For my son’s birthday, I’ve decided to try to make a cake that brings to mind the experience of eating a ferrero rocher chocolate (his favourite): not only the flavours of milk chocolate and hazelnut, but the textures of the truffle as well.

I thought I would make a 2-tier cake as it would give me more options to try different flavour combinations. I thought one tier could be a chocolate cake (chocolate fudge is my favourite so far), the other would be a hazelnut cake, using the golden almond cake from TCB, replacing the almonds and extract with hazelnuts and hazelnut extract.

I’d like to fill both with a chocolate filling and perhaps, chopped, toasted hazelnuts. I love Bill’s buttercream recipe but would like to try the silk meringue chocolate buttercream.

I think the outer frosting needs to be milk chocolate in flavour. I hesitate to use the milk chocolate ganache or buttercream as they seem to set up like chocolate bars. The light whipped ganache has a texture I prefer, but is a little too intense in flavour unless I can include milk chocolate with the bittersweet. Will it still work?

I would also like to include a layer in each cake that provides the crispiness of the wafer that’s in the truffle. Would a layer of hazelnut dacquoise work? Perhaps chocolate or vanilla meringue? (too sweet?)

Any suggestions would be appreciated…thank you

The triple chocolate cake in TCB is the closest thing to a ferro roche.  It is the moist chocolate genoise with hazelnut syrup, whipped chocolate ganache and chocolate praline sheets (toasted hazelnuts covered with caramel, allowed to set then finely ground, tempered chocolate added and formed into sheets that drap around the cake).  It is super delicious and easy to make and only gets better made ahead of time.

I agree the triple chocolate cake is best made ahead, possibly even more than a day ahead. 

Every year I make the domingo chocolate cake and top with hazelnut mousseline, it is a combination to die for.  The Domingo is mellower than the choc fudge, I think it’s a great match for the milk chocolate in ferrero rocher.  For hazelnut mousseline, I add smooth toasted hazelnut paste (bought mine at lepicerie.com) and either cocoa butter+vanilla or white chocolate. 

Another cake that would work well in the milk chocolate role is the deep chocolate passion cake from RHC with the milk chocolate syrup from the wedding cake section.

You could make the top tier (or even a center layer) something along the lines of the RHC cake, le succes.  It’s dacquiose layered with ganache.

There’s a milk chocolate ganache on p.277 of the Cake Bible that might work nicely for your creation

The chocolate praline silk meringue buttercream is the most decadent ferrero rocher-esque filling.  It is better than the real thing.  However, I had a hard time pairing it with a cake—in most cases I found the taste of the CPSMBC to be lost on the chocolate cakes I tried it with (Deep choco. passion and chocolate fudge… perhaps the domingo would be a better choice).  OR… a cupcake with loads of frosting is a good way to deliver the goods as well, but not exactly what I would usually say—in this case an exception!

moderncake - 14 November 2011 09:21 PM

The triple chocolate cake in TCB is the closest thing to a ferro roche.  It is the moist chocolate genoise with hazelnut syrup, whipped chocolate ganache and chocolate praline sheets (toasted hazelnuts covered with caramel, allowed to set then finely ground, tempered chocolate added and formed into sheets that drap around the cake).  It is super delicious and easy to make and only gets better made ahead of time.

Moderncake, I’m so glad you suggested this cake….I haven’t looked in that section of TCB since I purchased the book a few years ago and I’ve been inspired anew.
This cake sounds fabulous! But easy?......for me, I’m not so sure . I’ve neither made a chocolate genoise nor tempered chocolate, but I do love a challenge (or 2)! I was aiming for more of a milk chocolate flavour for my son’s cake; this sounds like it might be closer to my favourite chocolate, a Perugina Baci truffle, and it just so happens that my birthday is coming soon. I definitely see this cake in my future

Julie - 15 November 2011 09:19 AM

The Domingo is mellower than the choc fudge, I think it’s a great match for the milk chocolate in ferrero rocher. 

Another cake that would work well in the milk chocolate role is the deep chocolate passion cake from RHC with the milk chocolate syrup from the wedding cake section.

I’ve baked a few of the chocolate butter cakes, but not the Domingo…..I’d like to try this one. (I had a major fail with the deep chocolate passion and am not so anxious to repeat that experience )

Julie - 15 November 2011 09:19 AM

You could make the top tier (or even a center layer) something along the lines of the RHC cake, le succes.  It’s dacquiose layered with ganache.

