Chocolate Nutella Strawberry Trifle

I think the name says it all!  This is really such a yummy dessert! Be prepared to share, it makes a ton! I found the original recipe here, but tweaked it a bit.  Besides being delicious all together, this is the best "from scratch" chocolate cake recipe I have ever made!  It really needs its own post but I couldn't wait to share this with you!

Chocolate Nutella Strawberry Trifle

Cake

2 cups (250 g) cake flour
1 t (6 g) salt
2 t (10 g) baking soda
1 t (5 g) baking powder
3/4 cup (69g) unsweetened cocoa
2 cups (400 g) sugar
3/4 cup (180 ml) vegetable oil (I used avocado oil, it is healthier and you can't tell at all)
1 cup (240 ml) hot coffee (I am not a coffee drinker so I used Choffy.  It is roasted cocoa beans, seriously amazing stuff!)
1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk
1/4 cup (60 ml) cream
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
2 large eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla bean paste

Preheat oven to 350.  Line 2, 9inch round cake pans with parchment paper circles. Spray with cooking spray.
Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Add the *hot coffee or Choffy, oil, milk, cream and buttermilk and beat for 2 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla and eggs. Beat for 2 more minutes. It will be very liquid-y.
Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake for about 30 minutes.  The cake is ready when the cake springs back when lightly touched or when a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes in the pans.  Loosen the sides and remove to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

*This needs to be really hot to help dissolve the sugar and flour

Nutella Mousse

1 cup (250 ml) Nutella
5 T water
2 T (30 ml) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (250 ml) whipping cream

Set a heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water (The bottom of the bowl should NOT touch the water) and melt the Nutella with the 5 T water.  Mix until smooth.  Add the butter and mix until combined. Remove from heat.

In another bowl, whip the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the melted Nutella.  Now add the rest of the whipped cream and fold until fully incorporated.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Whipped Cream

2 cups whipping cream
1 t vanilla
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Whip all ingredients together until stiff peaks form.

2-3 cups sliced strawberries

Assembly

Cut cooled cake into pieces.  Using a trifle bowl place a layer of cake on the bottom.  Spoon on 1/2 of the Nutella mousse. Top with 1/3 of the sliced strawberries.  Add another layer of cake, them the rest of the mousse.  Add another 1/3 of the strawberries.  Add another layer of cake and then top with whipped cream.  I left the last strawberries whole to put on the top.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutella Smoochies

I {KNOW!} I am still on this whole Nutella kick! I thought I would get over it, once the Holidays and WND (World Nutella Day) were past. But then I thought, who am I kidding? There are Holidays all year long I could use Nutella for, why limit myself? So I made the trek to Costco and bought myself the motherload pack that only Costco carries and found this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis.

Nutella Smoochies
(24 cookies)

1 3/4 cups flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup nutella
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar, plus more to roll the dough in (about another 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
Hershey's kisses

Preheat oven to 375.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, place the Nutella, butter, and both sugars.  Using a hand mixer beat the ingredient together until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and blend until combined.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.

Shape the dough into walnut sized balls and roll in sugar.  Place the cookies on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 6 minutes.  Remove the cookies, quickly place a kiss in the middle of each, pressing down slightly.  Return the cookies to the oven for another 2-3 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

Nutella Gelato

Happy Nutella Day!

I hope you are all celebrating this most glorious day! We sure are at our house! And what better way then with this Nutella H.E.A.V.E.N!

I adapted this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis over at Food Network. It is so good, and the closest to real Italian Gelato I have been able to make at home. So, when life gives you ice, make ice cream (or Gelato)!

Nutella Gelato

(about 4 cups)

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heave cream

1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup

4 eggs yolks

1/2 t vanilla

1/2 cup Nutella

dash of salt

In a saucepan, combine milk, cream and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir over Medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whip the egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer until the eggs are thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture and stir to combine. Add this mixture back into the the saucepan with the remaining milk and cream. Cook this over low heat until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 7-10 minutes). Mine took a little longer, but it did eventually coat the back of my spoon.

Place a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the warm custard mixture through the strainer. Stir in the vanilla, nutella and salt until the nutella is dissolved. Chill the mixture completely before pouring it into an ice cream maker. Follow manufacturer's instructions to freeze.

Nutella Gooey Butter Cake

(Photo courtesy of Abby!)

Did you know that National Nutella Day is February 5th?! Well, I did, and in honor this most sacred of days I wanted to share with you an a-mazing nutella recipe. I guess you are supposed to let this cake cool and then cut it and it would hold together better but lets be honest, it was hard enough waiting for it to come out of the oven (even after I had licked the bowl clean!) so I just served it up nice and warm and gooey! I found this recipe over at Tasty Kitchen.

Nutella Gooey Butter Cake

(Serves 1,  I mean 16)

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 egg

8 T butter, melted

filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup nutella

3 eggs

1 t vanilla

8 T butter, melted

16 oz (about 4 cups) powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the cake mix, 1 egg, and 8 T melted butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Press the mixture into a lightly greased 9x13 pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and nutella until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla and butter and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread the nutella mixture over the cake batter and bake for 40-50 minutes. DO NOT over bake, the center should still be gooey. Serve with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

Nutella Hot Chocolate

I think I have died and gone to H.E.A.V.E.N. Nutella heaven, that is! I have made no secret of my nutella obsession but this takes it to a new level! I saw this recipe pop up on quite a few different food blogs I follow, the recipe was essentially the same, just a few small changes. But the one I like the best is from my friend Brenda's blog. I only changed it slightly...

Nutella Hot Chocolate

1 cup milk (I used 1%, it is what I had)

a splash of heavy cream (probably not necessary if you use whole milk)

1/4 cup nutella

a pinch of salt

a dash of cinnamon

Heat the milk and cream until hot but not boiling. Add the nutella, salt and cinnamon and whisk until the nutella is totally melted and combined. Serve with fresh whipped cream!