Nutella Crunch Cake

This rich and decadent Nutella Crunch Cake is easy to make, super moist, and topped with an irresistible Nutella crunch (that you’ll want to snack on all on its own)! I make this recipe as a sheet cake, the perfect dessert for parties!

Chocolatey Nutella Cake with Hazelnuts & Rice Krispies

It’s no secret that a sheet cake is one of my favorite things to bake. Sometimes there just isn’t the time of day for frosting and stacking layers while praying that the top layer isn’t crooked. A sheet cake is forgiving. It’s cake in its simplest form: fuss-free, one-tier, and just as delicious!

And we never get tired of cake around here. Or Nutella, for that matter. Which is why today I’m sharing a sheet cake recipe that combines both of these things into delicious slices of pure chocolate hazelnut bliss.

This recipe transforms your favorite boxed chocolate cake mix into a ridiculously moist and rich Nutella dessert. All topped with an easy, irresistible Nutella hazelnut crunch topping that’s so good, you’ll be tempted to eat it before it even touches the cake!

What You’ll Need

• Nutella: The feature ingredient in this recipe! You’ll need Nutella for the cake, the crunch, as well as the sweet topping that gets poured over the cake. Of course, you don’t need to use the brand Nutella specifically – you can use your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread, too.
• Chocolate Cake Mix: I doctor up a classic chocolate box cake mix with a few extra additions to really kick the taste and texture of this sheet cake up a notch.
• Instant Chocolate Pudding: Chocolate pudding brings an insane amount of moisture to the cake mix for a dense, fudgy texture that stays soft after baking.
• Rice Krispie Cereal: Crispy rice cereal is the base for the Nutella “crunch” topping.
• Hazelnuts: Chopped raw hazelnuts really bring out the sweet nutty crunch in the cereal layer. You’ll be roasting them in the oven to get the flavors nice and toasty. Use either salted or unsalted depending on preference.
• Chocolate: Chopped semi sweet chocolate is melted together with butter and Nutella in a chocolatey coating for the crunch layer.
• Condensed Milk: The sweetened kind, to be combined with Nutella and poured over top of the baked cake.
• Egg: Adding in an extra egg to the box cake mix helps it set up nicely and hold its shape.

How to Make Nutella Crunch Cake

Thanks to the chocolate cake mix, this Nutella Crunch Cake is almost IMPOSSIBLE to mess up. The cake is baked and then covered in a silky condensed milk topping, followed by a layer of sweet Nutella crunch. All the layers are super easy to make! Here’s how to do it:

Make the Crunch: Start by lightly toasting hazelnuts. While they’re cooling down, melt your chocolate and butter, and stir in the Nutella. Toss in your toasted hazelnuts and Rice Krispie cereal to coat. Spread the crunch out on a lined baking sheet and place this in the freezer to set. You can actually make the crunch way in advance!

Make the Cake: Mix up your cake mix according to the package instructions. Stir in the pudding mix and additional ingredients, then pour the batter into a pan and bake until it’s set. 

Add the Topping: Once the cake is done, you’ll poke holes all over the top while it’s still warm.  Heat up a simple mixture of sweetened condensed milk and Nutella, and then pour this over the cake.

Add the Crunch: Give the topping a few minutes to cool, then sprinkle your Nutella crunch mix evenly over top of the cake. Pop the whole thing in the fridge and let all the flavors marinate in their Nutella-ness for at least an hour.

Then serve! And I’m not going to discourage a test slice. Go ahead. No one at the party will mind if the sheet cake has a piece missing. Right?

Tips for Success

• Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Bringing your butter and egg to room temperature before you start will help them combine more thoroughly in the batter.
• Don’t Overmix the Cake Batter: Make sure to only mix the cake batter and add-ins until they’re just combined. This will keep the final baked cake soft and tender, and not tough or chewy.

Serving Suggestions 

This Nutella crunch cake is fabulous served on its own, but there’s always room for toppings. I love to enjoy my slices topped with a dollop of whipped cream. It also tastes extra indulgent with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or raspberry sorbet! 

• Another way to serve it is to top your cake slices with fresh fruit, like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
• You can even top your Nutella cake with banana slices for a banana nut crunch cake!
• Of course, you can always give your cake a drizzle of chocolate sauce or caramel sauce for good measure. Try this Quick and Easy Caramel Sauce, or go all out with my homemade Nutella Hot Fudge Sauce!  

How to Store Extra Cake

This cake will keep for up to 3 days when stored airtight in the refrigerator. After that the Rice Krispie topping loses its crunch! I like to let the slices sit out at room temperature for a bit before I serve them.

Does This Freeze Well?

You can definitely freeze this sheet cake, although I’d recommend freezing the baked cake before you add the condensed milk and crunch topping. This is because the crispy rice cereal tends to get mushy after its thawed. Once the Nutella cake it’s cooled completely, store it tightly wrapped or in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months.

Defrost the cake in the fridge, then let it come to room temperature before you add the condensed milk topping, followed by the nutella crunch.

Try These Nutella Treats Next!

• Nutella Truffle Stuffed Brownies
• Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
• No Bake Nutella Cheesecake
• Salted Nutella Butter Bars
• Nutella Cake Mix Bars

Print