ 180 g all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup / 80 ml cup buttermilk, see notes
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest , or 2 teaspoon lemon extract
For the chocolate hazelnut frosting:
- 2 cups/ 240 g powdered sugar
- ¾ cup / 180 g butter, soft
- 2 tbsp/ 15 g cocoa powder
- ½ cup/ 150 g chocolate hazelnut spread, like Nutella
- ¼ cup/ 60 ml whole milk or cream
Instructions
Lemon layers:
- Preheat oven to 360º F/ 180º C. Line two 7 inch/ 18 cm baking tins with circles of parchment paper. Grease very well the tins.
- In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix very well. Optionally you can sift them all together (recommended).
- In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs and the sugar with an electric mixer for 5 minutes. The mixture should at least double its volume.
- Add the lemon zest or extract and the oil. Beat shortly to combine.
- Using a rubber spatula gradually add the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk. Make sure the flour is well absorbed in the batter and there are no lumps remaining.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre of each comes out clean.
- Let the bases cool until room temperature before preparing the frosting and assembling the cake. For best results refrigerate them for 3-4 hours or overnight.
Chocolate hazelnut frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl beat together the butter and the chocolate spread with an electric mixer until fluffy.
- Gradually add the cocoa powder and the powdered sugar, mixed together. Beat with the mixer at medium speed until the dry ingredients are absorbed. Alternate with the milk or cream.
- When all the ingredients are incorporated, switch to high speed. Beat for additional 1-2 minutes so the mixture becomes fluffier.
To assemble the cake:
- Using a long serrated knife cut horizontally the layers in two.
- Place one layer on a serving plate. Spread about ¼ of the frosting on top.
- Cover with another layer. Continue the process until using all layers. Spread on the top the remaining frosting. Spread gently around the cake, just to cover any holes between the layers.
- Refrigerate for 4-5 hours or overnight. Decorate with chocolate, hazelnuts and/ or lemon zest before serving.
Notes
- Instead of buttermilk you can use any kind of milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar.
- For an extra strong lemon flavor you can combine both lemon zest and extract.
- This is a naked cake: the frosting is not enough to cover it well all around. Increase the frosting ingredients with ⅓ if you want a completely frosted cake.
- You can make ahead the layers and freeze them for up to 3 month, wrapped in 2-3 sheets of plastic wrap.
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