Almond Nutella Cake Recipe (Dacquoise)
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This almond nutella cake walks on the wild side. It’s a flavor explosion – combining the best of some of my favorite deserts. It has the coffee goodness of a tiramisu cream with the nutty sweetness of macaroons and is laced with chocolatey nutella. The layers are kind of like giant macarons but the batter is not as finicky and is much more forgiving.
This cake can be made in advance since it is best served the next day, after the almond layers have had a chance to soften and take on some of the coffee infused cream. This is also a gluten free cake! That’s great news for those of you who are gluten free! 🙂
This cake was based on a recipe shared with me by one of my readers, Anna. It is exactly as she described, “delicious.” P.S. Anna also adds shaved chocolate espresso beans between the layers and over the top, but I couldn’t find any and was way too eager to make the cake! Anna, thank you so much for sharing this goodness with me :).
Ingredients for Macaron/Almond Cake Layers:
325 grams super finely ground almond flour (*see note below) *measured correctly
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup.
1/4 tsp salt
6 large egg whites, room temp
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
*Note on measuring/weighing flour: I weighed the almond flour, but if you don’t have a kitchen scale, you can measure out 3 1/2 cups almond flour using this method: spoon flour into the measuring cup and scrape off the top without packing flour down. Watch our easy video tutorial on how to measure correctly!
For Frosting, Filling & Toppings:
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp coffee extract or almond liquor or chocolate liquor
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 to 1/2 of a 26.5 oz Nutella jar
Semisweet chocolate bar for decor
Prep:
1. Trace three 8-inch circles on parchment paper (I baked all 3 layers at once – two on one large baking sheet and one on a second sheet). Trace in a bold pen or permanent marker then flip the paper over so you can see the tracing without putting the batter directly over the marker. Lightly butter top of the parchment paper with a paper towel. Arrange baking racks for both pans to fit in the center of the oven (the first was in the top third of the oven and the second was in the bottom third).
How to Make the Almond Nutella Cake Layers:
1. In a large bowl, combine: 325 grams almond flour (3 1/2 cups lightly packed) with 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt, and thoroughly whisk together until no large clumps of flour remain.
2. In the clean/dry bowl of your KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat 6 egg whites on high speed for 1 minute or until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, add in 1/2 Tbsp vanilla. With the mixer still on, add 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating on high speed for 2-3 min or until stiff but manageable.
3. Fold the egg whites into the almond meal gently, about 1/2 cup at a time until no streaks remain.
4. Divide and spread batter evenly onto the three traced circles of your parchment paper. The more evenly you spread them now, the prettier they will be when stacked later. Bake at 325˚F for 12 min, rotate pans and bake another 12 min. Turn oven off and keep in the oven another 15 min. You want the top to be dry and crunchy on the outside and soft inside. Remove from oven and let cool to room temp.
Making the Frosting:
1. In the bowl of your mixer, combine 3 cups heavy whipping cream with 1/4 cup sugar and beat on high speed (1 min) until soft peaks form, add in 2 tsp coffee extract and 2 tsp vanilla extract and continue mixing on high (1-2 min) until spreadable but don’t overbeat or you’ll end up with a lumpy buttery cream. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate frosting until ready to use.
Assembling the Almond Nutella Cake:
1. Spread nutella on the bottom of two of your cake layers and set aside. Add nutella based on how sweet you like your cakes – I used 1/2 a tub for my fierce sweet tooth but you can use less 1/3 if you prefer less sweetness
2. Place the third cake layer (without nutella on it) on a cake stand and cover generously with frosting. Top with the next layer, nutella-side-down. Cover the top with frosting. Repeat with last layer then frost the top and sides of the cake. I piped a border around the top of the cake with my Wilton Open-star frosting tip.
3. Top with chocolate shavings, chocolate curls, or grated chocolate covered espresso beans. Refrigerate the cake for 6-8 hours, or overnight since the almond layers need time to soften up; otherwise it will be difficult to slice the cake. Also, for ease of slicing, remove the cake from the refrigerator about 30 min before serving.
Tip: I made the chocolate curls by melting chocolate then spreading it thinly over the back of a baking sheet. Once it cooled, I scraped the pan with a food scraper to make the curls. You could also use a butter knife.
Almond Nutella Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for Almond Cake Layers:
- 325 grams super finely ground almond flour, *or 3 1/2 cups, see note below
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup.
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 large egg whites, room temp
- 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
For Frosting, Filling & Toppings:
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp coffee extract or almond liquor or chocolate liquor
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 to 1/2 of a 26.5 oz Nutella jar
- Semisweet chocolate bar for decor
Instructions
Prep:
-
Trace three 8-inch circles on parchment paper (I baked all 3 layers at once - two on one large baking sheet and one on a second sheet). Trace in a bold pen or permanent marker then flip the paper over so you can see the tracing without putting the batter directly over markings. Lightly butter top of parchment paper with a paper towel. Arrange baking racks with the first rack in the top third of the oven and the second in the bottom third.
How to Make the Almond Cake Layers: Preheat Oven to 325˚F.
-
In a large bowl, combine: 325 grams almond flour with 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt, and thoroughly whisk together until no large clumps of flour remain.
-
In the clean/dry bowl of your KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat 6 egg whites on high speed for 1 minute or until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, add in 1/2 Tbsp vanilla then add 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating on high speed for 2-3 min or until stiff but manageable.
-
Fold the egg whites into the almond meal gently, about 1/2 cup at a time until no streaks remain.
-
Divide and spread batter as evenly as possible (they'll stack better later!) onto the three traced circles of your parchment paper. Bake at 325˚F for 12 min, rotate pans between racks and bake another 12 min. Turn oven off and keep in the oven another 15 min. You want it to be dry and crunchy on the outside and semi-soft inside. Remove from oven and let cool to room temp on a wire rack.
