I’m a big proponent of the idea that if you have a good thing going, you have to use it to your advantage. You have to grab the bull by the horns, and really go after it, and take that good thing to new heights. Don’t let it languish, but do all in your power to make it bigger and better. I sound like I am talking about lofty ideals and ambitions here, don’t I? But really I am just talking about cake. Yes, cake. My Almond-Crusted Butter Cake was so good, and turned out so well, I immediately started thinking how I could use it in other ways. Some people may say it’s too early to reprise the recipe, that I should wait at least a few months. But I happily thumb my nose at such people. Good cake is good cake and deserves as much time in the spotlight as possible. And if I add Nutella to said cake, surely that changes it enough for a second go-round!
I have a lot of recipes on this blog that I love, but I don’t always have the time to make them again. But really, I loved this cake so much, I knew I need to make it again, and soon. Still, being of a rather restless nature and prone to boredom, I knew I also needed to give it a little twist. I’ve seen a number of Nutella swirl cakes and loaves and let’s face it, that delicious combination of hazelnut and chocolate is never really far from my mind. So the idea of swirling some into the batter of my new favourite cake as not difficult to come by. I left off the almonds on the outside, and I used vanilla extract instead of almond for the cake batter. I also sweetened it a bit more than the almond cake, because I thought it would complement the nutella flavouring.
The Results: Okay, so the loaf sank in the middle a bit after cooling, a constant issue with gluten free baked goods. But the reality of it is that you won’t care a flying fig about the sunken middle when you taste this. Seriously, it is that good. It’s definitely on the sweeter side than the almond cake was, and I truly like them both for what they are. This one was a huge hit with the all of kids and my son said it was even better than the loaf cakes at Starbucks. This is high praise from him, believe me.
You may notice that it’s more of a line of nutella, rather than a swirl. I will confess that the thick batter of the cake does make it difficult to swirl in. And so the resulting layer of nutella may be part of the culprit for the sinking middle. Next time, instead of just swirling in nutella straight, I may hold back a bit of the batter to mix in first. Regardless, you can make this cake as is and you won’t be disappointed.
Nutella Swirl Tea Loaf
Nutella:
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and husked
2 tbsp vegetable or nut oil
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp erythritol, preferably powdered
1/4 tsp vanilla
Cake:
3 cups almond flour
1/3 cup unflavoured whey protein powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated erythritol
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
30 drops stevia extract
1/2 cup almond milk
For the nutella, grind hazelnuts in a food processor until finely ground and beginning to clump together. Add remaining nutella ingredients and continue to process until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides of processor with a rubber spatula as needed. If you find it continues to clump together, add more oil, a little at a time, until a spreadable consistency is achieved.
For the cake, preheat oven to 320F and butter a loaf pan very well. Sprinkle sides and bottom of pan with sliced almonds, pressing into butter to adhere to sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add granulated erythritol and beat until lighter and well-combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at time, scraping down beaters and sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in vanilla and stevia extracts. Beat in half of the almond flour mixture, then beat in almond milk. Beat in remaining almond flour mixture until well combined.
Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan, then dot with half of the nutella mixture. Use a knife to swirl nutella into batter. Top with remaining batter, and again dot with half of the nutella, swirling with a knife. Smooth the top before baking.
Bake 45 to 5o minutes, or until top is deep golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Serves 12. Each serving has a total of 8g of carbs and 3.5 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 4.5 g.
Angie's Recipes says
Can't never go wrong with nutella even if it sank in the middle….it looks marvelous!
Diane says
ok..who do I need to pay to have this made and mailed to me? lol.. ohh lord I wish I had time to do all that.
Shelley Newman says
Hi Everyone and Happy Holidays,
I live in Florida has anyone found sugar free nutella in the WPB area I tried Nutrition World and whole foods, also can you buy the mozarella dough anywhere
Shelley N.
Brian says
Oh Nutella will be the death of me… I can't resist it. Love the swirl!
TNS says
Awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE THE LOAF
thelittleloaf says
This looks absolutely gorgeous – who cares if it sank in the middle? It's got nutella in and I bet a little air getting squashed out just made it even more fudgy and delicious ๐
balvinder(Neetu) says
The loaf looks incredible even if it sank. You are right GF baked goods sank sometimes, but it has happened with me if it had almond meal, amaranth or more amount of flax meal. But they always taste great .
The_Mom_Chef says
Bravo on nose thumbing! I'm all for that activity. One of Hubby's few complaints about my going through magazines is how rarely I re-make something that we really enjoyed. So, yes, definitely do a few variations on the original. This looks wonderful!
Erin says
Gorgeous Nutella layer
Karen says
I don't care if it sunk or not…I want a piece! This looks incredible…you can't go wrong with Nutella.
Jeanette says
I'm passing this low carb treat onto my brother who is pre-diabetic. Thanks!
naomi says
okay, i think I need this stat. scratch. I NEED this stat!!!
Joyti says
Your almond crusted butter cake does sound good. And swirled with nutella…it must be INCREDIBLE! Yum!
Lauren @ KeepItSweet says
The sinking doesn't matter to me, this still sounds delicious!