There’s a milk chocolate ganache on p.277 of the Cake Bible that might work nicely for your creation

I am leaning towards including a layer of hazelnut dacquoise; I like the idea of putting it between cake layers with ganache. I agree that the flavour of the milk chocolate ganache would work well for my idea, but I did a small batch last week and found it to be very fudgy and uncooperative. (I used 33% Callebaut milk chocolate). I’d like to see if it will work as a whipped ganache.

Julie - 15 November 2011 09:19 AM

Every year I make the domingo chocolate cake and top with hazelnut mousseline, it is a combination to die for. For hazelnut mousseline, I add smooth toasted hazelnut paste (bought mine at lepicerie.com) and either cocoa butter+vanilla or white chocolate. 

Sherrie - 15 November 2011 12:09 PM

The chocolate praline silk meringue buttercream is the most decadent ferrero rocher-esque filling. 

Both the hazelnut mousseline and CPSMB sound divine but, unfortunately, they’re not going to happen for this cake. I looked into ordering hazelnut and praline pastes last week when I first decided upon this cake flavour. I couldn’t find a local source and shipping cost from the sources I did find was 2 or more times the cost of the product! Without knowing how I was using them, I decided against the purchase and now, I don’t think I have time (cake needs to be completed on the weekend). I did pick up some concentrated hazelnut oil flavouring. It smells very good…...maybe I can add it to the chocolate silk meringue buttercream.

Julie, Sherrie, thanks so much for your help….I think I’m ready to start baking!

I believe a few people on the forum have made their own praline paste—it’s not as smooth as the commercially made products, but hazelnut butter (like peanut butter) may also be useful in this process.  There are several threads like this so if it’s something that interests you (even for a future cake) it may be an option instead of ordering.
Good luck with the final cake…I’m sure it will be yummy….the triple chocolate cake is one of my absolute favourites (if you ever decide to try it out)!

So, I made the cakes….6” golden hazelnut and 9” chocolate Domingo. I filled both cakes with the chocolate praline silk meringue buttercream and frosted with whipped milk chocolate ganache.

Sherrie - 16 November 2011 01:41 PM

I believe a few people on the forum have made their own praline paste—it’s not as smooth as the commercially made products, but hazelnut butter (like peanut butter) may also be useful in this process.  There are several threads like this

Honestly, Sherrie, if I’d read any of these threads before I started, I don’t know that I would have even attempted this buttercream; for every post praising the flavour, there was one describing the problems of making it! I learned first hand how to deal with those….. from a too cool curdled butter/ pastry cream mix to the 3 attempts at heating the sugar syrup (the first 2 having turned to caramel when I turned my back for a second)
To introduce “crunch”, I processed my praline to coarser granules instead of powder or paste. (I went with the praline for texture as I was was afraid the hazelnut dacquoise would be too sweet)

Sherrie - 15 November 2011 12:09 PM

The chocolate praline silk meringue buttercream is the most decadent ferrero rocher-esque filling.  It is better than the real thing.

I have to agree…...having survived the experience of making it, I can say that it is one of the most fabulous things I have ever tasted !

Julie - 15 November 2011 09:19 AM

Every year I make the domingo chocolate cake and top with hazelnut mousseline, it is a combination to die for.  The Domingo is mellower than the choc fudge, I think it’s a great match for the milk chocolate in ferrero rocher. 

Julie, the Domingo cake was a great suggestion…the crumb is far more moist/less crumbly than the chocolate fudge (though I still love that cake) and the flavour went really well with the CPSMBC filling.

The whipped milk chocolate ganache (I used the milk chocolate ganache recipe from the CB but the same ratio of chocolate to cream as the light whipped ganache) as frosting was a better idea on paper than in reality. The flavour was what I was looking for, but the consistency…....it was like frosting a cake with an airy mousse and the pale colour magnified every flaw. I couldn’t do the smooth finish and piping I had planned and ended up with very “rustic” looking cakes (At some point while I was fighting with the ganache, I gave up on the idea of stacking the cakes)

Both cakes were delicious in the end . Birthday boy and most guests thought the hazelnut cake reminded them most of a Ferrero Rocher. The ratio of hazelnut to chocolate was off in the domingo cake…..it would have worked better with more of the CPSMBC (there’s no such thing as too much of this stuff) perhaps by torting it.