Making the Frosting:
-
In the bowl of your mixer, combine 3 cups heavy whipping cream with 1/4 cup sugar and beat on high speed (1 min) until soft peaks form, add 2 tsp coffee extract and 2 tsp vanilla extract and continue mixing on high (1-2 min) until spreadable (don't overbeat). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Assembling Cake:
-
Spread Nutella on the bottom of two of your cake layers and set aside. Add Nutella based on how sweet you like your cakes - I used 1/2 a tub for my fierce sweet tooth but you can use less 1/3 if you prefer less sweetness.
-
Place the third cake layer (without Nutella on it) on a cake stand and cover generously with frosting. Top with the next layer, Nutella-side-down. Cover the top with frosting. Repeat with last layer then frost the top and sides of the cake. I piped a border around the top of the cake with my large Wilton open-star frosting tip.
-
Top with chocolate shavings, chocolate curls, or grated chocolate covered espresso beans. Refrigerate cake 6-8 hours, or overnight since the almond layers need time to soften up; otherwise it will be difficult to slice.
Recipe Notes
*On measuring/weighing flour: I weighed 325 grams almond flour, but if you don't have a kitchen scale, you can measure out 3 1/2 cups almond flour using this method: spoon flour into the measuring cup and scrape off the top without packing flour down.
Tip: I made the chocolate curls by melting chocolate then spreading it thinly over the back of a baking sheet. Once it cooled, I scraped the pan with a food scraper to make the curls. You could also use a butter knife.
Tip: For ease of slicing, remove the cake from the refrigerator about 30 min before serving.
♥ FAVORITE THINGS ♥
Shown in this post: (nope, no one paid us to write this; just stuff we love):
*The lovely turquoise Fiesta Cake Plate with Server.
*One of my 3 fave frosting tips: Wilton 1M Open Star.
*Spread frosting like a pro: OXO Bent Spatula
*Ofcourse the “workhorse”: KitchenAid Pro 6Qt
*Nutella, just in case (good price on Amazon!)
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
This cake is super delicious, we love it ! What would the measurements be for making it a 10inch cake instead of 8inch?
Hi Jessica, I haven’t tested it that way, but if you click over the serving size in the recipe card, you can scale the ingredients list up or down. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha!
Is there a way to see the measurements in metric as well as cups? I find that if the measurements are exact the recipes are more of a success for me
Hi Marissa, for my new recipes you can click Metric so you can view them in grams. You may also use this Ingredient Weight Chart as a reference. I hope that helps!
Made this for my family for Christmas (we make a birthday cake for Jesus every year)! Really easy to make and really clear instructions, nice that’s it gluten free. Looked quite upscale, would be great for company. My husband and kids love nuttela so it was an all around hit! Will definitely make again.
I’m glad you and your family enjoyed this cake, Paige!
strawberries
cut thinly into circles would be good in between the layers?
Hi Jessica, I haven’t tested it. That could be nice if you were planning to eat it right away, but this cake is best after it has had time to rest and soften. The strawberries might get weird after sitting for a while.
I made this cake and it was amazing. My daughter is not a fan of coffee so I added cocoa powder to the frosting instead. I am going to make it again and was wondering if I can pipe the batter into the parchment paper?
Would it be too thick if I did?
Hi Nanette, I haven’t piped it myself, but I imagine that will depend on how thick you pipe it.
Hi Natasha,
This cake looks very tempting with all my favorite flavors and it’s GLUTEN FREE!!!. I want try this cake during the holidays.I went thru the whole recipe.I have some questions:
1.You mentioned in your recipe that you baked three thin cookie like layers on parchment paper circles on two baking sheets. Two layers on 1 baking sheet in top third of the oven and the 3rd layer on other baking sheet in the bottom third of the oven. After 12 mins of baking you switched top two layers to the bottom and the bottom one layer to the top of the oven and baked another 12mins.Then turn oven off and keep it in the oven for another 15mins.
Just wanted to clarify this. Correct?
2. For frosting the cake can I use the cool whip topping mixed with coffee and frost the cake? What do you recommend/suggest?
Hi, yes the directions are correct. I haven’t tried that for a topping but I think it’s worth a try. You might try to make a small batch of cream to make sure it stays creamy and doesn’t separate.
Finally!!! I see my comment 😄.
Thank you so much for the clarification and prompt response!
Will give you the feedback when I try the cake!
Please make a video on this cake!
Thanks for your suggestion.
Can this be made with 3 whole eggs, instead of 6 egg whites?
Why are the yolks left out? Is it to prevent the “eggy” taste that can sometimes happen if the dessert is overcooked?
Or, could I just use the weight equivalent of “carton” egg whites.
Hi Eman, I can’t make that recommendation without testing it through. I think it would alter the texture of the cake and would require other modifications.
Thank you so much.
I did this for my birthday the other day and everyone loved it! (I just regret it was just enough servings for everyone and I was left with only 1 slice for the next day!)
I did a couple of small changes:
– I used espresso coffe for the cream (I have no idea were to get extract around here and I needed it to be kids friendly, so no licour) and I realized I didn’t had enough vainilla extract until it was too late, so I was worried it would end up a little “meh”, so I added almond praline to the top for decoration, taste and a little crunch.
– Because I have a bad record with cakes with this much cream holding up, I added gelatin to it, which of course worked great. The problem was that the cream didn’t stick to the nutella, so it slided when trying to eat it (my 7 year old nephew was very annoyed by that :P), maybe I should have let it out for a few minutes before serving it.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi, I’m going to attempt to make this but noticed you haven’t used butter. I’m not the greatest at baking so want to check if it’s essential for this cake or not? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Rosie, that is correct no butter in the cake.
