German Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake (Giotto Cake)

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This German Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake is a cake for special occasions. Moist hazelnut chocolate sponge cake meets rich hazelnut cheesecake cream!

This festive Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake is a German cake classic!

How to make German Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake:

It all starts with the sponge. This is not your light-as-a-feather sponge, but a moist and rich chocolate sponge made with buttermilk. We add cocoa powder, grated chocolate, and chopped hazelnuts to the cake batter to make it extra delicious and decadent.

Don’t worry – the cake will not be dense at all! Now on to the melt-in-you-mouth hazelnut cheesecake filling!

The secret to the perfect Hazelnut Cheesecake Cream:

For my Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake, I used German Nougat – a super smooth hazelnut chocolate paste, which is very hard to get in Canada or the States. When in Germany I always make sure to get some before I jump back on my plane back to Canada.

For if you can’t find it at the European Deli, you can either make Nougat at home or use a high-quality chocolate hazelnut spread.

Tips for making this chocolate and hazelnut cake recipe:

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German Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake

This festive Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake is a decadent cake for any special occasion. Moist hazelnut chocolate sponge cake meets rich hazelnut cheesecake cream and more chopped hazelnuts!  

Course Dessert

Cuisine German

Keyword chocolate and hazelnut cake, german hazelnut cake, giotto cake

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Chilling 3 hours

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings 16 slices

Calories 200 kcal

Author Kiki Johnson

Ingredients

For the hazelnut chocolate sponge

• 200 g softened butter
• 200 g  sugar
• 5 room temp eggs
• 20 g  cocoa powder
• 150 g  sifted flour
• 10 g  baking powder
• 1  pinch salt
• 200 g  ground hazelnuts
• 100 ml  buttermilk
• 200 g  grated dark chocolate

For the hazelnut cream filling

• 400 ml whipping cream
• 400 g  nougat or chocolate hazelnut spread
• 100 g milk chocolate chopped
• 300 g  cream cheese room temperature

Assembling and Decoration

• 100 ml coffee
• 100 ml hazelnut liqueur or coffee liqueur
• 100 g  chopped roasted hazelnuts
• 1  package Giotto or Rocher chocolates
• slivered almonds for decoration

Instructions

For the sponge

1. Beat the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Separate the eggs and whisk the whites with a pinch of salt. Mix the yolks into the butter. 

2. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and ground nuts. Fold some of the dry mix into your butter mix and add a splash of buttermilk. Continue - taking turns between dry mix and milk - until nothing is left. Add the grated chocolate and stir to combine. As the last addition, fold the egg whites into the batter carefully.

3. Line a 9-inch springform and spread your batter in the mold using a rubber spatula. Bake at 170 C for about 1 h. Let cool completely and cut into three even layers.

For the filling

1. Heat 200 ml of cream until hot to the touch, but not boiling, and add the nougat or hazelnut spread and chopped chocolate. Stir until smooth and set aside to cool down to room temperature. Whisk the leftover cream adding the cream cheese - a tablespoon a time - and whisk until stiff. In a slow, thin stream, add the cooled nougat-cream whisking on low speed to combine. Whisk until just combined and fluffy.

Assemble and decorate

1. Put a cake ring around your bottom cake layer and soak with 1/3 of the soaking mixture. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on top and spread 1/3 of the filling. Repeat 2 times. Let cool in the fridge for 3 h.
2. Coat the sides with the leftover cream and decorate with giottos and almond slivers.

Recipe Notes

• Make sure your butter, cream cheese, and whipping cream are at room temperature. 
• When making the hazelnut filling, make sure to not overwhip it. Stop whipping as soon as the filling is smooth and forms peaks. 
• If you cannot find Giotto, use Rocher chocolates.