Thanks again for all of your suggestions…...

Your cakes look beautiful, and the description makes me almost insane with the desire to run to the kitchen and make one!

I know what you mean about the whipped ganaches looking rustic—one of the folks who partook in my cake frosted thus described it as a “stucco-like” appearance, which thought was quite well done.

I actually like it, though, and I think you did a marvellous job with your swirls and upward swoops.  I love the contrasting thingies on the tope of the chocolate cake, too.

Congrats on those beautiful cakes!

Gorgeous cakes! Even though you think they’re rustic, I think they’re inviting and wonderful! 

Welcome to the ranks of those who have tried the chocolate praline silk meringue buttercream- I can’t imagine anything better, can you?  I, too, wonder what the right way to showcase this bc is, and I’ve thought of a dobos torte-type thing with lots of layers…  maybe over the holidays I’ll find an excuse to try that suggestion

dobos torte-type thing

I just looked this up.  OMG!

hey there.. that sounds delicious, if you end up making it id love to see thecake !! =) and abt the praline paste… the first time i made the chocolatr praline silk meringue i made my own praline paste… it was heavy on the grinder but so worth it in the end ... the silk meringue is to die for !!! =)  i basically just followed this method caramelizing sugar. adding toasting skinned hazelnuts. and then pour the hot sugar mess over the hazelnuts. stir quickly. whizz it in the processor adding a lil bit of a neutral oil. i added hazelnut oil =) and whizz whizz whizz till u get a fine paste !! so yum !

Thank you for the kind words…

Anne, “stucco-like”...I love that! Now I’ll ask people if they’d like the “stucco finish” on their cakes…....it sounds a lot more deliberate than “rustic” does .
I cheated…the thingies on the top are ferrero rocher chocolates cut in half. If I ever use them again, I’ll leave them whole - the wafer layer became very soft and they lost their crunch. (Spellcheck recognizes “thingies” as a correctly-spelled word?)

Julie, I think a Dobos Torte with layers of vanilla sponge (I think that’s the traditional cake flavour) would be a perfect vehicle to showcase this buttercream. The hazelnut cake I made - the hazelnut flavour was so subtle some people thought it was just a really flavourful vanilla cake - complimented it very nicely. Please post photos if you ever do make it…...with your baking and decorating skills, I think you would make a stunning version!

Chocoholic, I agree that this buttercream is to die for. It’s a little labour intensive and I had a hard time with the small quantity of sugar syrup so I think I’ll make a double batch next time and try to make my own paste as well. Thank you for the tips on making the paste; it seems as though adding that small amount of oil is critical in making a smooth paste. Joe Pastry also suggests using a blender if your processor doesn’t do the job.

Sophia, they both look delicious!  I too, find the look inviting.  Wow…it sounds like it was a significant ordeal to make…sorry for suggesting it (but it is soooo delicious!).  I must try it with the Domingo next time…as I wasn’t totally happy with it paired with the Deep Choco Passion or the Chocolate Fudge cake.  I’m also wondering about a chocolate genoise??  Sort of like the Triple Chocolate Cake but with CPSMBC instead of the light whipped ganache.

On an aside…be careful with double batches…I have made a double batch of CPSMBC (That’s getting to be a long acronym!) and it turned out well.  But the Caramel SMBC does not double well…I think it has to do with the amount of liquid that evaporates when making the caramel.  I have half of a batch with some added milk chocolate (in the freezer) that needs saving because it ended up too soupy.  I think I will try making some more Italian Meringue.  So, I understand how frustrating things can be when they go wrong!

Sherrie - 23 November 2011 11:03 AM

Sophia, they both look delicious!  I too, find the look inviting.  Wow…it sounds like it was a significant ordeal to make…sorry for suggesting it (but it is soooo delicious!). 

Thank you and I’m glad you suggested it….it really is fabulous!

Sherrie - 23 November 2011 11:03 AM

On an aside…be careful with double batches…I have made a double batch of CPSMBC (That’s getting to be a long acronym!) and it turned out well.  But the Caramel SMBC does not double well…I think it has to do with the amount of liquid that evaporates when making the caramel.

Thank you, Sherrie, I’ll keep that in mind when I tackle the SMBC again.