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 :)

The post Ferrero Rocher Cake appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Oh yes I did.  And you should too.  Nutella Swirled Chocolate Chip Blondies are just 30 minutes away from making your day.  Enough said.

Make your favorite Blondie recipe, in our case it’s these super simple Homemade Blondies.  Just before you’re ready to pop them in the oven, swirl some Nutella into them and bake.

Don’t forget to Share the Love.  Nutella Swirled Chocolate Chip Blondies have what it takes to make someone else’s day as well.  Double win!

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Nutella Swirl Chocolate Chip Blondies

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted (sweet) butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup Nutella

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients, except Nutella together in a big bowl with wooden spoon, until blended well. Spread in a parchment lined, non-stick sprayed 8” pan.
• Spoon Nutella in 3 lines across batter. Swirl using a toothpick.
• Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes (toothpick should come out clean). Cool & cut into bars.

The post Nutella Swirled Chocolate Chip Blondies appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Nutella Truffles.  I didn’t have to think twice when I read this for the first time.  Point me towards the Nutella isle.

Nutella.  A phenomenon of sorts with mass appeal.  Moms love it because it makes breakfast more fun for their kidlets.  Dads love it straight from a spoon.  Bloggers love to celebrate National World Nutella Day and throw no caution to the wind as they exploit this ingredient.  Have you seen 3-ingredient Nutella brownies, mug cakes, pancakes?  It’s crazy!  In a good way.  Here are 8 Things You May Not Know About Nutella.  I’m all in.  Throw Nutella my way and I think we can all get happy!!

Sugar, melted butter, milk and cocoa are blended together, next comes the Nutella, and finally the secret binding agent (finely ground cornflakes) is added to the mix.  The cornflakes add a subtle crunch.  Think Ferrero Rocher.  Did I mention that Pietro Ferrero, founder of The Ferrero Company, later went on to create…..Nutella.  That makes 9 things you may not have known about our star ingredient.

The mixture is then shaped into a rectangle in an even thickness on a foil lined pan and placed in the freezer for an hour to set up.

Once removed from the freezer, it is cut into 24 squares.  A macadamia (or hazel) nut is placed in the center of each square.  The mixture is molded around each nut and rolled into a ball.  To finish, each ball is dipped into finely chopped macadamia (or hazel) nuts, then returned to the freezer for 10 minutes.

The finished Nutella Truffles are decadent.  They will make a wonderful holiday dessert or gift for your someone special.

Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Top Cookie Recipes m20agazine.

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Nutella Truffles

Course Dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author lightly adapted from American Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 2 cups cornflakes
• 1/2 cup macadamia or hazel nuts plus 24 extra nuts (leave whole)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 Tbl. unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 Tbl. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup Nutella

Instructions

• Line a baking pan with foil. Spray with cooking spray.
• Place cornflakes into a food processor bowl and pulse until finely ground (about 10 pulses). Reserve.
• Chop 1/2 cup macadamia nuts until finely chopped. Reserve.
• In a microwave safe bowl, combine butter and sugar and microwave until melted, stirring occasionally until smooth, about 45 seconds. Whisk in milk and cocoa powder until well blended. Whisk in Nutella until fully incorporated. Stir in cornflakes.
• Pour mixture into prepared pan and press into a rectangle of even thickness. Place in freezer for 1 hour.
• Remove from freezer, lift out foil lining and place onto a cutting board. Cut into 24 pieces. Place a macadamia nut onto the center of each truffle square, then shape into a balls. Dip each ball in chopped nuts, coating well; place on platter.
• Return to freezer for 10 minutes or until firm. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes

These truffles are no-bake, but do require 1 hour and 10 minutes in the freezer.

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