Indulge in a Mini Chocolate Layer Cake with Nutella Ganache & Hazelnut Praline: The Perfect Small-Batch Celebration

Celebrating special occasions doesn’t always require a grand feast or an enormous cake. Sometimes, the most memorable moments are intimate, shared between just a few loved ones. Last week, when it was my fiancé’s birthday, we opted for a quiet celebration. While I adore baking elaborate, multi-tiered cakes, a colossal dessert for just two people isn’t the most practical choice. This delightful realization led me to create something truly special yet perfectly sized: a mini chocolate layer cake. This isn’t just any small cake; it’s an impressive confection featuring a rich chocolate sponge, luscious Nutella ganache, crunchy hazelnut praline, and elegant decorative hazelnut spikes. It offers all the grandeur of a larger cake, meticulously scaled down for a more personal celebration, ensuring every slice is a luxurious treat without a mountain of leftovers.

One of the unique aspects of this mini chocolate cake recipe is the innovative baking method. Finding a cake tin small enough for a 10cm (4-inch) diameter cake can be a challenge. In my kitchen, a clean, empty food tin proved to be the ideal solution! It worked absolutely perfectly, yielding a beautifully shaped cake, and I’ve since kept it for future mini cake endeavors. You can often find suitable tins in the Asian sections of most supermarkets, typically around 10cm/4in in diameter. The one I used originally held spinach, but any tin of the right dimensions, as long as it’s clean and safe for baking, will do the trick. Of course, if you’re lucky enough to own a proper small, deep cake tin, feel free to use that. The key is to ensure the tin has sufficient depth to accommodate the batter and allow the cake to rise beautifully.

The foundation of this impressive dessert is a perfectly soft and wonderfully moist chocolate cake. What makes it even better is how incredibly easy it is to prepare. The method is straightforward: you begin by mixing cocoa powder with hot water to create a rich paste, which helps to ‘bloom’ the cocoa and deepen its flavor. Then, simply add all the remaining cake ingredients into the same bowl and whisk until you achieve a smooth, homogeneous batter. This minimal-effort approach doesn’t compromise on flavor or texture, resulting in a chocolate sponge that’s both tender and intensely chocolatey. I baked the entire cake in a single tin, allowing it to cool completely before carefully splitting it into three even layers. For convenience, the cake can be baked a day in advance, which is perfect for streamlining your baking process. However, the final assembly – layering with ganache and praline – should ideally be done shortly before serving. This is crucial because the caramel elements, such as the praline and decorative spikes, are susceptible to melting or softening when exposed to moisture over time. The filling for this cake is a luxurious Nutella ganache. While plain Nutella is delicious, I opted for a dark chocolate ganache enhanced with Nutella. This combination yields a deeper, more sophisticated chocolate flavor and a ganache that is slightly firmer and more stable, making it easier to work with and providing a superior textural contrast. It also happens to taste absolutely incredible, striking the perfect balance between intense chocolate and the beloved hazelnut spread. If you prefer a simpler route, plain Nutella can certainly be used, but I highly recommend trying this enhanced ganache for a truly elevated experience.

To further enhance both the flavor and texture of this mini chocolate layer cake, each layer is generously sprinkled with homemade hazelnut praline. This praline, though simple to create, contributes an irresistible crunch and a delightful nutty depth that perfectly complements the rich chocolate and creamy Nutella ganache. A crucial step often overlooked is toasting and skinning the hazelnuts. This process is vital; toasting brings out the nuts’ inherent sweetness and deepens their flavor profile, transforming them from bland to boldly aromatic. The skins, which can be somewhat bitter, are best removed after toasting. Don’t worry if a few stubborn bits remain; the effort is well worth it for the superior taste and improved texture. The cake’s aesthetic appeal is elevated by decorative hazelnuts dipped in caramel, forming impressive, delicate spikes. While they look elaborate, these “spikes” are surprisingly simple to craft and add a professional, gourmet touch to your homemade dessert. This mini chocolate cake is remarkably rich and satisfying. It’s perfectly portioned to serve two people very generously, offering a truly indulgent experience, or it can comfortably serve four people in more sensible portions. Despite its modest size, this cake delivers an enormous amount of flavor and decadence. In fact, it’s one of the best-tasting cakes I’ve ever made, leaving me almost wishing there was more to savor!

