Chocolate and hazelnut is a pairing Italy took seriously enough to give its own name: gianduia. The Nutella Cake is our four-layer version of that idea, finished with crunchy chocolate pieces and Ferrero Rocher on top, which tells you roughly how it is meant to be eaten. Not delicately.
What is actually in it
The base is a rich, moist chocolate cake, paired with a three leches element that softens the whole thing and gives it a creamy, milky profile rather than a dry crumb. Between the layers goes Nutella and a dark chocolate ganache, so the hazelnut sweetness has something bitter working against it. The top carries an array of crunchy chocolate pieces, the Ferrero Rocher among them, which is the only source of real crunch in an otherwise soft cake. That contrast is the point.
Sizes and prices are the same across all ten flavours in the specialty layer cake range, which starts at $95: a 15cm serving 12 to 15, a 20cm serving 20 to 25, and a 25cm serving 30 to 35. Finishes are ganache and chocolate elements only. There is no fondant, no added colouring and no bespoke decoration, so what you order is what is pictured.
It contains hazelnuts
Plainly: this cake contains hazelnuts, and so does everything else built on Nutella or gianduia here. We do not describe anything we make as nut free. If you are ordering for a group and someone at the table avoids nuts, choose a different flavour rather than a smaller slice, and the Thunder Chocolate Cake is the closest thing in the range in terms of depth without the hazelnut.
The same flavour in smaller formats
A 15cm cake is not a cake for two people, and pretending otherwise leads to a fortnight of leftovers. The same flavour appears in sizes that suit a table rather than a party.
- The Nutella mini cake is one serving, built on a ground hazelnut base and finished with a Nutella white chocolate ganache. It is made with no added gluten. Our kitchen is small and without exclusive production areas for all of our different recipes, so traces may occur, and nothing is guaranteed safe for severe coeliac disease. It comes individually or in trays of six and twelve, with the rest of the mini cakes.
- The Ferrari Rocher is a flourless chocolate and hazelnut cake under a Nutella and caramelised hazelnut mousse, coated in dark chocolate and roasted almonds. It sits with the other mini desserts.
- The Gianduia cake is a 20cm loaf serving 8, or a 25cm bundt serving 16, from the tea cakes and loaves range. No delicate frosting, so it travels well.
Two people, one table, no hurry
This is the part worth planning. Come in with the person you would otherwise be texting about it. Order a Ferrari Rocher and a Nutella mini and split both, so between you there are four halves and two textures rather than one dessert each. Add a hot chocolate, which comes New York style with a toasted marshmallow rim or Paris style with whipped cream on the side, or a Zealong teapot for one from the only tea plantation in New Zealand.
The tables move, so two can sit properly rather than perch, and the kitchen is open plan, so there is something to watch while you talk. Nobody moves you along. If you want to compare the layer cakes before committing to one, the cake slices in the cabinet let you do it for the price of a coffee each.
Ordering, collection and hours
Layer cakes are made to order, so allow two days. You choose your pickup date and time at checkout, and the picker only offers dates the kitchen can meet. Cabinet items and drinks need no notice at all. Collection is from our patisserie inside The Welder, 20 to 26 Welles Street in the central city, and we do not deliver.
Hours are 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 3pm Saturday. Collecting the day before is normal: the cake is handed over boxed and keeps in a fridge in our packaging overnight. Carry the box from the base and bring the cake out one to two hours before serving. The frequently asked questions page covers changes and refunds.
