A chocolate sponge cake with a surprise inside! It takes a seemingly simple chocolate sponge cake and makes it super extraordinary! Chocolate Cake with Nutella and Mascarpone filling! I created this cake a few years ago for my son’s birthday, since he loves anything chocolate and Nutella! I remember the cake went down an absolute storm among his friends! This would be a perfect choice for someone who wants something completely different than a classic birthday cake.

Chococlate Cake with Nutella and Mascarpone Filling

The cake by itself has no fat content, no butter, oil and egg yolks are involved, but the filling substantially  fits the character of the cake and contributes to the deep sensation of taste.  The Nutella and Mascarpone compliment the chocolate cake, giving it a sinfully rich flavor – a very elegant dessert.

Though making a tunnel cake looks like a daunting job, I tell you it is undoubtedly easier to make than a layered cake.  A showstopper in terms of taste and look, and when you slice into it, you can see the tunnel of the Mascarpone mixture; adding it to your must bake list won’t disappoint you!

You have got a cake with a tunnel of Nutella spread and a gently dairy flavor of Mascarpone and cream that run through the center; the cake is then dressed up with a slightly bitter chocolate ganache that adorns it. The end result is a balanced luxurious flavor. Rest assured you are in for a treat!

The Mascarpone and cream filling: Mascarpone, an Italian soft cheese that can be found at supermarkets.  Mascarpone pairs beautifully with whipped cream, creating a stabilized light filling for our tunnel cake. Before starting, you need to chill both the Mascarpone and heavy cream.  Whip the cream with sugar until stiff peaks form, and gently fold in the mascarpone, don’t whip the Mascarpone but treat it tenderly, you need just to homogenize the mixture together, refrigerate directly. If you can’t find Mascarpone, cream cheese can be used as a substitute.

The chocolate ganache: The chocolate ganache is simple and requires three ingredients, heavy cream, chocolate and butter. It is a simple process and made by adding the ingredients to a saucepan, mixing up and heating over low heat until the mixture is completely smooth. The taste is divine, especially if you use quality chocolate.

The chocolate sponge cake: You will notice that the cake has no baking powder or baking soda, the whipped egg whites act as a leavening agent and will trap air bubbles which will hold the air and help achieve a good rise.

To make the cake: Coat a large ring cake tin with a nonstick cooking spray and dust with some flour. Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar vanilla and ¾ cup sugar.  In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer for 1 minute until foamy. Add the remaining sugar (3/4 cup) to the egg whites and continue beating until whites hold soft peaks.  Add the flour mixture, to the egg whites, one third at a time, and mix until the batter is fully incorporated.  Spoon the batter into the cake tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until you insert a skewer in the center of the cake and it comes out clean. I suggest start starting to check the cake at 35 minutes, remember ovens are different.  Remove from the oven and set aside to completely cool down.  Convert the cake to a flat dish and lift straight up.

Now it is time to assemble the cake: Using a sharp knife, cut 2.5cm/1 inch slice horizontally off top of the cake.

To make a tunnel, carefully hollow out the bottom the cake, you can hollow it using a melon baller spoon, tear out some of the sponge cake, creating a tunnel and leaving 2.5cm/1 inch shell on the bottom. Spoon the Nutella evenly in the tunnel.

Using a spoon, spread the Mascarpone filling evenly over the Nutella.

Replace the upper part of the cake on top.

Spoon the ganache coating the entire surface, letting it drip down the sides. To get a nice lovely drip, you need to spoon the ganache onto the center, then using a spatula, spread the ganache around the cake top till it reaches the edges.  Slowly push the ganache over the edge with the spatula, so it drips all the way through leaving the drips about 1 inch/2.5 cm apart.

A photogenic cake to attract people who eat with their eyes, and it tastes just as it looks.

This makes a great birthday cake, but not in the coventional sense! A dreamy dessert that has always been hugely popular at our house since I made it for my son’s birthday, and I am still very fond of it, and have continued making it for years.

Ingredients:

For the chocolate cake:

• 11/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 14 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon sugar vanilla

For the filling:

• Mascarpone filling:
• 250 g. /9 oz. mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons Nutella

Chocolate Ganache:

• 150 g. / 9 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• Cooking spray
• Some flour to dust the cake tin

Directions:

For the chocolate cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Place a rack in the center of the oven.
2. Coat a large ring cake tin with a nonstick cooking spray and dust with some flour.
3. Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar vanilla and ¾ cup sugar.
4. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer for 1 minute until foamy. Add the remaining sugar (3/4 cup) to the egg whites and continue beating until whites hold soft peaks.
5. Add the flour mixture, to the egg whites, one third at a time, and mix until the batter is fully incorporated.
6. Spoon the batter into the cake tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until you insert a skewer in the center of the cake and it comes out clean. I suggest start starting to check the cake at 35 minutes, remember ovens are different.  Remove from the oven and set aside to completely cool down.
7. Convert the cake to a flat dish and lift straight up.

To prepare the mascarpone cheese filling:

1. In a bowl, beat the heavy cream and sugar with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gently fold in the mascarpone cheese just to incorporate. don’t whip it, but treat it tenderly, you need to mix just to homogenize the mixture together. Refrigerate.

To Assemble the Cake:

1. Cut 2.5cm/1 inch slice horizontally off top of the cake. Check the photo.
2. To make a tunnel, carefully hollow out the bottom the cake, leaving a 2 inches/ 5 cm shell, you can hollow the cake using a melon baller spoon, tear out some of the sponge cake, creating a tunnel and leaving 2.5cm/1 inch shell on the bottom. Check the photo.
3. Spoon the Nutella evenly in the tunnel and cover with the mascarpone cheese filling.
4. Replace the top of the cake on top.

For the chocolate ganache on top:

1. Add the chocolate, butter and heavy cream to a saucepan and whisk over medium heat, ending up with a shiny chocolate glaze.
2. Spoon the ganache coating the entire surface, letting it drip down the sides.

• The recipe for the “Chocolate Cake with Nutella and Mascarpone filling” was posted on April, 2014, the photos and text were updated on November, 2020!

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