Joy says
The loaf looks wonderful. I just noticed that you are going to camp blogaway. I hope to see you ๐
Alison Lewis says
These Look INCREDIBLE
Rachel says
Oh yum! I bet it tastes delicious.
food_dreamer says
Hey, cool! I am looking forward to meeting you!
Carolyn
Blog: All Day I Dream About Food
URL: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com
Amalia says
Nutella in anything is amazing! I love this idea of swirling it into a cake though, I bet it tastes amazing with a cup or coffee in the morning ๐ Great job, it looks beautiful!
KatrinasKitchen says
Oh that looks like a good recipe to make twice for sure!!
Roxana GreenGirl says
Kudos for re-making the bread again. I'm just like that. So what if I made it few days/weeks ago? If I like it I make it again!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
Wow, you said the magic words…Nutella. Love that you made a low-carb version of it!
The Harried Cook says
Nutella swirl…. mmmmmmmmmmm! This would make my husband a very happy man! He would insist I made it more than just twice!
[email protected] says
Yes, grab the bull by the horns and post that butter cake again and again ๐ And no one minds that there is a thick ribbon of nutella rather than a swirl ๐
Sommer says
It looks so moist and wonderful! Why not take something incredible then take it to new heights! So awesome you're helping so many. Especially with the low carb nutella. I knew you would. Makes me wish I lived closer to my husband's mother who's diabetic. I am sure she'd appreciate this. It's hard for her to cook these days.
Island Vittles says
I think I prefer the aesthetics of the line even more than a swirl…but that 's just me. I passed this recipe on to a FB friend today, and she was so excited, she ran out to get the ingredients at that moment! Irresistible as always, Carolyn! theresa
Kari says
I agree with every line of your first paragraph ๐ Especially when it delivers this!
Erin @ Dinners, Dish says
Too soon for this amazing cake? Not a chance! Looks delicious! I love anything with Nutella.
I have a giveaway going on I think you might be interested in.
food_dreamer says
Thanks for passing the recipe along, Theresa!!!
Carolyn
Blog: All Day I Dream About Food
URL: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com
scratch-made wife says
Cake is important! You should do all you can to use it to your advantage. ๐ No one minds that it sank in the middle. I'm sure it still tastes delicious. I'm also pretty sure that your Nutella tastes delicious, which is exactly why I'm going to try my hand at it!
Lora @cakeduchess says
A healthier Nutella loaf…I'm loving it. I didn't notice the sinking. You can send me a piece please for a little snack?:)love it!
Lisa Taylor says
You know the old adage 'Everything is better with bacon'? The same holds for nutella in desserts. No way did you reprise this too early..not a chance! It lifts your almond crusted butter cake up another level, why should that wait? ๐ I thumb my nose at that silly 'rule' too!
food_dreamer says
So glad you are going to try the homemade nutella, you won't regret it!!!
Carolyn
Blog: All Day I Dream About Food
URL: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com
Liz says
So glad you made this cake again in a new and just as delicious way! This tea loaf looks so yummy…and I didn't even notice any sinkage as I was more focused on its marbled goodness ๐
Terra says
You have a point for sure, if you have a good thing going, roll with it! Who cares that your cake sank in the middle, it looks AMAZING! I love the outside of that cake, the crumbly happiness has me drooling for sure! YUM:-) Hugs, Terra
Magic of Spice says
"a flying fig ", love it…and you are right, I won't ๐ These is scrumptious!
JenH says
These were quite yummy though I needed to make the nutella sweeter. I made it into muffins and got 15.
food_dreamer says
Funny, I thought about making it into muffins too. Glad they worked out. I guess I don't like my nutella that sweet.
Carolyn
Blog: All Day I Dream About Food
URL: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com
Chocolate tea says
I agree with your conclusions and looking forward to your coming updates. Thanks for sharing
Kathy Jo says
Once again…DELICIOUS!!! I really enjoyed this, as did my daughter and son (25 and 19), especially with the nutella layer.
Donna says
This looks amazing…I saw on another blog (Elana’s Pantry?)..that the “low” cake/height issues in gf loaf baking can sometimes be rectified by simply using smaller “mini” loaf pans…thoughts?
Tao Tao says
If I don’t want to include the whey protein powder, what should I sub it with? Thanks!
Carolyn says
egg white powder or hemp protein.
Diana says
I just made this into 3 mini loaves and it is delicious! It tastes like those marble bread slices you can find prepackaged in any store bakery! I did add a little almond milk and a few drops of stevia to the Nutella as well as a large spoon of the batter. They turned out perfectly.
Thank you
Carolyn says
Perfect as mini loaves!
Cindy says
Do you know what the sugar grams are? I am diabetic & I count my carbs & sugars. Looks really yummy & I would love to try it if the sugar isn’t high.
Carolyn says
No I am sorry, my software does not calculate sugars – but it would not be very high in this recipe, since it’s all nuts and such. I am diabetic too and from all of my own testing and reading, carbs are the most important count.
dana says
where do you purchase hazelnuts?
Carolyn says
Many grocery stores carry them and Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
Alice Jacoby says
Can I use hazelnut flour?
Pat says
I made it at midnight and have to hold myself not to have it all! I use psyllium husk (2 tbs) to substitute the whey protein powder and it still turns out good. Thanks for the creation that save disbetics life like me ๐