National Nutella Day Chocolate Mousse Moose Cake - FOOD PHOTO SHOOT

[gringalicious]

It’s National Nutella Day!

I think we can all agree that there are some pretty laughable “holidays” these days but this is one I’m pretty okay with. Yep, I can definitely jump on board this bandwagon because, I mean, NUTELLA!

Usually I wouldn’t start off the week with something this decadent, but with Valentine’s Day coming up and this being Nutella Day, well I just couldn’t resist. This is a cake that I had the idea for months ago when we moved back here to Northern Idaho from Chile. It’s been a long time coming I’d say, because I got this adorable little moose cookie cutter and have still yet to use it for a recipe until today. When I bought it I knew immediately I’d have to make something sweet with chocolate mousse and my little moose cutter. I guess I have a thing for ironic humor.

Ok, am I the only one that thought ‘mousse’ was spelled the same as ‘moose’ as a kid? I actually thought the dessert had something to do with a moose, you know, because it’s brown and I knew there was an ice cream flavor called moose tracks, so why not? But apparently it got it’s name from the French and it actually means “froth”. Hmph, and here I’ve been mentally limiting those French to toast, fries, and baguettes all my life.

But honestly, the name is of little importance when compared to how amazing the dessert itself is. Can we have a round of applause for the creator of the wonderful fluffiness that we all enjoy today (and that we can add Nutella to it!)???

So tell me, do you have any fun plans for Valentine’s Day? I’ll probably do a whole lot of the same things I do every other day. To be completely transparent, if you’d have told me at the age of, say 16, that I’d be here at 21 without a Valentine, I’d have been like “Oh, heavens NO, kill me now!” Haha, and now that I’ve lived through a few more V-days (some with and some without a date), I’m pretty fine simply embracing my independence right now. Um, girls, let me tell you, there are a much worse things than being a free woman at this age, just saying. Own it.

Eh hem, yeah so now that I’ve updated my relationship status for the world, let me tell you about this recipe. It’s pretty drastically opposite from the one I posted last Friday in terms of ingredients. This one definitely needs more than 4. I really try not to procrastinate things but if I ever do find myself doing it, it’s more likely than not, over writing out a recipe. At the end of the day it’s always so worth it of course, as is this cake!

Oh, and please don’t let the ingredient list intimidate you because this cake is not that difficult. I’d say one of the most important tips I can give is to make sure to plan ahead of when you need to serve it because, since it’s filled with mousse, you’ll need plenty of time to chill it. Other than that it’s a pretty basic cake recipe so if you’re familiar with baking cakes you’re good to go.

Here’s the breakdown, you’ve got a rich extra dark chocolate cake, filled with fluffy nutella mousse, covered in chocolate fudge frosting, and topped with cute little moose cookies, hazelnuts, and some hazelnut truffles for good measure! I might just have to make this as a wedding cake for someone, any takers?

Chocolate Nutella Mousse Moose Cake

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours
Yield: 1 cake (about 16 servings)

Layers of dark chocolate cake, light Nutella mousse, rich fudge frosting, and buttery shortbread cookies come together into this lovely and fun cake that's perfect for any event.

Ingredients

Dark Chocolate Cake:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup strong black coffee
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or sour cream)
2 1/2 cups flour
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted

Shortbread Cookies:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour (plus more for work surface)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Nutella Mousse:

1 cup nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup granular sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Fudge Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup half and half
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups powdered sugar

Optional Toppings:
6 - 8 chocolate hazelnut truffles
1/2 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts

Instructions

Shortbread Cookies:

Beat together the butter and powdered sugar in a medium mixing bowl until creamed. Add the salt, vanilla, and flour and mix until it forms into a thick cookie dough. Wrap the bowl in plastic wrap while you prepare the cake batter and come back to it once you've put the cakes in the oven.
Also note that you'll have some extra cookies leftover (makes about 12) but that's never a problem in my opinion ;).

Dark Chocolate Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C) and grease 3, 9-inch (or 8 inch) round cake pan with oil and then flour them well. Whisk together butter and sugar until creamed then beat in eggs well. Add soda, salt, baking powder, vanilla, and cocoa and stir until smooth. Stir in the coffee and buttermilk, followed by flour, then stir in melted chocolate until batter is smooth.
Divide batter among the prepared pan and place in oven. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean (ovens may vary so if it's not quite done give it a bit longer). Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes then loosen edges with knife and remove cakes from the pans by inverting them over large plates. Once you've taken them all out, cover them with plastic wrap to seal then place in the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Baking the Shortbread Cookies:

Now time for finishing the shortbread, remove the dough from fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it's roughly 1/2 inch thick. Use yourmoose cookie cutter to cut shapes (by the way, any shape will work instead. Hearts would be cute.). Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet (Important: be sure to bake some of them facing the opposite direction so that you'll have cookies to face each other for your toppers) and bake in oven for 8 - 12 minutes until the edges start to brown. Remove and cool.Set aside until you finish the fudge frosting.

