Nutella Cake Filling Recipe

This Nutella cake filling is a thick, fluffy mascarpone cream made with 1 cup Nutella, 8 ounces cold mascarpone, and ½ cup heavy cream, plus a little vanilla and salt. It mixes in about 10 minutes, firms up with an optional 30 minute chill, and fills a 3 layer 8 inch cake.

The trick is cold mascarpone beaten for no more than 30 seconds. It gives the filling body and a clean, slightly tangy finish that keeps the Nutella from tasting too sweet, and it spreads between layers like soft butter.

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Nutella, Mascarpone, and Cream: The Ratio

• Ratio: 1 cup Nutella to 8 oz mascarpone to ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• Flavor: ½ teaspoon vanilla and an optional pinch of salt
• Time: 10 minutes to mix, 30 minutes to chill if you want to pipe it
• Fills: the two filling layers of a 3 layer 8 inch cake
• Keeps: up to 2 days in the fridge; do not freeze

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Cold Mascarpone, Soft Nutella

Temperature matters more than anything else here. Mascarpone goes in straight from the fridge, because warm mascarpone turns soupy and splits. Nutella needs the opposite: about 20 minutes on the counter so it is soft enough to stir. Stiff, cool Nutella leaves brown streaks, and Nutella warmed until runny thins the whole filling.

Use full fat mascarpone, never a light version. Some tubs are wetter than others, so if yours looks loose, hold back a few tablespoons of the cream. The cream should be cold and full fat. Ultra pasteurized cream works, but it takes a little longer to thicken.

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Mixing the Filling Without Splitting the Mascarpone

Beat the mascarpone on low to medium speed for about 30 seconds, just until smooth. A paddle attachment or a hand mixer is better than a whisk, since a whisk beats in too much air and works the fat too hard.

Add the Nutella and mix on medium until the color is even and you see no streaks. Scrape the bottom of the bowl once, where Nutella likes to hide.

Turn the mixer to low and drizzle in the cream slowly. Pouring it all at once can split the filling. Once the cream is in, beat on medium high for 1 to 2 minutes until it is thick and fluffy, then add the vanilla and salt and mix just until combined. Chill it for 30 minutes if you plan to pipe it or want it a little firmer between layers.

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How Thick It Should Be Before It Goes on the Cake

The finished filling looks fluffy but not bubbly, holds a soft peak on a spatula, and spreads like soft butter. If it droops off the spatula, chill it. If it has firmed up too much in the fridge, let it stand at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes and stir gently. Resist beating it longer to thicken it, because extra beating makes mascarpone oily and grainy.

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Filling a Three Layer 8 Inch Cake With Nutella

Split the batch in half, one half for each filling layer. Because this filling is softer than buttercream, the weight of the top layers can push it out the sides. Pipe a ring of stiff buttercream around the edge of each layer first, spread the filling inside the ring, then stack. A Nutella buttercream makes a matching dam and outer frosting.

Chill the stacked cake for 30 minutes before the crumb coat so the filling sets. It suits a moist vanilla cake, where the chocolate layer stands out, as well as a hazelnut layer cake or a chocolate hazelnut cake. For cupcakes, cut out a small cone from the center and pipe the chilled filling in.

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Mascarpone Filling vs Nutella Buttercream vs Plain Nutella

• This mascarpone filling: light, creamy, and less sweet. It must stay refrigerated and needs a dam on tall cakes.
• Nutella buttercream: butter, powdered sugar, and Nutella. Sweeter and much sturdier, so it holds at room temperature and works as the outside frosting too.
• Plain Nutella from the jar: dense and sticky. Fine as a thin layer, but it can tear a soft crumb when you spread it and tastes very sweet in thick layers.

For a tangier version with more structure, my mascarpone frosting is a good outer coat for this filling.

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Grainy or Runny Nutella Filling and How to Fix It

Mascarpone is mostly butterfat, so it behaves like cream that has been whipped too long. Overbeating or warmth makes the fat separate, and the filling looks grainy or starts to weep.

• Grainy texture: fold in 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold cream by hand with a spatula. Putting it back under the mixer makes it worse.
• Runny filling: refrigerate it for 30 minutes. It thickens as the mascarpone firms.
• Flat flavor: add the pinch of salt, or a little espresso powder to bring out the chocolate.
• Too sweet for your cake: pair it with a less sugary bake, such as Nutella bomboloni, where the dough balances the richness.

Never microwave it to soften it. The heat melts the mascarpone and the texture does not come back.

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Cocoa, Hazelnut, and Raspberry Twists

For a firmer filling, use only 2 tablespoons of cream instead of ½ cup. Add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder for a darker chocolate filling, or stir in finely chopped toasted hazelnuts for crunch. A thin layer of raspberry cake filling spread under the Nutella cuts through the richness in a spring cake. A thicker version also works piped into the center of banana Nutella muffins.

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How Long Nutella Cake Filling Keeps

Keep the filling in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. If you want to prep ahead, make it the day before and give it a short stir before filling. Freezing is a bad idea here, because the mascarpone turns grainy when thawed.

A cake filled with it needs the fridge too, since mascarpone and cream are perishable. Leave it out no longer than 2 hours. Take it out 20 to 30 minutes before slicing so the filling softens and the layers cut cleanly.

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Short Answers About Nutella Filling

Can I use cream cheese instead of mascarpone?

Yes, use an 8 ounce block of full fat cream cheese. The filling will be heavier and tangier, so it suits a chocolate cake better than a light vanilla one.

Can I just spread Nutella between cake layers?

You can, in a thin layer. Mixing it with mascarpone and cream makes it lighter, less sweet, and easier to spread without tearing the cake.

How much Nutella filling do I need for a layer cake?

One batch fills a 3 layer 8 inch cake, about half the batch per filling layer.