I would love to make this for a party.
What keeps the whipped cream from liquifying the next day? I usually stabilize mine with gelatin or mascarpone, is that not necessary with your recipe? Tyia
Hi, Dieseele! we enjoy our cake fresh but I think that would work to make it 2 days ahead, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.The cream should hold up.
Have you tried it with almond liquor and if yes, what brand do you use?
Hi Sara, I have not tested that to advise. If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
This cake is super delicious, we love it ! What would the measurements be for making it a 10inch cake instead of 8inch?
Hi Jessica, in the recipe card, use to level to adjust the “serving size” and this will help you figure how much more to make.
Hi, do you bake the dough on a sheet pan that’s lined with parchment paper?
Hi Galina, yes, we bake it on the parchment rounds 🙂 See photos in the recipe. I hope that helps!
Can you freeze this cake?
Hi Irene, I honestly haven’t tried and I’m not sure it would freeze well since whipped cream doesn’t hold up very well when frozen and thawed.
I froze it and it tasted amazing straight from the freezer. It’s almost like an icecream cake or even better. Also, if you leave it at room temperature for a couple hours, it tastes delicious even after freezing.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Made this cake on Saturday and had it for dessert yesterday! It was delicious!!! Everyone loved it! I noticed that although I refrigerated it overnight, the layers that I baked were still a little hard (not fully soft). What can I do differently next time?
Hi Katya, I have found that making sure there is enough whipped cream between each layer. The whipped cream that touches the layers is what softens the layers. You can also keep it on the counter a couple of hours before refrigerating which will help to speed up the softening.
Hi Natasha!
I was wondering if it would be ok to make and assemble this cake 2 days prior to serving? Like if I was to make it on a Thursday would it be ok to serve Saturday or do you think it would get to soft? Thanks!
Hi Lena, I think that would work to make it 2 days ahead, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Great, thank you!
You’re welcome Lena!
Can this cake be made with Keto Ingredients? Almond flour is great, what about the sugar substitute?
Hi Linda, I honestly haven’t tried substituting the sugar because I think the meringue would not form properly. If you experiment, let me know 🙂
I have a question, my sister in law is also lactose intolerance. What would be your suggestions to substitute Heavy whipping cream with?
Hi Anna, I haven’t tested that but there are several recipes online like this one for dairy free whipping cream using coconut milk. If you test that out, let me know how it goes! 🙂
Hello Natasha,
I was thinking of making this cake, and pouring ganache over the top of the cake (instead of doing the white cream). What do you think of that idea? I don’t want it too sweet and love the flavor of nuts with chocolate (hello Nutella!).
The flavors remind me of a cake I tried at the Empress Hotel in Victoria BC, it was more chocolate heavy than yours. See it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4tz-S_ZG0k . I’ve been on the hunt for that Empress Cake recipe for a long time. Haven’t had much luck since it’s their signature. 🙁 Let me know if you might have tips though!
Regards,
Ella
Hi Ella, I think the whipped cream frosting is still necessary to soften the cake. The layers absorb the moisture from the cream overnight and soften. You might be able to pour ganache over it the following day after it has softened. Also that cake you linked looks incredible!!
This cake was pure deliciousness!! Before making it I searched through the comments in hopes of seeing if someone used anything besides coffee extract because I didn’t have any and didn’t find any at my grocery store (didn’t want to go to any other ones) so what I did was take two teaspoons of instant coffee and mixed it with a little bit of water and added it to the cream instead of the extract. It worked perfectly well! Thank you for such an amazing recipe 🙂
You’re welcome Oksana! I’m glad to hear how much you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers!
This is so rich and yummy, like tiramisu only better. I made this cake last week for choir practice, and it was a huge hit, especially since it is gluten-free.
One change I made that I highly recommend, I used Nocciolata by Rigoni di Asiago instead of Nutella. One 270 g (9.52 oz) bottle was perfect for the entire cake. The main reason I used Nocciolata was because of the organic ingredients plus it has NO PALM OIL.
I am doing my best to read ingredient labels and not buy foods containing palm oil. Not only is the farming method contributing to climate warming (burning of the rain forests), but I can’t stand seeing the photos of the baby orangutans and their parents, whose rain forest homes are destroyed when the trees are burned. Nocciolata made a wonderfully tasty and palm oil free substitute.
I’m glad you enjoy the recipe Melene! Thanks for sharing your review and tips with other readers! 🙂
I’ve made this for my guests a couple days ago. Everyone absolutely loved it, adults and toddlers. There was not a crumb left. Thank you for sharing. It’s a keeper!
My pleasure! That really is great to hear! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Hey Natasha! This cake looks so delicious! Can I substitute the almond flower with regular? (I know it won’t taste the same, but want to try it out cuz of the nutella 😉 And since I have a sleeping li’l babe, gotta use the time quickly and going to the store for the Almond flower is not an option at the moment …
Hi Olga, with this particular cake, all-purpose flour won’t work. The consistency just would not be the same…
Ok, that’s what I figured. Thank you anyway 😘
Hi Natasha!
I would like to pipe roses all over this cake, sides and top. Do you think this frosting will hold up well, especially for the roses that will be “vertical” on the sides of the cake? I will be making this cake about 14 hours ahead before serving, so I want to make sure the piped roses won’t lose their shape. Thank you so much! And thank you for your blog, this is my go-to website for new recipes!:)
Hi Anna, whipped cream is kind of tricky for piping roses, especially on the side. I’m not sure they would stay…
Thanks for your response. If I pipe the same border as you have on the picture, do you think it will stay if I make the cake about 14 hours in advance?
