Nutella Cake
on May 11, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.
This Nutella cake takes a simple pound cake up a notch (or three!) with the Nutella swirled through it and crunchy hazelnuts on top! It’s sweet, warm, melty, buttery… and totally mouthwatering!
Why you’ll love it
Finally – something to make with that big jar of Nutella instead of eating it with a big spoon straight from the jar!
Swirl it through a rich and buttery cake batter, scatter whole hazelnuts on top, and you’ve made yourself very popular with the Nutella lovers among us.
Test the theory by taking this along to your next picnic, BBQ, or special occasion!
Here’s a quick summary of what you’ll love:
- So simple. Whip this up so quickly and easily with just Nutella, hazelnuts, and the usual cake ingredients – butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and flour.
- Crowd-pleasing nutty and chocolate flavor.
- An easy way to elevate a simple pound cake. The swirls of Nutella in the cake are so easy to achieve, but look impressive. And let’s not forget the crunchy whole hazelnuts studding the top!
About the ingredients
You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.
- Unsalted butter: The buttery flavor is key in this simple cake, so I don’t recommend replacing it with another kind of fat. Salted butter would be OK, too.
- Sugar: Just regular white sugar! You can use fine sugar (caster sugar) if you like.
- Eggs: I usually use large free range eggs.
- Vanilla essence: I like pure vanilla extract.
- Flour: Just regular all-purpose flour.
- Nutella: Any brand will work.
How to make a simple Nutella cake
To make this simple Nutella swirl cake, all you’ll need is a large mixing bowl, a hand-held electric mixer, and a loaf pan. It comes together quickly in just a few easy steps!
Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar together with a hand-held whisk until fluffy and pale (usually a few minutes).
Step 2: Whisk in the eggs one by one.
Step 3: Stir in the dry ingredients.
Step 4: Now comes the fun part! Roughly split the cake batter into three (just in the bowl – nothing fancy).
Spread the first third over the bottom of the loaf tin. Then warm some Nutella for a few seconds in the microwave before spooning it over.
Cover with a second layer of cake batter, a second layer of Nutella, then a final layer of cake.
Don’t worry that the cake layers are thin – they’ll rise up beautifully!
Just one thing left to do before tossing the cake in the oven – press a big handful of hazelnuts into the top. They add a really complimentary crunch.
Bake for around 50 minutes, then let cool before slicing and enjoying each sweet, chocolate-hazelnut-y, super buttery mouthful!
Helen’s Top Tips
- After you add the dry ingredients, don’t overmix. Mix just until all the flour is combined.
- Leave a small border between the Nutella and the edge of the loaf tin so that it doesn’t all ooze out – but don’t worry about getting it perfect.
- You’ll see the layers of nutella in the finished cake. For more of a marble effect, you can swirl the nutella into the raw batter a little with the tip of a knife.
- Bear in mind that the cook time can vary depending on your oven. Check for doneness after 35 to 40 minutes and take it from there. If it starts to brown too much, simply tent some aluminium foil over the top.
- Try serving it while it’s still warm!
- For a tasty twist on the recipe, why not try using Biscoff spread and almonds instead (or as well as!) Nutella?
Just look at those swirls!
Recipe FAQs
You’ll need a 9 X 5 inch bread loaf pan for this easy nutella cake. Remember to line it with baking paper before pouring in the batter.
Your cake is done when it’s well risen, golden brown and starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. The top should feel firm and will spring back when you push it down. To be sure, insert a skewer or small sharp knife into the very center. It should come out clean, perhaps with a few sticky crumbs on, but not raw batter. Make sure you’re testing in the cake part, not the melty Nutella layers!
You can keep this cake for 3 to 4 days if stored in an airtight container. I would wrap it in baking paper too for maximum freshness. If you want to keep it longer, you can freeze it for up to 3 months. Cool the cake completely first, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap, foil or parchment paper before freezing in a freezer safe bag or airtight container.
More easy loaf cakes
- Sticky lemon curd cake has been a favorite around here for years!
- This air fryer banana bread is a small-batch treat that turns out well every time.
- This 6-ingredient lemon and ricotta cake is moist and tangy but really easy to make.
- Try this healthy pumpkin cake when pumpkin is in season. No one will believe it’s a healthier loaf cake!
Or see more easy cakes.
Easy Nutella Cake
Equipment
- 9 X 5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
- 8 ounces butter, (or 2 sticks)
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup Nutella
- ⅓ cup whole hazelnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 1325F/160C (fan oven – increase to 355F/180C in a conventional oven). Line a loaf pan (roughly 9 x 5 inches) with baking paper and set aside.
- Leave the butter out of the fridge for a while to soften. Then add it to a large bowl with the sugar. Cream it together with a hand-held whisk until light and fluffy (two or three minutes).8 ounces butter, 1 cup sugar
- Add in the eggs one by one and whisk until well combined, then whisk in the vanilla.4 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
- Add the flour and baking powder and stir in with a wooden spoon until well mixed (don’t be tempted to over-mix).2 cups plain flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pour roughly ⅓ of the cake batter into the bottom of the loaf pan. Then warm the Nutella in a microwave (15 seconds or so should do it) and pour half of it over the batter in the pan. You can swirl the Nutella into the batter with the tip of a knife if you like.1 cup Nutella
- Pour another ⅓ of the batter over the Nutella layer, followed by the rest of the Nutella. Finally, top with the last layer of cake batter.
- Sprinkle with hazelnuts, pressing lightly into the top, then bake the cake for about fifty minutes or until the cake is well risen and has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan.⅓ cup whole hazelnuts
- Let cool for ten minutes in the pan, then remove and let cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Just made this tonight and everyone loved it including me! So moist, buttery and chocolatey!! Wonderful recipe
I’m extremely happy to hear this, Sobia! I hope it becomes a family favorite, and thank you so much for letting me know! 🙂
Just found this recipe, baked tonight and it’s looking good! Thank you
Hello Rebecca. I hope you enjoyed it! 🙂
Made this today, best cake I’ve made to date really tasty
I agree about the cooking times took approx 15 mins longer
Hi Paula! So glad you enjoyed it (that’s a huge compliment!). And thanks for the feedback on the cooking time. I’ll have to take another look at the recipe and perhaps edit the cooking time. 🙂