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Nutella Pumpkin Cake Recipe

Looking for a holiday cake that’s a real show-stopper? Have we got a cake for you. This scrumptious Nutella Pumpkin Cake has a moist and flavorful pumpkin base, topped with creamy Nutella frosting and garnished with hazelnuts.

Nutella Pumpkin Cake on a stand with hazelnuts and flowers.

 

The cake has all of your favorite fall spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) and a rich texture. As for the frosting, well… It’s a magnificent work of art. And so easy! It’s just Nutella, sugar, butter, cream, salt, and vanilla. In other words, it’s of the things that will keep your chocolate-loving friends and relatives back to your house. (It’s a longtime favorite at ours.)

What Is Nutella?

First things first: What is Nutella?

Nutella is a sweet, thick spread that contains hazelnuts, sugar, milk, chocolate, and vanilla. The company is more than 50 years old, and the product is recognizable just about anywhere.

But if you don’t know about Nutella, here’s the main thing to remember: It’s addicting and delicious. You can use it on waffles, pancakes, sandwiches, and even straight from the jar to your mouth.

All you have to do is say the word “Nutella” and you can see kids’ and adults’ faces light up.

Can You Make Frosting with Nutella?

Short answer: Yes, just not with stand-alone Nutella, which is usually too thick to use as frosting. If you attempt to spread Nutella alone on a cake, you will probably tear a hole in the cake.

However, Nutella frosting is an entirely different matter. Add some sugar, butter, and cream, and you have the world’s most delectable cake topping.

What Is a Pumpkin Cake?

Pumpkin cake is a super-delicious, fragrant, seasonal cake. We’ve seen lots of similar recipes for pumpkin bread, but not so many for cake. To make this cake even lighter and fluffier than a pumpkin bread, we added an extra egg white and we sifted the flour.

Stand mixer with pumpkin cake batter.

The end result is a silky-smooth batter that’s a brilliant natural orange color.

 

Pumpkin Cake with Nutella Frosting Recipe

Pumpkin Cake with Nutella Frosting

A rich and moist pumpkin cake topped with a feather-light buttercream made with Nutella.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Nutella, pumpkin cake
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 12

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cake

  • 4 medium eggs
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Nutella Frosting and Garnish

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup Nutella
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup hazelnuts (for garnish)
  • edible flowers (for garnish - optional)

Instructions

For the Pumpkin Cake

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, egg white, oil, pumpkin, sugars, and vanilla, and mix until smooth.

  2. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add to the wet mixture and stir again until smooth.

  3. Divide batter into two greased 7-inch springform (round) pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

  4. Let the cakes cool for at least 30 minutes, then release them from the pans. Carefully trim the top of one of the cakes so that it is perfectly flat. Set aside the cakes and prepare the frosting.

For the Nutella Frosting and Cake Assembly

  1. Combine the butter, Nutella, powdered sugar, cream, and salt, and blend until completely smooth. The texture should feel nice and spread-able, not too soft. If necessary, add up to 1/2 cup more powdered sugar to firm it up.

  2. Spread a little less than half the frosting on top of one layer of the cake. Place the second layer on top of the first. Frost the top of the cake, first with an even flat coat, and then with piped decorations as desired.

  3. Garnish the cake with hazelnuts and edible flowers, if desired. Serve or chill until ready to serve.

Serving Nutella Pumpkin Cake

As mentioned in the recipe, you can serve this cake as soon as you make it. You can also chill the cake until you’re ready to serve it.

Cake slice with Nutella jar and full cake in the background.

If you’re going to use hazelnuts and edible flowers as garnishes, wait until the last minute to add them so they don’t get soggy.

Don’t have hazelnuts on hand? You can try something similarly festive, such as sugared cranberries or candied orange rind.

We hope you love it as much as our family does!

P.S. If you’re looking for another festive holiday cake, check out this Cranberry Ginger Parsnip Cake – it’s a show-stopper!

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2 Responses to Nutella Pumpkin Cake Recipe

  1. Elle August 31, 2023 at 3:24 pm #

    Can I make this in standard 8″ tins instead of the 7″ spring form? Thanks!

    • Jeanne September 1, 2023 at 11:49 am #

      Yes – absolutely! It will probably cook a little quicker though, so make sure you check on it sooner! Thanks for stopping by!

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