Hi Anna, yes that will stay the way it is piped on the cake. It does need to be refrigerated overnight before enjoying so it is definitely good to store for 14 hours 🙂
Hello Natasha!
I made this cake before, and I LOVE it!!! Its so delicious! I have guests coming over tomorrow and I decided to make it a little bigger (using 9 egg whites and more flour as well) but now I have 9 egg yolks sitting on the counter. Do you know anything that I can make to use them up? I would hate them to go to waste.
Love all your recipes. So easy to follow and taste amazing!
Hi Inna, I don’t really have many egg yolk only recipes. My custard cake uses alot of egg yolks.
Just saw this, but yolks are always good for creme brule : )
Hey Natasha, a few guest will be coming over shortly and I really wanted to try this recipe out today! Would you recommend not serving this cake right away because of the taste? Or will it just effect the texture?
Hi Milana, this cake needs to soften overnight otherwise it will be really difficult to slice. It is necessary to serve the next day and NOT right away. It will affect the taste and texture as the cake layers soften and absorb the cream. 🙂
Making this cake right now, just wanted to ask why in number 4 instructions u said macaron batter? Hoping it turns out good.
Hi Tonya, sorry if that was confusing. It is like a “macaron” cake because of the ingredients and I guess that’s where I was going with that :). I removed the word macaron to reduce confusion 🙂 I hope you love it!
The cake was so delicious, all of my favorite flavors combined!! Im making it again today 😋, and i did bake it a little less this time to make the layers softer, total bake time 20 min. And left in the oven 13min. Thank you for a great recipe.
You are very welcome Tonya and thank you for another great review 😁.
Hi Natasha,
Thanks a lot for the great delicious recipe. I have a question though, the cream turned out to be more of a fluid which make it uncontrollable and falls from the sides and of course can’t make the decoration with it though I tried to put it in the freezer for a while to hold with no improvements.
Please advise!
Hi Lamyaa, it’s important to beat the cream until it is stiff and spreadable. It sounds like it needed to be whipped a little longer. Also, for best results, you should use cold HEAVY whipping cream which has a higher fat content than regular whipping cream and whips better. I don’t think putting it into the freezer would help if the cream is too loose. You may need to re-whip some cream and frost the outsides with stable whipped cream.
Hi Natasha,
I’m looking forward to baking this cake for my husband’s birthday. Just a few questions to help clarify.
1. What do you mean when you say to “rotate pans between racks” when baking it?
2. Do I refrigerate the cake over night already fully decorated? Or do I put on the final frosting the next day, after being refrigerators? Also, so I need to cover it while it’s in the refrigerator?
Thank You!
1. Since all of the cake layers do not fit on one level, I put the oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and then I rotate them while baking (I move the top cake layers to the bottom rack and vice versa).
2. Refrigerate the cake fully decorated. This is important since the cake layers need to absorb the moisture from the cream to soften up. It’s best to cover it in the refrigerator so it doesn’t absorb other food odors.
Would it be ok to use to use coffee liquor instead of extract?
I think that would work fine, although you might get more coffee flavor with the extract versus the liquor for the amount that is needed in the cream.
Hi Natasha,
I wanted to bake this cake for a wedding but it came out to be a total failure. I tried to follow the recipe exactly but maybe I did something wrong. Because my batter came out super dense and was not easily spreadable. And the layers were rough and unmanageable. Is it important to spoon the flour into a measuring cup? Because I just measured it out of the bag. I probably used too much flour.
Hi Susan, I’m sorry to hear that! It’s best to weight the flour for this but if you don’t have a kitchen scale, I have this note above: “*Note on measuring/weighing flour: I weighed the almond flour, but if you don’t have a kitchen scale, you can measure out 3 1/2 cups almond flour using this method: spoon flour into the measuring cup and scrape off the top without packing flour down.” Having too much flour will make the batter and layers the way you described.
So the almond flour comes in a little bag of 453grams (I believe). .. and I don’t know when the next time I will buy that much flour for $10.99…. so I used the entire bag and 9 egg whites, every else is same…came out beautifully!! Gonna taste it on Sunday.
Oh I’m so happy to hear it turned out great :). I hope you all love it! 🙂
Hi Natasha, I really wanted to make this cake for my daughter’s bday but I’m a little worried to put coffee extract since it has alcohol. You think it’s gonna be safe for kids?
I wouldn’t worry about it at all. The amount of alcohol in the extract is so minuscule that it’s totally fine for kids unless they don’t like the taste of coffee 🙂
Thanks so much for quick reply! Ok, I’ll be making it today, they will love Nutella in it;)
I tried this cake at a friend’s house and my husband and I loved it. So I tried making it at home and I baked the layers on 325 degrees for 24 minutes in my double oven so I didn’t have to rotate. Then I turned off the oven and kept them in there for 15 mins and they were burned. Not like a little but they had like black spots and smelled burned so I ended up throwing them away. Is my oven too hot? Next time should I just watch until they turn golden? I’ve tried so many of your recipes and never had a problem with the outcome this is a first lol
Hi Valentina, first of all thank you! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes. That is very strange about the cake burning. Are you certain you didn’t accidentally set the oven too hot? I’ve never seen a cake burn and turn black after 24 minutes at 325˚F.
Can I use almond extract in place of the coffee extract??
I liked the coffee flavor in this cake – it helps cut through the sweetness of the layers and nutella. It would work with almond extract but wonk’t taste the same.
Ok! Thank you! What is almond liquor, if I may ask? How does it differ from almond extract?
It has an alcohol base and is basically almond flavored alcohol.
Hey, Natasha! I just made the layers for the cake, but for some reason they’re a bit thin. Do you know what could have gone wrong?
Hi Vika, mine were fairly thin too. They are kind of like large cookies that soften from the cream overnight. How thin were they?
