Today calls for celebration with cake! As one would need a special occasion to eat cake. But, nonetheless, today we celebrate with a loaded Nutella, chocolate, and Ferrero Rocher cake. It is as delicious as it is gorgeous. Four layers of pure delicious goodness.
You can keep my minimalistic decoration, or you can go over the top, and add additional Ferrero Rocher candy, Hanuta pieces, and those miniature jars of Nutella, if you can find them. For me, though, this was perfect.
The reason behind not pressing the truffle layer on the one, but instead gently layering it by spoonfuls, is to keep its texture. If you press it in, you risk making it denser, like a spread. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is not the texture we want here. And finally, to slice the cake, pour some hot water into a jug, place in a thin blade knife, dry if off, then carefully slide it through all of the layers.
Ingredients
For the crunchy Ferrero Rocher base
200 grams hazelnut wafers
8 Ferrero Rocher candies
200 grams Nutella, softened
For the chocolate Nutella layer
100 grams cooking chocolate
2 tablespoons Nutella, softened
2 tablespoons double cream
For the milk chocolate truffle layer
300 grams milk chocolate
250 ml double cream
100 grams Ferrero Rocher crumbs
100 grams dark chocolate, roughly grated
For the dark chocolate truffle layer
300 grams extra dark chocolate
250 ml double cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar
2 teaspoons dark rum
For the decoration
100 grams cooking chocolate
8 Ferrero Rocher or Ferrero Rondnoir
Preparation
Start by lining a round cake ring (15 cm) with acetate, for an easier cake removal. Make sure the acetate strip is tall enough for you to pour in the fillings. Once you have prepared the pan, crush the wafers and Ferrero Rocher in a food processor, or by hand, but do not crush them too finely, leave a variety of crumb sizes, it will make the texture of the base better. Pour the crumbs into a large bowl, and add the softened Nutella. Stir gently in the beginning, then, as it starts coming together, you can stir more vigorously. Do not worry if the base seems to be a tad soft, it will firm up in the refrigerator. Once the base is done, place the cake ring on the serving platter, and press it in. It will be sticky, but be patient with it, and it will spread out evenly. Set the base aside and start making the fillings.
To make the fudgy chocolate layer, melt the chocolate over very low heat, along with the double cream. Keep stirring it as it melts, so it does not burn. Once melted, remove it from the heat, and let it cool down a bit, then stir in the Nutella. Keep stirring until it melts completely, then pour it over the base layer, and place the platter in the refrigerator.
Next, make the chocolate mousses. The preparation is the same for both of them. Chop up the dark chocolate, and the milk chocolate, and place them into separate medium bowls. Pour the double cream in two heavy-bottomed saucepans, and let it almost come to a boil. It needs to just be hot enough to melt the chocolate. Remove the cream from the stove, and pour it over the chocolate in the bowls. Let it stand for a minute, then mix it well with a spatula.
Once they are almost at room temperature, place both bowls in the refrigerator to help it cool down almost completely. Take a hand–held mixer and beat the milk chocolate Ganache, on the highest setting for a few minutes, until it becomes smooth and creamy. Add in the Ferrero Rocher crumbs, and the grated chocolate, and blend well. Take the base out of the refrigerator, and drop in the chocolate filling by the spoonful onto the base, gently shaking the platter to evenly distribute it, smooth the top, and place it back in the refrigerator. Repeat the mixing procedure with the dark chocolate Ganache, whipping it up with the icing sugar, and the rum, until it becomes lighter in colour. Very carefully drop it by the spoonful onto the dark chocolate mousse, smooth the top, and return it to the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
Once the cake is ready, melt the chocolate in a double boiler, or in the microwave, let it cool down ever so slightly, then drizzle it on top of the cake, and down the sides. Place the Ferrero Rocher on the top of the cake, so each slice has a candy on top. Add your centrepiece in the centre of the cake, if using, or decorate it further with some additional chocolate shavings, pieces of Hanuta, or Ferrero Rondnoir. Keep the cake refrigerated until serving time. Yields 8 servings. © TINA VESIĆ