Marbled chocolate hazelnut espresso cake – with a moist coffee & chocolate toasted hazelnut cake, a hazelnut milk soak, espresso mascarpone whipped cream & chocolate hazelnut whipped cream.
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marbled chocolate hazelnut espresso cake
Hello hello! I’m super excited to share this recipe with you all today because today is my birthday (26!) and I made my current dream birthday cake. It’s made with a marbled coffee and chocolate toasted hazelnut cake that has toasted hazelnut flour in both of the batters. Then, it’s topped with a brown sugar hazelnut milk soak, filled with chocolate hazelnut whipped cream and hazelnuts, and frosted with an espresso mascarpone cream. It’s absolutely packed with flavor, and of course, it’s super delicious.
The only thing special you’ll need is a 7″ springform pan – you can find the one I used here. But other than that, this cake is super easy to make. So let’s get into it! 🙂
why you’ll love this chocolate hazelnut espresso cake
- A ton of hazelnut flavor: we’re making our own toasted hazelnut flour and putting it in the cake for a ton of hazelnut flavor, and there’s crunchy toasted hazelnuts between each layer.
- The layers: no frosting here – chocolate hazelnut whipped cream & espresso mascarpone cream act as our light and delicious frosting in this cake.
- The marble: who can resist a marble cake? They’re always *gorgeous* and the best of both worlds for flavor.
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Be careful when mixing the cake batter:
When you over-mix your batter, you create more gluten in the batter which will make your cake go from light and moist to dense and chewy. When you mix in the wet ingredients, be sure to only mix just until that last streak of flour disappears.
Use room temperature ingredients:
This is super important for allowing the batter to come together smoothly. You’ll want to take your ingredients out of the fridge about an hour before baking to allow them enough time to come to room temperature.
Keep a close eye on the cake while it bakes:
Cakes and cupcakes like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them. I’d recommend that you start checking on the cake around 35 minutes.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for marbled chocolate hazelnut espresso cake:
marbled chocolate hazelnut cake:
- All purpose flour: gives the cake structure.
- Hazelnuts: to make toasted hazelnut flour, or you can use pre-made hazelnut flour – but it’s cheaper & super easy to make at home! I recommend using blanched hazelnuts. You’ll also need these for putting in between the cake layers.
- Baking powder: for helping the cake rise.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the batter.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cake and for flavor. You can substitute in salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt in the batter.
- Vegetable oil: for tenderizing the cake. If you don’t have vegetable oil on hand, you can use another neutral oil such as canola.
- Granulated sugar: for adding sweetness and for locking in moisture.
- Egg & egg white: for binding the batter together, adding moisture, and for making the cake super light and fluffy.
- Vanilla: for flavor.
- Sour cream & whole milk: for moisture and for tenderizing the cake. I recommend full-fat for both of these for the best texture, but low-fat or non-dairy alternatives should work well here.
- Instant espresso: for flavor – you can also use instant coffee here, or leave it out if you’re not a fan.
- Dutch processed cocoa powder: for flavor – I recommend dutch processed but natural or black cocoa would work here as well.
- Espresso: to bloom the cocoa with and for flavor. If you want to make this coffee-less, use hot milk or water here instead.
hazelnut milk soak:
- Light brown sugar: for sweetness – granulated sugar will work here as well.
- Hazelnut milk: for more hazelnut flavor – no worries if you can’t find hazelnut milk or if you don’t want to buy it! I’ll usually use it in my coffees as well but if you’re not going to use it or can’t find it, any other milk will work perfectly here.
Chocolate hazelnut whipped cream:
- Chocolate hazelnut spread: I use bonne maman but nutella or any chocolate hazelnut spread will work here too.
- Heavy whipping cream: to whip up the chocolate hazelnut spread.
- Salt: to balance out the sweetness and to bring out the flavor.
- Instant chocolate pudding mix: this part is super important! We’ll use instant chocolate pudding mix to stabilize the whipped cream so it’s thicker and so that the cake is more stable.
espresso mascarpone frosting:
- Mascarpone: for flavor and for thickening the whipped cream.
- Vanilla: for flavor, you can use extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Granulated sugar: for a bit of sweetness.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness and flavors of the pistachio mascarpone.
- Heavy whipping cream: the base of the whipped cream, whips up the mascarpone.
- Instant espresso: for flavor – you can also use instant coffee here, or leave it out if you’re not a fan.
how to make marbled chocolate hazelnut espresso cake
Below are some images of what the cake looks like at various points of the process. You can find the full recipe at the end of the blog post!
- Beat together the flour, toasted hazelnut flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and butter.
- Then beat in the remaining ingredients.
- Mix some of the batter with cocoa and espresso, then marble both batters into a springform pan and bake the cake.
- Make the chocolate hazelnut whipped cream and espresso mascarpone whipped cream.
- Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, slice it horizontally into three layers.
- Layer the cake with the milk soak, espresso mascarpone cream, chocolate hazelnut cream & toasted hazelnuts. Chill, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
marbled chocolate hazelnut espresso cake
recipe q&a
Help! My cake is dry / over-baked
No problem! The pistachio milk soak will bring your cake back to life and it will become more moist as it sits with the milk soak and fillings over time.
can I leave out the espresso?