Hello, do u know if almond meal will work instead of almond flour? Thank you! Love this site and use so many recipes all the time!
Thank you Mariya :). Most bags will say almond meal/flour. Make sure it is a super finely ground almond meal. If it’s not, pulse it several times in a food processor.
Hi Natasha!
Yesterday was my Birthday and I made this cake. I loved it, it was delicious!! Thank you!
Happy Birthday Eleni! I’m so happy you liked it 🙂
Thank you for such a beautiful recipe! I have made this cake a few times, however, I would like to know the weight of your egg whites. Because once I fold the almond meal into the egg whites, its not loose enough to spread onto the parchment paper. The last time I made it, I whipped more eggwhites and folded them thru the mixture to achieve a similar consistency to your photos. Can you please weigh how much 6 egg yolks are, as I believe our large eggs are much smaller than yours.
Many thanks, Vicki.
If you are using home chicken eggs, they might be different. 2 large egg whites = 65 grams, so x 3 = 195 grams.
Many thanks, I appreciate your prompt response! (I also just realised that the last part of my question asks for the weight of 6 egg yolks, yes, I did mean egg whites!).
Here we can also buy fresh egg whites in a carton, so knowing the weight is a bonus!
That’s great! Thanks Vicki 🙂
Do you think I could use coconut sugar instead of regular granulated sugar in the cake batter?
To be honest I haven’t baked with coconut sugar so without testing it myself I couldn’t really say yes or no. If you test it out, let me know what you thought of it. Is it much healthier than granulated sugar?
Oh goodness im so excited to try this cake for my hubby this weekend! I have a question, if i bake the cake layers on friday and store in cake carriers to frost on Saturday night and then eat on sunday, will it work, or be soggy, or hard? Or do i have to bake it and cream it all in one day?
Julie, I have not tested pre-making the layers but I think it would work to leave them at room temperature or wrapped in plastic bag. They will probably firm up if you leave them at room temperature but after the cake is assembled, frosting will soften them while they sit in the fridge overnight, so that should not be an issue :).
This cake is amazing! During my pregnancy I was craving good, quality cake and even French bakeries didn’t satisfy. The day I planned to attempt baking this, I went into labor, so didn’t get to it until 2 weeks later! I absolutely hate baking and Often don’t get good results, but the instructions made it foolproof and almond flour is so much easier to work with than regular flour!
The cake was divine! Exactly what I had been craving for months, not too sweet, great layer of flavor!
I did have a slight struggle with frosting as it turned out too runny! Advice?
With whipped cream, you just beat it a little longer to get it thicker. Beat until thick and spreadable. Just be careful not to over beat or it will turn buttery. Congratulations by the way!! I definitely wasn’t baking cakes right after having my baby. I’m very impressed! 🙂
Hi Natasha. I would like to make this cake for my son. The problem is, I can’t get heavy whip cream and coffee extract. What do you recommend as substitutes?
I’m not sure since the cake relies on the whipping cream to soak up some of it and soften. What kinds of products do you have access to – do you have something specific in mind?
The cake is extremely delicious but the frosting cracked after the cake was put in the fridge from the first day! Any tip to overcome such cracks?
I used almond essence instead of the liquor and added extra Nutella because of my passion ?
You mean the whipped cream cracked? That is unusual. Did you possibly overbeat your whipped cream so it turned buttery or underbeat it so it didn’t stay on the cake well?
Wow, this cake is amazing! It was a big hit when I brought it to a get together the other day. It helped having an extra set of hands when placing the layers to get it right. This is definitely a keeper!
Christy, thank you for the great review, I’m happy to hear that everyone loved it :).
Hey! So I just tried to make it, but my dough won’t bake for the time that you set. Is there something I might have done wrong? It’s been a little while and it’s still very soft and liquidy.
Hmmmm, it’s hard to say without being there with you, but it definitely shouldn’t have been liquidy. Did you bake at 325? I wonder if maybe you didn’t add enough of the almond flour? How did you measure the flour? You did a total of 24 minutes then turned the oven off and left them in there another 15 minutes?
Hello Natasha, thank you for this great recipe! But I need your help!!!
My dough did not come out, it was flat when i was spreading it on the sheet and layers came out to be very flat.
Also, when they were baking, they were very dry and hard. I am not sure what I did wrong, because it seems like I did everything by the recipe.
Thank you!
The dough layers are kind of cookie like and they soften overnight in the fridge as they absorb the cream. It’s similar to the spartak cake. Did you layers look different than mine?
Yes my layers looked different from yours. Yours are think and fluffy when you were spreading them on parchment paper. I barely had enough of dough for my layers (although I used 3,1/2 cups like it says in the recipe). My layers came out very thin. In the stove they did not cook in 12 minutes, at that time they were still raw. Since I held them for longer, later they cracked:(
Hi again! It sounds like maybe you under-mixed the egg white mixture or overmixed the batter once it was incorporated with the almond flour. Also, did your almond flour say that it was finely ground? I used the bag sold at Costco. What brand was yours?
Thank you for your support haha, baking is new for me.
I used Red Mill brand, and I don’t think it was finely grounded. I will try making this cake again.
Hi Natasha.
So I made the dough so far for this cake and I let the egg sit in the bowl for a minute or two after I had beat it and it went completely flat when I went to scoop it into the almond meal. The dough turned out very gooey and clumpy. I’m wondering whether I should continue with the baking or just redo it?