Nutella Mousse:

Beat the heavy whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment until it starts to form stiff peaks, about 3 minutes. Turn speed to low and slowly pour in the sugar and vanilla then increase speed and beat until fluffy, about 1 more minute. Scrape the nutella into the bowl and use a large spatula to fold it together with the whipped cream until evenly combined into a light mousse. Scrape into a seperate bowl and cover bowl then chill until ready to assemble the cake.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting:

In the same mixing bowl, beat the butter and one cup of powdered sugar on low until combined, repeat with the remaining 2 cups then add the remaining ingredients. Beat on high until light and fluffy.

Assembly:

Before assembling cake, fit a pastry bag with a small round tip and fill with a small amount of the chocolate frosting. Pipe onto at least 2 of the cooled shortbread cookies to form an edge, then fill in the lines.
Remove cakes from freezer and if needed, trim to level with a serrated edge knife. Now fit your pastry bag with a large round tip and pipe an edge of frosting around the cake to form a border for the mousse. Scoop about 1/2 cup of the nutella mousse into center of cake and spread in an even layer.
Repeat last step for the next to layers of cake, then spread the remaining fudge frosting around the outside of the cake in a smooth coating. If desired, sprinkle hazelnuts along the top and bottom edges and place truffles along the top edge. Top the cake with 2 of your frosted moose cookies (use toothpicks to prop them up if needed)

Notes

You can purchase a moose cookie cutter online.

ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL! All of these food photos were taken with my Nikon D750 and my favorite Lens, the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. You can find out more in my INTRO POST.

And, by the way, to all the minnows out there, my intro post did a huge $0.21. The key to success on Steemit is to be consistent and persistent. Click on the link below for some great tutorials on how you can also succeed on the steem blockchain:

Master Toolkit: Steemit Resource Guide Illustrated by @sndbox

Also, a huge shoutout to @rigaronib for designing my logo!

For more great food ideas, please do not forget to look at my other recent food posts

1. Chocolate Minty Swirl Brownies with a Secre
2. 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Cereal Bars
3. Floral White Vanilla Birthday Cake
4. Spicy Cajun Shrimp Crunchy Tacos
5. Easy Vanilla Marshmallow Milkshakes
6. Gringalicious Snapshot Sundays + Saying Goodbye to January
7. Pistachio+Kale Pesto Feta Pita Pizzas
8. Triple Chocolate Chip Cake Ball Truffles
9. Dairy Queen Cake Batter Blizzard Copycat
10. Braised Slow-Cooker Pork Roast + Rainbow Root Veggies

Comments

[cookit]

I’m going nuts now for nuettala

[gringalicious]

thanks @cookit, I appreciate it

[noboxes]

Finally, a mouse cake with a moose, I LOVE IT!!!

[gringalicious]

always so supportive, thanks so much @noboxes

[freerunner]

I want to eat the Moose - LOL!!!!

[gringalicious]

thanks so much for your continued support @freerunner

[aneesulhassan]

Hey @freerunner,

I love chocolate so much and these are recipes are so yummy:(. I am totally sure that i will make this recipe because i just love Chocolate:).

[salahchiva]

It seems to taste delicious I personally love the taste of chocolate a lot
I wish you good night

[gringalicious]

Thank you very much @salahchiva

[mamaloves]

Insanely gorgeous food photos, awesome job as always

[gringalicious]

Hey @mamaloves, you are always such a huge encouragement to me, thanks for always being there

[buddhabrews]

Good god. Now I'm salivating. This isn't good.

[donnadavisart]

I couldn't click fast enough when I read "nutella" I love the stuff. Well I should say loved, I'm close to carb free now,but as I said before, that gives me even more reason to look at amazing photo posts like this, heaven!

I love hazelnuts, and I can still eat those. And Nutella is hazelnuts so that is my logic. I really love the moose cookie/biscuits too, so adorable.

