Chocolate Hazelnut Toffee Cake

Ahhh March is upon us, which means paczkis, Mardi Gras, leprechauns, green wine, corn beef and hash and so many more fabulous things. It also  means the beginning of the Lenten Season. I for one, do not give anything up for lent and instead focus my attention on trying to be even more gracious, kind and giving to those around me. As far as no meat on Friday's, no big deal here. We eat very little meat in my house, and I for one am actually a Flexitarian (vegetarian most days, but eating meat on occasion). We do not eat a lot of fish in my house, I do, however, very much like it, as well as the many health benefits it provides. So we will be eating a lot of meatless rice dishes, vegetable soups and nutty pestos, which I very much look forward to.

As far as paczkis, you cannot beat homemade. I have yet to dig up and find my Polish Great Grandmother's recipe so I can make a batch myself. The paczkis at the supermarkets and bakeries around my house, just do not compare to a one hundred percent Polish Great Grandmother's recipe, and don't get me started on potato rolls. I actually started this blog off with a recipe of my Great Grandmother's and another one will be soon to come. 


I am hoping to do a few festive St. Patrick's day recipes for this blog as well. And I am going to try to make sure I allow myself time to make a nice homemade batch of Irish Soda Bread. My mother and I recently purchased a bottle of green Reisling from a local store by my house. The plan is to have a potato hash with Irish soda bread, and green wine (I am not a beer drinker, despite my very Irish name). 

Now that we have caught up on upcoming festivities and thoughts, it is time for cake. I was yearning to create a cake recipe and wanted to utilize what we had in the pantry. I found these...

Glorious combination ehh?? We had a bountiful amount of toffee bits and this jar of Nutella that has been tempting me for quite a while. So this was the winning combination, complete with a cinnamon pound cake. I highly suggest this cake to all, my family absolutely adored it and told me to make it again, as they were in the middle of eating it. They kept reminding me how good it was and how much they enjoyed it. So fellow bakers and foodies, I think we have a winner here!

Chocolate Hazelnut Toffee Cake

Cinnamon Pound Cake

2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups of sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder 
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 cup sour cream 

1) Preheat oven to 350 F.
2) Grease and parchment (or flour) two 9 in round baking pans. Set aside.
3) In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment  cream the butter, while gradually adding the sugar, beating well after each addition. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.
4) In a separate bowl, blend together the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt. 
5) With the mixer on low, alternately add dry ingredients with sour cream, starting and ending with the dry. Once all ingredients have been adding, beat for an additional 2 minutes.
6) Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for about 15-20 min, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool cakes and remove each from their pans.

Freeze or refrigerate cakes, for at least four hours. 

Recipe adapted from All Cakes Considered by Melissa Gray.

Chocolate Hazelnut Frosting

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
4 tbsp water or milk
3/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment  cream the butter until fluffy. Add one cup of confectioners sugar to the butter, beating well. Add another cup of sugar with the addition of two tablespoons water or milk. Blend well. Add in the last 1/2 cup of sugar and the 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder with the last two tablespoons of water or milk. Once well blended and combined, add in the chocolate hazelnut spread and beat well until the frosting becomes light and fluffy. 

Assembly

1) Torte each cake into two halves (four layers total). The cake is much easier to torte when cold or frozen. 

2) Apply a very thin layer of the chocolate hazelnut frosting to the first layer. Lightly sprinkle with toffee bits, making sure to sprinkle evenly. Repeat this step two more times for the next two layers. 

3) Top the cake off with the last layer, and frost with a crumb coat. Generously sprinkle the top of the cake with more toffee bits. 

4) Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a #103 tip, with the chocolate hazelnut frosting. Carefully pipe ruffles around the side of the cake. 

Enjoy!