This easy Nutella Cake is a delightful marble loaf made from a simple cake batter, finished with a Nutella topping and roasted hazelnuts for extra crunch. It’s quick to prepare, impressive to serve and full of chocolate-hazelnut flavour.
The Nutella Swirl Loaf is one of those recipes that delivers on taste without fuss. The batter comes together in minutes and creates a beautiful marbled cake that looks as good as it tastes. Top it with extra Nutella and toasted hazelnuts for a professional finish.
Why you’ll love this homemade Nutella cake
- Super easy to make — suitable for all baking skill levels
- Rich chocolate‑hazelnut flavour from Nutella swirls
- Looks impressive with minimal effort — perfect for sharing
Notes from the baker
This Nutella Cake starts with a classic creamed‑butter sponge batter (butter, sugar, eggs and flour). A portion of the batter is mixed with Nutella to form the chocolate-hazelnut swirl.
Simply spoon the plain and Nutella batters into a lined loaf tin, swirl lightly with a knife, then bake. Once cooled, spread the loaf with extra Nutella and scatter toasted hazelnuts on top for texture and visual appeal.
Use a good-quality chocolate hazelnut spread if possible; it makes the marbling glossy and the cake extra indulgent.
Ingredient notes
- Unsalted butter — for the batter and a little extra to grease the tin; salted butter will also work if that’s what you have.
- Caster sugar — golden caster sugar can be used for a slightly deeper flavour.
- Eggs — medium, free range recommended.
- Self-raising flour — gives a light crumb; if you only have plain flour, add a small amount of baking powder.
- Nutella — or your favourite chocolate-hazelnut spread for the swirl and topping.
How to make Nutella cake
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 180°C conventional / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 900g (about 2lb) loaf tin.
2. Cream the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time — the mixture may look slightly curdled at this stage but that’s fine.
3. Gently fold in the self‑raising flour until you have a smooth, even batter.
4. Spoon roughly one third of the batter into a separate bowl and mix in about 150g of Nutella. If your kitchen is cool and the Nutella is stiff, warm it for 15–20 seconds in the microwave to soften before stirring it into the batter.
5. Spoon the plain batter into the lined tin, then add the Nutella batter alongside it. Use a knife to swirl the two batters together for a marble effect — avoid over‑mixing to keep clear swirls.
6. Bake for around 1 hour, checking from 45 minutes on. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no raw batter. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for a short while before turning out.
7. While the oven is still warm, spread hazelnuts on a tray and toast them until fragrant and golden. If they have skins, toss them briefly to encourage the skins to loosen, then rub in a tea towel to remove any loose skins. Roughly chop and set aside.
8. Once the loaf is completely cool, spread the remaining Nutella over the top and scatter the toasted hazelnuts. Slice and serve.
Storage
Short term: Keep the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Avoid refrigerating as the cake can firm up and lose tenderness.
Freezing: The loaf freezes well. Wrap tightly in greaseproof paper and foil, or place in a sealed freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Top tips
- Line the tin with baking paper to make it easy to remove the loaf after baking.
- Check the cake from 45 minutes onwards; ovens vary and cooking time can differ by ±15 minutes.
- For a lighter swirl, use a little less Nutella in the marbled portion; for a richer ribbon, add a touch more.
Frequently asked questions
A simple Nutella frosting can be made by beating together 25% unsalted butter, 25% icing sugar and 50% Nutella (by weight). Beat until smooth and add a teaspoon of hot water if needed to soften. For a quicker finish you can also spread neat Nutella on the cooled loaf.
Warm Nutella gently in short bursts in the microwave (10–20 seconds), or place the jar in a bowl of warm water to loosen it before stirring into batter.
The cake should feel set and not wobble when you gently move the tin. Insert a skewer into the centre — it should come out clean or with a few crumbs but no wet batter. If unsure, return the cake to the oven for a few more minutes.
If you try this recipe, please leave feedback and a rating to let others know how it turned out. I also love to see your bakes — tag the account shown on the original recipe page if you’d like to share photos.
Nutella Cake — Easy Marble Loaf
Ingredients
- 225g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 225g caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs (free range recommended)
- 225g self-raising flour
- 150g Nutella (for the batter)
For the topping
- 75g hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
- 100g Nutella (to spread on top)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 180°C conventional / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin.
- Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, then fold in the flour gently.
- Transfer roughly one third of the batter to a separate bowl and mix in 150g Nutella until combined. Warm the Nutella briefly if needed to make stirring easier.
- Spoon the plain batter into the tin, then add the Nutella batter alongside it. Use a knife to swirl the batters to create marbling.
- Bake for about 1 hour, checking from 45 minutes. A skewer should come out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Toast the hazelnuts in the still-warm oven until golden, rub off any loose skins if necessary and chop roughly.
- When the loaf is fully cool, spread the remaining Nutella over the top and scatter the toasted hazelnuts.
Did you make this? Leave a comment and rating on the recipe page to share your results.
Notes
- Butter: Unsalted is preferred for control of saltiness, but salted butter works in a pinch.
- Sugar: Golden caster sugar adds a slight caramel note but regular caster is fine.
- Eggs: Free range eggs are recommended; for precision, the total weight in shells is about 250g for four medium eggs.
- Timing: Oven temperatures vary. Start checking the cake at 45 minutes to avoid overbaking.
Nutrition (per serving, approximate)
- Calories: 537 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Fat: 32 g (Saturated fat: 19 g)
- Sugar: 36 g
Additional info
- Course: Dessert
- Cuisine: Family food