When I did eat carbs I loved a sandwich, which is very American, Fluff, Nutella, and Peanut butter. Heavens. IT was like a s'more on toast.

Wonderful photos of course.

[gringalicious]

Carb free, my dad has tried that in the past and had success. He's talking about doing it again. He's always kind of followed Adkins, do you have any tips?

Thanks for the great commenting @donnadavisart

[allasyummyfood]

omg it seems tooo delciious! im on a diet and all i want is this cake now!! looks so moist and chocolately!

[gringalicious]

sorry about that, keep up the good work on your fitness regiment

[haphazard-hstead]

You've outdone yourself on the desserts, @gringalicious! That's so gorgeous! It would be a best-seller in a dessert shop, easy! Where I live, there's a specialty dessert shop, The Sweet Life, that makes fancy cakes. It's always packed with people and they sell a lot for special events, too. Your moose cake would be a winner there -- if they see your cake, I bet they would make some right away. (Does that mean I should go there often, to check, lol?)

Every photo is great. My favorite is the one 4th from the bottom, where you are serving the cake. It does seem complicated to make. But the shortbread looks easy by itself. And the mousse, too. So thinking of it in pieces to make separately, seems not so intimidating.

I wonder what else you will make with your moose cookie cutters? :D

[gringalicious]

that's a great way to tackle this cake, one piece at a time, LOL

Thanks so much for the compliments on the photos. I have some more moose cookie cutter plans, stay tuned

[haphazard-hstead]

Yay for the moose! : )

[gomovies]

I want this!!!! It looks soo yumm i can't control my self

[gringalicious]

thanks so much for commenting @gomovies

[street.yoga]

I’d ask you if you will be my valentine, but you probably ate the whole cake already and are in phenylethylamine heaven right now :)

[gringalicious]

wow, you had to throw out the big words - LOL. Thanks for commenting @street.yoga

[irafalevi]

A very delicious cake, I intend to make it at home.

[gringalicious]

I hope you enjoy @irafalevi

[veronicasmb]

I love the chocolate and work with it, your work is wonderful, continues this way.

[gringalicious]

thanks so much for commenting @veronicasmb

[beemillz]

This post has been upvoted and resteemed. i also started following you so I can see more of your work.

You always make such beautiful desserts. Can you believe I have never had nutella? I don't exactly know what it is and how you are supposed to eat it LOL. was thinking about V-Day and what kind of dessert I want to get for myself. I am thinking some fancy chocolate covered strawberries. I am thinking something more that just chocolate dipped. Maybe with sprinkles on them too, or bits of cookie. I can't make them myself. It would be easier for me to sit down with strawberries and that chocolate syrup that you use for milk!! I bet you would make them perfectly though!

[gringalicious]

Great commenting @beemillz. Nutella is similar to creamy peanut butter in texture, but has more of hazel nut taste. It's addictive, not everyone likes at first though. Hugely popular in Europe. Gaining big popularity in the states now.

[marconah]

Wow, this is very tasty @gringalicious. It is perfect if we enjoy it with family and friends. Suitable also as a birthday cake.

[rachel31]

This is yummy I believe it will be very delicious

[gringalicious]

That is super sweet @rachel31

[jeznita]

May you provide a way to make this cake, or this cake recipe.

[gringalicious]

It's included it the post.

[thriftymum]

Your cake looks Divine! Happy Nutella Day. Celebrate Galentine's day with your friends on the 13th instead, I'm sure they will appreicate this cake 😉

[gringalicious]

thanks so much for commenting @thriftymum

[geiger]

Damn... That looks so good. lol - There should be a warning on this post telling of the temptation that lies within.

[gringalicious]

Yeah, people have said that I should use the NSFW tag, LOL. Thanks for commenting @geiger

[chelu]

Well done @gringalicious. This looks incredible. Love the look of the cake, but even more the photographs you took and the background elements. Followed!

[annarubiec]

imagine all the Nutella mouse desserts you can make!!

[suchi]

outstanding food photography.wow it's very delicious food @gringalicious. i like Chocolate .

[gringalicious]

I do too, thanks @suchi

[khalidhucane]

really good recipe thanks for this @gringalicious really yummy.