Hi Julia, Did the egg whites go flat before you blended them in or after? The dough, after you finish mixing the egg whites in, as you can see in the pictures isn’t very fluffy, it actually is a little gooey and not the easiest dough to spread. This is normal. The layers will be somewhat like soft cookies that harden slightly as they cool. If your egg whites were flat before mixing them in, you probably didn’t mix the egg whites long enough since they shouldn’t flatten after just a couple minutes on the counter – if this was the case, what kind of mixer did you use and how long did you beat the whites? I hope that’s helpful! 🙂
Hi Julia, Did the egg whites go flat before you blended them in or after? The dough, after you finish mixing the egg whites in, as you can see in the pictures isn’t very fluffy, it actually is a little gooey and not the easiest dough to spread. This is normal. The layers will be somewhat like soft cookies that harden slightly as they cool. If your egg whites were flat before mixing them in, you probably didn’t mix the egg whites long enough since they shouldn’t flatten after just a couple minutes on the counter – if this was the case, what kind of mixer did you use and how long did you beat the whites? I hope that’s helpful! 🙂
Hi Julia, Did the egg whites go flat before you blended them in or after? The dough, after you finish mixing the egg whites in, as you can see in the pictures isn’t very fluffy, it actually is a little gooey and not the easiest dough to spread. This is normal. The layers will be somewhat like soft cookies that harden slightly as they cool. If your egg whites were flat before mixing them in, you probably didn’t mix the egg whites long enough since they shouldn’t flatten after just a couple minutes on the counter – if this was the case, what kind of mixer did you use and how long did you beat the whites? I hope that’s helpful! 🙂
So I tried making it again and I made sure that the egg whites were properly beaten (I have a kitchen aid and beat the eggs just like you said, adding a little time in the end to get mine stiff enough) and the second time it turned out very lumpy still. I’m not very good at baking cakes so this is just another one in the pile of failures 🙂
Oh no :(. What part was lumpy? How did your first cake layers turn out? Were they anything like what I had in the picture?
I want to add a few comments to help people that may be having trouble with the cake (i am the reader that send Natasha the recipe). By the way thank you for posting this recipe Natasha, now i just direct friends and family here instead of trying to explain how to make this cake.
Bob red mill is the easiest almond flour to come by- it is not as finely ground as desirable however I have made the cake with it numerous time. I suggest those using this flour SIFT it first.
Clumping is okay, you can still bake it with a few balls of clumpy flour in it, i have done that and mine still turns out fine. The most important part is making sure the egg whites were beat up enough.
The layers should NOT be very hard, if they are you will have a hard time with the cake the next day. Even if it sits with the cream for 12+ hours, if the eggs cook too much it will be too hard and chewy. Also you do not want super thin layers when you spread the cake. My suggestion for my friends that try to make this cake is to always aim for thicker initial layers of the cake. So for example Natasha divided this into 3 layers- others might want to make the dough two times and end up with 4 layers total. Do not attempt to make a double batch, instead actually mix and bake the dough 2 times. This usually works for most people as it is easier to work with this dough when you have more of it.
Thank you so much for sharing your awesome tips and advice! I sure appreciate it 🙂
Another comment, i pull my cake off when the edges just start to turn brown ever so lightly. When i let it cool down it always hardens up a lot more. If you pull your cake layers out and they are already all stiff and exactly how you want them- they are overcooked. They harden up a lot when cool. My layers are always very large 10 by 14 ones and atleast one breaks somewhere.. i just stick it all back together with nutella glue. Timing the cake is probably the hardest part of it.
Thank you so much Anna!
Where can you buy ground almond flour?
Either Costco or FredMeyer usually 🙂 I’m currently using a bag from Costco.
Thank you!:)
YES!!! Definitely making this cake again and again! Loved everything about it!
Awww that’s fantastic!! Thanks Nadia 🙂
I made this cake a week ago and everyone loved it! So so good! I love your spartak cake, tres leches and now this wonderful cake! Oh and of course the carrot cake. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes! Thank you so much Eleonora for sharing your awesome feedback. It’s so inspiring 🙂
Made this beautiful cake a few days ago ! Delicious! And gluten free!!! This is the best cake I’ve ever tried! Natasha, thank you for another great recipe! God bless you!!! 🙂
Tamara, thank you so much for the great review and you are welcome :). God bless you and your family as well!!!
Natasha i was wondering how far in advance i can make this cake. I wanna make it for Easter but i don’t want to bake it Sunday. Thanks!
You want to make it at least 1 day in advance. For best results, I’d recommend making it Saturday if you want to serve it Sunday. You can make it Friday also if you want to, but 1 day ahead would be adequate to give the cake a chance to soften.
Hi Natasha, I made this cake a while back, I think I overbaked the layers, and then I left them in the oven ( with the oven shut off) too long. It was super hard the next day. Is it suppose to be soft the next day? ( I’ll definitely give it another try and follow directions exactly how they are..
Was it hard after it was frosted the next day? I once overbaked, although not by much, and it was still ok the next day after being frosted overnight. After the cake has been assembled and given a chance to soften overnight, it’s definitely soft the next day, not hard.
yes i did the same! it burned a lot from the bottom by leaving it in the oven for 15 more minutes with it off..kinda wish i did not do that but you live and you learn! Also i wish there more clear and specific instructions on how the batter should look after folding in the egg whites or how to whisk it. I realized that when i got to that step and i was like a deer in headlights since i’ve never baked with almond flour before. Another thing i noticed was that the batter was barely enough to make one layer–i had to redo everything over again once i realized there was not enough batter-so basically seven cups of almond flour in order to make 3 layers of the cake evenly spread.
Oh my!!! I am speechless. This cake is a piece of heaven. I made it for my son’s birthday and was a HIT. Every woman kept asking me for a recipe. The taste is so perfect. Just next time I will use less Nutella. THANKS!!!!!
Thank you for such a great review Oksana and you are welcome :).