If this delectable combination of chocolate and hazelnut has left you craving even more, you’re in luck! There’s a whole world of treats waiting to be explored. Perhaps this Ultimate Chocolate and Nutella Cake will fully satisfy your indulgence. Or, for a bite-sized delight, how about these exquisite Chocolate and Hazelnut Truffles? For a delightful twist on a classic, you could try Nutella Crust Banana Bread. And if you’re looking for another stunning layered creation, don’t miss this incredible Chocolate & Hazelnut Layer Cake. Each offers a unique way to enjoy the harmonious pairing of rich chocolate and nutty hazelnuts.

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Mini Chocolate, Nutella Ganache & Hazelnut Praline Layer Cake

Serves 2-4

Author Domestic Gothess

Ingredients

Cake

• 15 g (2 tbsp) cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp boiling water
• 90 g (½ cup) light brown soft sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp milk
• 30 g (2 tbsp) softened butter
• 1 large egg
• 60 g (½ cup) self raising flour
• ⅓ tsp baking powder

Nutella Ganache

• 120 ml (½ cup) double cream
• 50 g (1.75 oz) dark chocolate, chopped
• 75 (¼ cup) nutella

Hazelnut Praline & Hazelnut Spikes

• 50 g (1.75 oz) hazelnuts
• 75 g (¼ cup + 2tbsp) caster sugar

Instructions

• Start by making the cake. Grease a 10cm (4in) tin can or deep cake tin and line the base and sides with greaseproof paper. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
• Mix together the cocoa powder and boiling water until it forms a smooth paste. Add all of the other ingredients and whisk well with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for about 30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack until just warm, then turn the cake out onto the wire rack and leave to cool completely.
• To make the ganache, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, heat the cream until almost boiling then pour it over the chocolate, leave for a couple of minutes then add the nutella and stir until smooth. Set the ganache aside until it has thickened but is still spreadable, you can put it in the fridge to speed this up, but do keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t set too hard.
• To make the hazelnut praline and decorative spikes, heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast in the oven until the skins have blackened and the nuts are golden. Tip them out onto a clean tea towel, wrap them up in it and then give them a rub – the skins should flake off, don’t worry if you can’t get rid of it all though.
• Take about 10 of the hazelnuts and stick a cocktail stick into each one, place a sheet of baking parchment directly under your worksurface to catch any drips of caramel.
• Place the sugar in a small, heavy bottomed saucepan and heat until the sugar has melted and caramelised, swirl the pan a little so that the sugar melts evenly, but don’t stir it. Remove from the heat and allow the caramel to thicken to the consistency of golden syrup.
• Dredge each hazelnut through the thickened caramel, coating it generously. Secure the cocktail stick to the work surface with some sellotape or wedge under a heavy pan, so that the caramel covered hazelnut hangs over the edge. Allow the caramel to drip, like a stalactite, towards the floor and set hard. Repeat with all the hazelnuts and allow the caramel to set. The caramel in the pan sets quickly, so you will probably need to re-melt it over a low heat a couple of times.
• When hardened, use scissors to gently trim the fine threads of caramel off the ends of the spikes; return the trimmings to the pan, along with any caramel that has collected on the sheet of greaseproof paper. Re-melt the pan of caramel then stir in the remaining hazelnuts and pour it out onto a tray lined with greaseproof paper and allow to set and cool.
• Place the cooled praline into a tough ziplock bag and seal it then bash with a rolling pin to break it up into small pieces.
• To assemble the cake, trim the top off the cake to level it, then slice it into three even layers. Place one layer on a serving plate and spread over one third of the thickened ganache, sprinkle over some of the praline and place another cake layer on top. Repeat until you have used all of the cake layers and ganche. Remove the cocktail sticks from the hazelnut spikes and use the best looking ones to decorate the top of the cake along with more praline.
• The cake is best served shortly after decorating as the moisture in the ganache will cause the caramel to melt after a while, also for this reason do not refrigerate the cake once it has been assembled.

Notes

1. You will need a 10cm (4in) tin can or deep cake tin and some cocktail sticks.

I am entering this into the Great Denby Cake Off.

I am delighted to share this exceptional mini chocolate cake recipe with various foodie communities. Join us for Fabulous Foodie Fridays, and immerse yourself in the culinary celebrations at Fiesta Friday, brilliantly hosted by Food Daydreaming and Ginger and Bread. You can also find this recipe featured on Foodie Fridiy, Foodie Friends Friday, Friday Favourites and Friday Features.