Chocolate and Nutella Schmear Cake

When you need a little chocolate fix with a hint of Nutella...

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 devil's food chocolate cake mix

Add an extra egg than what the mix calls for on the box, replace the oil with melted butter and replace the water with 10% cream. Add 2 tsps vanilla

Frosting:

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1/4 cup Nutella

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups icing sugar

2 tsps meringue powder

2 tsps vanilla or hazelnut extract

2 tbsps heavy cream

1/2 tsp salt (only if using unsalted butter)

1-2 tbsps chocolate oreo crumbs

Bake the cake in 2 - 8" rounds using the extra ingredients listed above then cool completely. Using a length of thread, loop it around the cake, cross it over itself and pull, slicing the cake in half.

For the frosting, melt the chocolate in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir it and return to the microwave for 15 seconds. Continue stirring and adding 15 seconds until the chocolate is almost melted, then stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes and stir in the nutella. Cool another 5 minutes.

Cream the butter in a large mixer bowl and add the chocolate, stir well.

Mix meringue powder and icing sugar together. I chose to use meringue powder in this frosting because with the addition of nutella I wanted to make sure it was stable.

Add the icing sugar mix to the chocolate in 3 additions, mixing well between each addition. Then add the vanilla (and salt if using). Finally on low speed add the heavy cream, then increase to high for 30 seconds.