Nutella Pound Cake

This is probably not entirely normal behavior – by which I mean I know I am about to sound a little wacko – but, I sometimes hide treats from myself. That is why I can’t actually find the more than half jar of Nutella that I know is somewhere in my compact kitchen. I really looked, but apparently I was much more motivated when I was hiding it than looking for it. Perhaps this is one of those acts of divine mercy or something because if I were to find that jar it would not be half full for very long.

I recently made this Nutella pound cake for the dozenth time to take to a friends house except this time I reduced the sugar by a quarter cup and more than halved the Nutella. I definitely would not reduce the sugar again as it impacted the texture of the cake. This previous attempt I used less Nutella, but I can’t say I have ever been able to use an entire jar. My happy spot is somewhere between half and three quarter. The cake is definitely a little on the sweet side which is why you should not have it for breakfast like I did yesterday. Learn from my mistakes people!

The cake tastes best when I remove it from the pan, wrap it thoroughly in foil and let it be for a few hours. If you plan to serve it to guests then make sure it is stored out of reach of your husband and two year old both of whom are equally capable to tearing off random chunks. I take it as a compliment 🙂

Nutella Pound Cake
Courtesy Gourmet Magazine

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
One 13-ounce jar Nutella

Preheat the oven to 325°. Lightly grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, tapping out any excess flour. In a glass measuring cup, lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk the 1 1/2 cups of flour with the baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer at medium-low speed, gradually beat in the egg mixture until fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, beating at low speed between additions until just incorporated. Continue to beat for 30 seconds longer.

Spread one-third of the batter in the prepared pan, then spread half of the Nutella on top. Repeat with another third of the batter and the remaining Nutella. Top with the remaining batter. Lightly swirl the Nutella into the batter with a butter knife. Do not overmix.

Bake the cake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Note: in my oven it usually bakes in 1 hour and 5 minutes). Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, turn it right side up and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut the cake into slices and serve.