Mocha Hazelnut Layer Cake

Make this Mocha Hazelnut Cake for a rich dessert that's packed with sweet flavors! You'll love the dark, moist, chocolate cake paired with a nutty and sweet hazelnut buttercream.

Adding coffee to the cake batter deepens the chocolate flavor and pulls everything together. Fans of chocolate and hazelnut will adore this unique and complex treat!

Jump to:

• 💚 About This Recipe
• 🧂 Ingredients Needed
• 🔪 Instructions
• ❔ FAQs
• 💭 Expert Tips and Tricks
• 💡 Substitutions and Variations
• 🔊 What readers are saying...
• 🥫 Storage Instructions
• 🍴 Suggested Main Dishes
• ✔️ More Dessert Recipes You'll Love
• 📋 Recipe Card
• 💬 Reviews and Comments

💚 About This Recipe

I don't bake very often, so when I do, it has to be for a good reason. This layer cake is that reason! It pairs super tasty mocha cake with a homemade hazelnut buttercream frosting for a blend of decadent and complex flavors.

And take it from me, even beginner bakers will be able to put together this dessert! You'll love the layers of moist cake with sweet and light hazelnut frosting. Nutty, chocolatey, and rich, this is a great dessert and the perfect cake for a celebration or a treat anytime.

If you really want to make it special, drizzle a bit of Homemade Chocolate Sauce over top. You can never have too much chocolate!

🧂 Ingredients Needed

• flour - all purpose flour is a classic option for cake, and you likely have it in your pantry already.
• cocoa powder - gives your cake a deep and rich chocolate flavor.
• baking soda - ensures that the cake isn't too dense.
• salt - to balance out the sweet flavors.
• butter - you'll want to leave it out at room temperature so it can soften. I recommend using unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt that goes into your batter.
• sugar - I used both coconut sugar and brown sugar for complex sweetness.
• eggs - add moisture and richness to the cake.
• vanilla - adds another layer of sweet flavor.
• buttermilk - gives your cake the perfect amount of moistness.
• coffee - using real coffee infuses your cake with a warm and earthy flavor that deepens the intensity of the chocolate.

• butter - adds a rich creamy flavor to the frosting.
• powdered sugar - also called confectioner's sugar or icing sugar, this will give your hazelnut frosting a nice fluffy texture.
• hazelnut coffee creamer - continuing the coffee theme, I used a hazelnut flavored creamer instead of milk for the dairy in my buttercream.
• vanilla - adds a subtle, sweet, and aromatic note that rounds out the taste of the frosting.
• hazelnut spread - Nutella is probably the most well-known option, but a store brand or another brand of chocolate hazelnut spread will be just as tasty!

🔪 Instructions

❔ FAQs

💭 Expert Tips and Tricks

• If you've forgotten to soften your butter, chop it into smaller pieces. It will come up to room temperature more quickly.
• You can also soften butter in the microwave on low power, but be careful you don't fully melt it.
• Another good option is to fill a glass with hot water, then pour it out and place the hot glass over the stick of butter.
• Level the bottom layer of cake before adding your hazelnut frosting to prevent the top layer from slipping off. Check out this video on how to easily level cake if you don't have any fancy tools!
• Use an electric mixer or stand mixer for both the batter and hazelnut frosting for easier prep.
• When adding dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer or when beating with an electric hand mixer, start on low speed to prevent ingredients from going flying. Bump it up to medium speed once they are incorporated.
• Allow the cakes to cool fully on a wire rack before frosting. This will prevent the hazelnut buttercream from melting off.
• Drink the remaining coffee as you bake to keep your energy up 🙂

📌 With a decadent hazelnut buttercream, this mocha hazelnut cake will quickly become your favorite dessert!

💡 Substitutions and Variations

• Substitute coconut sugar for more brown sugar if you don't have coconut. I don't recommend substituting with white sugar, as you'll lose out on flavor.
• For some visual flair, top the frosted cake with a dusting of cocoa powder, some ground hazelnuts, chopped hazelnuts (or even whole hazelnuts!), or your choice of chocolate candies.
• Another great option for a garnish would be halved Ferrero Rocher chocolates or another similar hazelnut chocolate candy.
• If you can't find hazelnut creamer, regular milk can be used for this hazelnut mocha cake. I recommend adding hazelnut extract or hazelnut oil so you're not missing out on that nutty flavor.
• Other good options for the frosting include a coffee buttercream, chocolate ganache, or just some whipped cream!

🥫 Storage Instructions

Keep mocha hazelnut cake covered at room temperature or in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. You can also freeze the cake if you need it to last longer. Cutting, wrapping, and freezing individual slices in plastic wrap is a great idea if you need single servings down the line, or you could carefully wrap the entire cake and freeze it. Allow frozen cake to come back up to room temperature before enjoying.

🍴 Suggested Main Dishes

Before you serve your mocha hazelnut cake, make sure you enjoy a hearty and healthy meal! Some of my recent favorites include these Fried Salmon Patties, my super tasty One Pot Creamy Chicken Mushroom Orzo, and this Stuffed Cabbage Casserole (which comes together all in one skillet!)

📋 Recipe Card

Update Notes: This post was originally published in September 2013, and was republished with tips, step by step photos, and a recipe change in November 2023.