I started a tradition last year where I would ask a friend to select a chocolate recipe, anything they like, that I would then recreate and deliver to them to Share the Love.  I call these Adventures in Chocolate. 

This go around I chose my friend & co-worker Jennica.  She actually squealed with excitment and headed straight to my Adventures in Chocolate Pinterest Board where she selected this fabulous Ferrero Rocher Cake recipe by Mom’s Dish.

The Cake

This is not your typical cake recipe.  The dry ingredients for the ‘cake’ portion consist mostly of ground hazelnuts which yielded a thin dense cake.  No worries, once you bisect the cake and slather it with chocolate Nutella buttercream and crushed vanilla cream wafers you’ll realize how brilliant this recipe is.  Think of a Ferrero Rocher candy.  Crispy outside layer, smooth chocolate truffle center with hazelnut inside.  This cake has all those elements covered.

Office Shenanigans

This past week was Secret Santa Week at the office.  On day one, I figured out my Santa was Mark.  His clues suggested he was a new member of our team (and new admirer of Lemony Thyme), who liked to cook, with a spouse who was even more talented in the kitchen.  Mark is after all the new guy who made the sinfully delicious Rum Cakes for our Halloween Party.  The very Rum Cakes that inspired my Dark Chocolate Rum Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream.  Mark is also the guy who brought the Rumpkin Pies to our Thanksgiving Luncheon and who’s wife is known to make show stopping confections.

My Santa’s writing style was pithy and each day my typed letter was more entertaining than the day before.  And the gifts couldn’t be more Me (my gut was Santa’s spouse may have had a hand in this as each was presented in a mason jar complete with burlap and ribbon).  The gift that sealed the deal was his European Cookie Fudge.  Melt in your mouth amazing (recipe coming soon).  So with all this joy & happiness being spread, when my Santa requested a turn at this Adventures in Chocolate gig, I gladly passed the torch from Jennica to Mark.

I had been so confident and a bit cocky all week leading up to the big reveal on Friday that when it was my turn to guess my Secret Santa… “piece of cake it’s Mark.”  Only Mark’s response was “nope, not me.”  WHAT?!!! The room erupted in laughter and I’ve been told that the look of disbelief on my face was priceless.  Yeah well Mark was sooo not my Santa.  Mark was Jennica’s Santa and a very talented artist may I add.

If not Mark, then who?

The one person I spend more time with each day than anyone else had completely bafoozled me.  Yes, Bethany got me good.  I’ll be sharing HER amazing European Cookie Fudge recipe and a little more about our friendship in a separate post.

For now we have Jennica to thank for choosing Ferrero Rocher Cake as her Adventure in Chocolate.  Even after sharing it with most everyone in the office she managed to have just enough left to take home to enjoy quietly.

All my best,
xo Libby

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Ferrero Rocher Cake

Author Mom’s Dish

Ingredients

For the cake…

• 5 large eggs
• 6 Tbl. sugar
• 1 3/4 cups ground hazelnuts
• 2 Tbl. flour
• 2 Tbl. cocoa power
• 2 tsp. baking powder

For the Nutella buttercream…

• 2 sticks butter room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 cup Nutella
• 1 cup crushed vanilla cream wafers
• 12 Ferrero Rocher Candy
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts chopped

Instructions

For the cake…

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
• Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder. Mix with ground nuts.
• Beat eggs with sugar until they are light and fluffy and triple in volume.
• Gently fold dry ingredients by thirds into wet. Don’t over mix. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes. Allow to cool completely in pan before removing sides.

For the Nutella buttercream…

• Melt the chocolate in the microwave, then allow to cool to room temperature. Beat chocolate with butter and Nutella.

To assemble…

• Using a long sharp knife, slice cake into two layers. Spread buttercream and crushed wafers between layers. Frost edges and top of cake with remaining buttercream.
• Press chopped hazelnuts onto sides of cake. Cut Ferrero Rocher candies in half and place around the edge of cake. Chill.
• Before serving remove from the refrigerator to allow the buttercream to soften.

Notes

This recipe is not affiliated with the Ferrero Company.

This post is in no way related to or sponsored by the Ferrero Company.  I purchased the candy myself as I do every year during the holiday season :)

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