[gringalicious]

thanks so much for commenting and welcome to steem

Here is a helpful link - https://steemit.com/toolkit/@sndbox/master-toolkit-steemit-resource-guide-illustrated-update

[attiyaomer]

I keep on reading your posts and enjoy. The cake looks delicious. Hope i can also do some baking stuff and share with you guys.....someday. :)

[gringalicious]

thanks for commenting @attiyaomer and welcome to steem. Yous should read this link - https://steemit.com/steemit/@kus-knee/the-old-dog-makes-a-personal-welcome-to-bit-sp-and-to-all-newcomers-a-comprehensive-guide

[numanahmed]

excellent photography....dear..@gringalicious

[emarem]

I love this cake this is yummy I will love to try it too

[gringalicious]

I hope you like it @emarem, thanks!

[bochohaloh]

Very beautiful photo. The cakes are delicious. @gringalicious

[gringalicious]

Thank you so much

[chindy]

You do a very nice job, delicious cakes.

[dtwo]

Sweet chocolate always welcome to have a taste. I love it so much

[gringalicious]

Thanks!

[larryparra]

Gracias por la receta

[xsorbik]

Another yummy post from you @gringalicious! :)
Have you thought about doing some videos of your wonderful creations? I'm sure in d.tube it will be another great hit!

---

Would you please vote for me as a witness at http://steemit.com/~witnesses so
we can keep this place thriving for greatness!
Thanks!

[gringalicious]

thanks

[agrojaya]

nice... post miss, follow me miss

[gringalicious]

thanks

[pariza]

Just amazing and yummy looking. Dark Chocolate Cake:Delicious food pictures. I like this very much. Enjoy National Nutella Day! NUTELLA!

[gringalicious]

That's very kind of you @pariza, thanks!

[mikesthoughts]

You had me at Nutella...

@gringalicious making mouths water with tasty looking pics on a daily basis

:)

[gringalicious]

I really appreciate it @mikesthoughts

[mikesthoughts]

Always a pleasure. Hopefully my comments get you to chuckle on occasion :)

[lostinberlin]

oh my god D:

[gringalicious]

Haha, thanks for your reply@lostinberlin

[eatingcheating]

Ohh wow! I didn't know that today is a National Nutella day. Now, you reminded me that I have some nutella in my kitchen. I could eat it a little bit than :D Should not have regrets , right ? :)

Btw. you have so awesome food photos! I really enjoy watching them. Amazing job!

Have a nice day! :)

[gringalicious]

Thanks for such a sweet compliment @eatingcheating!

[jesusagon]

Delicious! I love chocolate and nutella! The photos look very appetizing!

[gringalicious]

Thanks !

[shawon12]

It's .......
Just awesome

[imalayvvm]

OMG this looks so so SO good!!

[gringalicious]

That's so very sweet of you @imalayvvm

[jeffjagoe]

Love the “Moose” cake hahah looks very rich and decadent

[gringalicious]

I'm thrilled to hear it @jeffjagoe, thank you!

[rabeel]

[gringalicious]

Haha, thanks @rabeel!

[beggar]

When I read your name, I think if you really like this job, the cake is delicious. @gringalicious

[gringalicious]

Thanks!

[ashokroy]

so nice

[kubbyelizabeth]

Love your logo and that cake! Wow, I am bookmarking this one for sure! My brothers wife loves to bake and im adding this to our list.

[gringalicious]

Wonderful, thanks for reading @kubbyelizabeth!

[nayyabsipra]

Its really wonderful stuff and seem good tasty food @gringalicious.
Thanks for update nice stuff

[gringalicious]

thank so much for commenting @nayyabsipra

[redwellies]

@gringalicious just when I thought your posts couldn’t get any more decadent, you through down the gauntlet with a Nutella Chocolate Cake!! What’s wrong with you lol 😂 I’ve decided your posts should be marked NSFW 😊

[gringalicious]

I am seriously demented, no doubt. You're not the first one who said I need to use NSFW

[airlea]

Nutella, the answer to every problem! Happy Nutella day!

[gringalicious]

ah, that's a good one, the answer to every problem. Thanks for commenting @airlea

[airlea]

Pleasure! You have a great blog and you also use my favourite camera lens :-)

[xuanito]

Great photos, great recipe! - as always! :)

[gringalicious]

I am so glad you liked it @xuanito

[tinylayla]

OMG This looks so good!!
I've had Nutella on crackers and liked the taste.
I'm going to give this a shot. : )

[gringalicious]

thanks so much for commenting @tinylayla

[saych]

¿Can I have a piece of that? Looks so yummy. I Love Nutella, even with the palm oil stuff.

[gringalicious]

I think palm oil is pretty good stuff. I was able to use that a lot when I was in Chile. I have not seen it available in the stores here in the US