Wow this sounds sooo good. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
Thanks Simon. I hope you love it! 🙂
Thank you so much for a great recepi. I made this cake for mom’s bday everyone loved it, planning to make it again soon;))
Thank you for the great review Irina and you are welcome :).
Nice recipe. Thanks for sharing recipe. I am planning to make such cake on my sis birthday. We always order a birthday cake from monginis but this time I will try at home.
Thank you Rahul, let me know how it works out :).
Natasha,
Have you tried baking the crust in advance? I wonder if it’s possible to bake this crusts a week prior to assembling the cake.
The most I’ve done was 2 days in advance and kept it covered in a plastic bag at room temperature. 🙂
I absolutely loved this cake! Thank you for sharing it. Question: do you have to use up all the frosting on the cake?
No, you don’t :). You can go lighter on the frosting, but with less frosting, it’s difficult to cover the cake fully and hide the layers on the outside. The frosting is definitely light in sweetness so it isn’t overwhelming even with a little extra 🙂
good
Natasha, my cake layers turned out hard like a grahm cracker…is that OK?
They definitely aren’t soft and cake like. It softens overnight with the cream. When you first take it out of the oven, it should have some softness to it in the center, but when it cools, it does become more cookie-like and that is normal 🙂
I think this is the only hard part of the cake, is figuring out when in a specific oven it is ready. If it is too soft , when you spread nutella it will break apart, if it is too hard it can get crunchy.
Nutella and cake? Yes please!
Made this cake last night for guests and everyone Loved it. I added some rasberries on top, works great with Nutella;) I should have taken it out from the fridge 30 min before serving though; it was a bit hard to slice. Thanks for the recipe!
How long was it refrigerated before you sliced into it? That is a good tip though; I’ll add that to the recipe! Thanks so much Tanya! 🙂
I made this cake tonight and it has sat about two hours in the fridge. My husband couldn’t resist, so I had to give him a piece (of course I had to try too). It’s so delicious already and I love the hint of coffee flavor. I couldn’t find coffee extract so I used a big teaspoon of instant coffee and two teaspoons of water and it tastes awesome in the frosting. He thinks it’s one of the best cakes yet :).
I’m so happy you both enjoyed it! 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your great review and your coffee extract substitution in case someone else may have had a question about that. I sure appreciate it! 🙂
This cake looks wonderful but can I use coconut flour instead of almond flour?
I haven’t tested coconut flour but I don’t think coconut flour would work. I think it has to be a nut flour.
You can NOT use coconut flour, it is too dry and it requires more eggs. I do not know the proportions but coconut needs way more liquid so the layers will not turn out unless you change up the proportions a lot. Often times if you bake with coconut to compensate you will use a ton of eggs.
Do you have to use a stand mixer? I only have hand held…
Hi Elise. You can definitely use a handheld mixer and get the same results. I hope you love it!
Holy cow! I love it. Never seen anything like it, but it has all the flavors I adore! Thanks for sharing, Natasha and Anna!
You’re so welcome! I completely agree. I was sold on this cake just by the list of ingredients that Anna sent over 🙂
I won’t lie, this recipe intimidates me (I’m not the best baker) but it looks delicious and the fact that it’s gluten free is huge (I have a cousin that doesn’t consume gluten).
It really is a very forgiving recipe. You’ll see :). It’s not like making macarons. The frosting is easy and the nutella you just have to spread on. I hope you love it! 🙂
Your cake looks so delicious and instructions are so clear that I plan to try it in a couple of weeks. Since I always enjoy your post, wanted to share a link to the recipe for “nutella” spread http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/chocolate-hazelnut-spread-recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing that. I sure appreciate it.
I got so excited when I saw gluten free! I just found out I’m allergic to eggs and gluten. So such a sad day for me! But I’ll try it virtually. Sniff sniff
Oh no! Eggs and gluten?! That os really tough :-(. Im sorry dear… Did you get tested or have you been ruling things out?
I haven’t cooked in a while, but this looked so good, I wanted to try. Worked out pretty well. A little bit thinner than I had expected (I expected the almond cake layers to rise, but they hardly did. Also, I made a mistake of not putting one layer on a paper, so I could not get it out in one piece (used it in the middle, so nobody would know). Frosting came up a bit on a watery side (on the cake), but it also made the cake light and more moist that I suspect it would be with different type of frosting. I did not have coffee extract, so just mixed a bit of instant coffee grounds with warm water and it worked out fine. Will definitely do it again, but I’ll try to experiment with other flavors: maybe add some orange, or lemon, instead of coffee extract. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Alek, Thank you so much for sharing! You’re right, the almond layers don’t rise much at all – they are more cookie-like than cake-like and once they soak up some of the frosting they soften. How much liquid did you add to the heavy cream – it sounds like mixing coffee grounds with water would produce more liquid than 2 tsp to get much coffee flavor and would make it difficult to get the right consistency of whipped cream. I hope that helps. I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake! Let me know if you experiment with other extracts 🙂
I didn’t add much liquid, just a couple of teaspoons (with absorbed coffee grounds). It gave pretty good coffee flavor. The frosting looked pretty much as expected (reasonably creamy/frothy). I did not mention that I also added some strawberry slices at the top, so maybe this caused a bit more liquid. Although it did not spoil the taste, I probably will not do it again. I want to get a more vanilla/citrus flavor next time I try. Also, for the chocolate shavings, I just used hand shredder (worked out fine). Thanks again for the recipe. Love it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Alek 🙂
I was inspired and made this last night, it turned out great! I made my own almond flour using a Vitamix but it turned out to be more like Almond meal and I was worried that it would be ruined… but it wasn’t! 🙂 It didn’t turn out a nice looking but it sure was delicious. (I think my wife tagged you in the picture of it on Instagram today, so if your curious lol)
Thanks for the recipe!!