Definitely! If you want just a chocolate hazelnut marbled cake, you can leave out the instant espresso, and replace the brewed espresso with hot milk or water in the cake.
Can I bake this cake in a different sized pan?
You could bake this in a 8″ springform. Just note that the cake and cream layer will be a tad thinner.
can I make this cake ahead of time?
Definitely! You can bake the cake a day in advance and keep it stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also make the chocolate hazelnut whipped cream, hazelnut milk soak, and espresso mascarpone frosting a day in advance and keep it stored separately in the fridge.
how to store chocolate hazelnut cake
Once you fill the cake, you’ll want to keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep well for about 3 days.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Chocolate Hazelnut Espresso Cake
Ingredients
Marbled Chocolate Hazelnut Espresso Cake
- 170 g blanched hazelnuts (1 ½ c.)
- 150 g all purpose flour (1 ¼ c.)
- 1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 175 g granulated sugar (¾ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 85 g unsalted butter cubed, room temperature (6 tbsp.)
- 25 g vegetable oil (2 tbsp.)
- 1 egg + 1 egg white room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tbsp. instant espresso
- 60 g sour cream room temperature (¼ c.)
- 100 g whole milk room temperature (3 ½ oz.)
- 18 g dutch processed cocoa powder (3 tbsp.)
- 40 g freshly brewed espresso (1 ½ oz.)
Chocolate Hazelnut Whipped Cream
- 150 g chocolate hazelnut spread (½ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 110 g heavy whipping cream (4 oz.)
- 3 tbsp. instant chocolate pudding
Espresso Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- 226 g mascarpone (1 c.)
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp. instant espresso
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 225 g heavy whipping cream (⅔ c.)
Hazelnut Milk Soak
- 55 g hazelnut milk (2 oz.)
- 1 tbsp. light brown sugar
Instructions
Marbled Chocolate Hazelnut Espresso Cake
- Add the hazelnuts to a large saute pan and set it over medium heat. Stir the hazelnuts occasionally until start to turn golden brown, then remove them from the heat.
- Add half of the hazelnuts (85g) to a food processor, and grind them up until they resemble tiny little crumbles.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Butter a 7" springform pan, then coat the inside with sugar.
- To a medium sized mixing bowl, add the flour, hazelnut flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cubed butter. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the mixture together until the butter has completely combined with the dry ingredients and no lumps remain.
- Add in the oil, egg, egg white, vanilla, instant espresso, sour cream, and milk. Whisk the ingredients together just until a cohesive batter has formed.
- In another small mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot espresso. Add 240g (1 c.) of the cake batter into the chocolate mixture and gently fold the two mixtures together until you have one cohesive batter.
- Alternate adding in the espresso hazelnut cake and chocolate cake batter into your prepared pan. Use a knife to gently swirl the batters together. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
- While the cake is baking, work on the fillings.
Chocolate Hazelnut Whipped Cream
- Add the chocolate hazelnut spread, salt, and heavy whipping cream to a medium sized mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer or with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment for 3 minutes, until well combined. Add in the instant pudding and beat for an additional 2 minutes.
- Cover the mixture and set it aside in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cake.
Espresso Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- Add the mascarpone, sugar, instant espresso, salt, and vanilla to a medium sized mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment) to beat the mixture just until combined.
- While mixing, slowly pour in the heavy whipping cream. Continue mixing until the mixture reaches soft peaks.
- Cover the cream and place it in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cake.
Hazelnut Milk Soak
- In a small glass, whisk together the hazelnut milk and brown sugar. Set aside in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cake.
Assembly
- Once the cake has completely cooled to room temperature, slice it in half horizontally twice to get three even pieces. Transfer the espresso mascarpone cream to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.
- Place the bottom piece of the cake back into your springform pan. Brush ⅓ of the hazelnut milk over the cake, then pipe a ring of the mascarpone cream around the edge of the cake. Spread ½ of the chocolate hazelnut cream in the center, then top it with ⅓ of your remaining toasted hazelnuts.
- Place the middle layer of cake on top, and repeat.
- Brush the remaining pistachio milk over the bottom of the top layer of cake, then place the top layer of cake on to the cake. Cover the cake and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Once you're ready to serve the cake top it with the remaining espresso mascarpone cream and toasted hazelnuts. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
Made this cake today and it was simply delicious! Well worth the effort. The only thing I changed is that I made the mascarpone cream sweeter than stated but other than that followed the recipe and I really liked how the cake turned out! So thank you for the recipe!
Can this be made dairy free? And if so, what should I do?
Hi Denise! I haven’t tried this cake out dairy-free but you could certainly use a dairy-free butter stick, sour cream, milk & heavy whipping cream in place of the dairy ones. I don’t know of any dairy-free mascarpone products so I would probably recommend using a dairy-free cream cheese in place of the mascarpone and adjusting the sugar to your liking. I’d love to know how it turns out if you try it with the swaps!