Banana Ferrero Bundt Cake

I actually made this cake a few weeks back but I think it's an appropriate tribute to Michele Ferrero who died age 89 on 14th February. He is the creator of Nutella and Ferrero Rocher chocolates amongst other confectionary delights. This cake actually came about by chance as I had a lot of Ferrero Rocher chocolates left after baking my Nutella Ferrero Rocher brownies. I looked around my kitchen to see what else I could use and spied the very brown bananas. I also found a tub of creme fraiche in my fridge which I bought for a recipe but never got round to using it. I decided to incorporate everything into a cake and used my bundt tin to make it look special. I was going to melt some Nutella to drizzle on top but I was in too much of a hurry.

The cake turned out beautifully as it had a lovely banana flavour with a good texture. It kept well for a few days and did not dry out mainly due to the creme fraiche in the cake. It felt like a treasure hunt in your mouth as you may or may not get the taste of Ferrero in each bite.

I'm sending this to the No Waste Food Challenge hosted by Elizabeth from Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary. As mentioned, I used up lots of leftovers for this cake.

I'm also sharing this with Recipe of the Week hosted by Emily from A Mummy Too

 adding creme fraiche 

 adding chopped ferrero chocolates 

 ready to go in the oven 

Note: I used double this recipe to fill my large bundt tin and had some batter leftover to make a small round cake
You can easily make a 18cm round cake with this recipe.

Ingredients 
225g self-raising flour
225g light muscovado sugar
3 large eggs
80ml sunflower oil
2 ripe bananas
150ml creme fraiche

12 Ferrero Rocher chocolates, cut in half 

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour and sugar.
• Add in the eggs and sunflower oil and mix well.
• Add the bananas in chunks and the creme fraiche.
• Stir a few times then add in the chopped Ferrero Rocher chocolates.
• Pour into a large bundt tin and bake for about 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Nutella Ferrero Rocher Brownies

Did you know that today February 5th is World Nutella Day? I love Nutella and could eat it straight from the jar! Yes I know it's bad for you but it's oh so naughty! I haven't eaten or baked with Nutella for ages so I can't wait to see all the delicious recipes on the blogosphere today. These brownies actually came about because I had a lot of leftover Ferrero Rocher chocolates from Christmas and New Year. Yes it does happen! A colleague loaned me her Ferrero gold tower which I used for my Christmas party and again for my New Year party. We ate most of the chocolates from the first time but I topped it up again and we barely made a dent in it. It's been sitting on the table for weeks now and the biscuit is starting to go a little soft so it was definitely time to bake with them. Alternatively I could sit on my sofa and eat lots and lots of Ferreros and make myself really ill!! 

As Ferrero contain hazelnuts, I decided to pair it with my favourite chocolate hazelnut spread - Nutella. I've had a craving for brownies for a few weeks now so there was absolutely no question about what I would bake. These brownies are very chocolatey and fudgy in the middle with a crispy top which is exactly how I like my brownies. The Ferrero Rocher remained whole and added an extra layer of indulgence to the brownies. Quite a few people were eating around the Ferrero chocolate saving it for last!

I'm sending this to We Should Cocoa hosted by Katie from Recipe for Perfection on behalf of Choclette from Chocolate Log Blog. The theme this month is brownies. 

 my ferrero tower - as you can see there's a LOT leftover! 

 adding nutella to the butter and sugar mixture 

 adding mini chocolate chips at the end 

 ready to go in the oven 

 I love how the Ferrero stayed whole after baking 

 These were taken before sunrise so excuse the poor lighting! You can see how fudgy the brownies are 

 

Makes 15 large squares

225g butter
150g nutella
350g light brown sugar
4 eggs
160g cocoa powder, sifted
190g plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
275g mini chocolate chips
15 Ferrero Rocher chocolates

• Preheat the oven to 180C. Spray a rectangular baking tray with non stick spray. 
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter over a low heat. 
• Turn of the heat and whisk in the sugar.
• Whisk in the nutella.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking as you go.
• Then stir in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.
• You should get a thick fudgy mixture.
• Finally stir in the mini chocolate chips.
• Pour into the baking tin and level the top with a spatula.
• Press the Ferrero Rocher chocolates at regular intervals as shown.
• Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until the top is crispy and cooked and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out slightly wet.
• Allow to cool completely before slicing into 15 squares. 

Ferrero Rocher Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

This was a special request from a colleague at work. She saw a recipe online and wanted to know if I could make a Ferrero Rocher cupcake for her. I used a different recipe in the end and am really pleased with the final result. She said the cupcake was absolutely heavenly and tasted just like a ferrero rocher in cake form. It has a dark chocolate sponge with a hidden ferrero rocher inside. It is then topped with a nutella buttercream, chopped, roasted hazelnuts and a drizzle of Nutella on top. I also added an additional Ferrero Rocher to the top of some of the cupcakes. I saw this recipe on you tube and the video is well worth watching. The cakes are slightly on the bland side as I reduced the sugar amount from 300g to 200g but it tastes fine especially when eaten with the frosting and chocolate. If you prefer a sweeter cake then do add more sugar to the mix. 

 Half fill the cupcake case with batter then place a ferrero rocher in the middle 

 cover with more cake batter 

 fresh from the oven 

 use a round tip to pipe one circle on top of the cupcake as shown 

 

 roll in chopped, roasted hazelnuts 

 add a further blob of icing on top 

 drizzle with nutella 

 add another Ferrero Rocher on top 

 cross section 

Recipe adapted from cookies cupcakes and cardio

For the cupcakes

Makes 18

185g plain flour

200g caster sugar (I'd suggest 250-300g for a sweeter bake)

185mls buttermilk  

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1.5 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

185mls warm water

95g cocoa powder

For the Nutella Buttercream 

245g Nutella

225g butter

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

250g icing sugar, sifted

4 -6 teaspoons whipping cream 

For the decoration and filling

36 Ferrero Rocher chocolate (or 18 if you only want to put one in the middle)

50g roasted, chopped hazelnuts

Nutella for drizzling

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. 
• Add in eggs, oil, vanilla extract, buttermilk and warm water.
• Mix thoroughly.
• Place a spoonful of batter into each cupcake case.
• Place a Ferrero Rocher in the centre and cover completely with cake batter.
• Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Allow to cool completely before decorating.
• To make the nutella buttercream, beat the butter and icing sugar together for a few minutes in an electric mixer.
• Add in the nutella and vanilla extract and continue beating until smooth.
• Finally add in the whipping cream a teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
• Decorate the cupcakes as shown above.