Im so happy you liked it! What is your wifes screen name on Instagram? I searched and couldnt find the tagged photo. Did she add the tag #natashaskitchen? Using a vitamix to make the almond flour is a great idea! This cake is very forgiving with the almond flour. Thanks for writing in and sharing your great review! 🙂
Glad to do it! Yep, she did use that hashtag, she’s @taniataryan
Btw, for this who want to make their own Almond flour, turning the blender to full speed and dropping the almonds from the top (with a lid on) a smallhandful at a time works best, otherwise you’ll get the chunkier almond meal 🙂
Thanks so much!
You had me at Nutella, I love this cake!
Thank you Laura! I feel exactly the same way 🙂
Oh man… this cake… I love daquoise and this cake reminds me of a cake from a french boulangerie that I just had 🙂
I have bought hazelnuts twice now to make that hazelnut daquoise cake lol. Each time my husband gets to them before I do.
That sounds really good. I hope to see it on your blog soon!
Just made it, had to once read all the ingredients. Just wanted to check with you that cake layers are more on the thinner side than regular biskvit layers right? I haven’t assembled the layers yet but overall it doesnt look as it’ll be a high cake.. Can’t wa to try it tomorrow:)
Yes The cake layers are thinner then a biskvit with cake. There almost like a thick cookie for each layer and they soften up overnight from the frosting, similar to a spartak cake.
This just looks amazing! =)
Thanks so much Emily! 🙂
I’ve used the recipe below and it it was great! http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/chocolate-hazelnut-spread-recipe#ReviewSection
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!! 🙂
I plan to make this cake for my upcoming birthday. However, I will be making my own “Nutella,” as Nutella in my part of the world, Canada, contains palm oil, and I steadfastly refuse to buy anything that contains palm oil. The manufacture of palm oil is doing the most dreadful disservice to animals and humans that are unfortunate to live where others feel it necessary to chop down forests and plant palm oil trees. I am hoping that you will bear this in mind whenever you purchase items that contain palm oil. If you read product labels,
you will be surprised at how many items use palm oil
Let’s try not to eliminate orangutangs, pigmy elephants, etc. from this beautiful world. It is up to us who care about the planet to help preserve as much of it, in its pristine beauty, as we possibly can.
Do you have good recipe that you follow to make Nutella? I’d love to try it! Thanks for sharing that info 🙂
Hi, Natasha,
I have just made some “Nutella.” Here is the recipe I used.
1 cup hazelnuts
12 oz organic, fair trade chocolate chips, milk or semi-sweet (I used semi-sweet)
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
3 tablespoons, fair trade, organic icing (confectioners’) sugar
1 tablespoon fair trade unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon pure organic vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Mediterranean sea salt (more or less depending on your preference)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. F (176 deg. C)
2. Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for about 12 minutes, until they are browned and the skins are a little blistered.
3. Wrap them in a kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove as much loose skin as possible. (It’s hard to get all the skin off, but that’s OK.) Let the nuts cool completely.
4. Melt the chocolate chips gently in a bowl placed over simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water), or in the microwave.
5. Stir until the chocolate is smooth. Let cool completely.
6. Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor until a paste forms.
7. Add the coconut oil, icing sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt and continue processing until the mixture is as smooth as possible (or as smooth as you like it).
8. Add the melted chocolate and blend well. You can strain the mixture to remove any chunks of hazelnuts that remain, but I don’t.
The mixture will be thin and a bit runny at this point but it will thicken as it cools.
Pour the “Nutella” into a jar and let it cool to room temperature. Cover the jar. It will keep at room temperature for up to two weeks. It will keep longer in the fridge.
Makes about 2 cups.
Give this a try. I hope you like it.
Jeanette
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!! You’re so sweet to take the time to share your detailed recipe. I love it and I sure appreciate it! 🙂
Yum! You had me at macaroon layer! I’ve been pinning cake ideas for hubbys bday next month so this is going on the list.
Katya, I’m honored, Happy Birthday to your hubby and thanks for pinning :).
Omg you made it !!!!!!
Yes!!! Thank you again so much! You’re awesome!! 🙂
Wow this cake looks and sounds delicious!!!!
Thank you Leanna. It sure is. All those pregnancy cravings got the best of me 🙂
can almond flour be substituted for all purpose?
No, but you could make a biskvit cake and use the same fillings and toppings and frosting. Mmmm you’ve got me thinking about a nutella biskvit cake with that coffee infused frosting! 🙂
Oh goodness me, this looks incredible! This type of cake is called “dacquoise” and every time I see one I tell myself I have to make it as it was the type of cake I tried in some random bakery when we were first visiting London years ago and fell in love with. When we moved to London we desperately tried to find it again but never succeeded! It turned into an obsession. lol And became known as the hunt for the crunchy cake” between Brad and I. 🙂 What a lovely recipe!
Thank you Julia! I had no idea there was an official name for it! I added it to the recipe. That’s awesome! Sounds so fancy; now I just need to learn how to pronounce it 🙂
Oh my!! Love the combination!!! Gorgeous cake…
Thank you so much Inessa. 🙂
Oh wow, what a wild idea of a cake. I love that it’s gluten free, I have a few friends that have allergies so this is the King!
Sharing it on Facebook 😉
Thank you so much Natalya for sharing on Facebook. You’re so nice! 🙂 My sister does gluten free but she’s breastfeeding so she is also nut free. I felt bad because I called her and was so excited about he cake until we both realized it was almond based. doh! Now I have to come up with a creative gluten free, nut free cake 🙂 Thanks again!
That makes me think of protein bars 🙂 You can make some with dry fruits, honey and cacao. Yum..
Mmm that does sound good! 🙂