This easy 3 ingredient Nutella Chocolate Ganache Recipe is the perfect topping for just about anything—cakes, cupcakes, donuts, ice cream… even toast! You won’t need any other chocolate icing recipe. Add it to your collection of Easy Chocolate Dessert Recipes
Oooh… Nutella. Creamy. Chocolate-y. Just a hint of hazelnut-y flavor. The spreadable treat that inspires riots in the hearts of Frenchmen everywhere.
I don’t know about your children, but the kids in my life are obsessed with Nutella. We put it on everything from grilled cheese sandwiches to our morning toast! It is especially good on my family’s Old Fashioned Banana Cupcake Recipe.
Three easy ingredients turn regular Nutella into a delicious Nutella Chocolate Ganache that can be poured over cakes and desserts or turned into a fondue for dipping.
And talk about easy! Just heat the cream in your microwave or on your stovetop then, stir in the Nutella and you’ve got frosting! Yep. It’s that easy. No need for sifting powdered sugar, no powdered sugar “dust” all over the kitchen and no waiting for the butter or cream cheese to soften. Just heat, stir and pour.
How to Make Nutella Chocolate Ganache—
- Measure the Nutella into a bowl before heating the cream.
- Use cooking spray (such as Pam) to coat the measuring cup so that the Nutella doesn’t stick to the cup.
- Heat the heavy cream in a small sauce pan and remove from heat as soon as it boils.
- OR, use a microwave safe bowl to heat the cream in the microwave. Heat for short intervals (30 to 60 seconds at a time until bubbles appear around the edges of the bowl. BE CAUTIOUS when removing hot liquid from the microwave, it can boil over unexpectedly.
- Pour the cream over the Nutella and stir until smooth.
- Stir in cube of butter until completely combined.
How to Frost a Cake, Cupcakes or Donuts with Nutella Chocolate Ganache—
- Prepare the cake, cupcakes, donut or dessert before preparing the ganache.
- Plate the cake and have it ready to frost.
- Prepare the Nutella Chocolate Ganache Recipe.
- Pour ganache over the prepared cake or dessert while it is warm and easy to pour.
- Use an offset spatula to gently smooth the ganache evenly over the cake.
- Allow the ganache to cool and become more firm.
- Dip small desserts such as cupcakes or donuts into ganache and let the ganache cool until it becomes more firm.
NOTE: This Nutella Chocolate Ganache will stay moist and not harden like a glaze.
I hope you love this recipe! We do.
If you have any questions about this recipe or any other question about Southwest food, please leave a comment here on the this post OR can always reach me on Everyday Southwest’s Facebook Page.
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See you soon!
—Sandy
If you love Chocolate Ganache, scroll down to the end of this post for great recipes that are delicious with a drizzle Nutella Chocolate Ganache.
Nutella Chocolate Ganache Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup Nutella
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- For the frosting, heat the cream in the microwave until little bubbles appear.
- Pour the cream over the Nutella and stir well to mix.
- Stir the butter into the Nutella and cream just until melted and glossy.
Notes
Recipes that are perfect with drizzle a little Nutella Chocolate Ganache:
Fresh Banana Cream Pie with Pastry Cream
Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes with Toasted Meringue
Elvis Peanut Butter and Bananas Foster Pancake Stack
Pin this recipe for later
Nutella icing looks good enough to eat with a spoon!
I may or may not have eaten it with a spoon… I have no recollection of that. 🙂
Is there any way i can make a version that hardens? I need the cake to have drips over the sides.
I’m planning on making this to fill and pipe on a cake. Do you think it’ll get firm enough to pipe borders?
Hi Arshiya, Thank you for your question. I think it would be good to fill the cake with but, I have never tried to pipe with it. The ganache does stay soft so I would not use it for anything that needs to be firm to the touch such as the top of a donut or a truffle. You could try a piping as an experiment and, if it doesn’t set up, use your favorite chocolate buttercream for the decorative work. I do that every time I use regular chocolate ganache to frost a cake. I also use the buttercream to pipe a circle around the edge of the bottom layer to form a barrier so the cake filling does not “squish out” (see the step by step photos in this Pineapple Cake https://www.everydaysouthwest.com/pineapple-coconut-cake-whipped-cream-icing-recipe/ ) Let me know how it works out, I would love to hear from you!
So does this ganache remain as a liquid? Like a fudge or chocolate sauce?
Hi Noemi, The ganache stays soft but, not liquid. I would say it is more like a hot fudge sauce that is cool in the jar but, not as thick as the fudge candy that you can cut into squares. I hope you try it! We love it around here and it is so easy!
Holy yum! My nutella-obsessed husband is going to go nuts over this recipe! I need to make cupcakes just so I have a reason to make this for him!
I love making chocolate ganache! Yesterday I was searching for something new, something with a little twist, when I stumbled upon this yummy recipe. I love Nutella, and this chocolate ganache Nutella recipe is so darn scrumptious! Thank you so much for sharing it.
Ummmm yes please, I will be having ALL the nutella ganache. My kids just noticed this over my shoulder and have made me promise it will be our afternoon project, so I guess we will be trying it sooner rather than later (not that I am complaining!)
They will LOVE it!
Yum! I and didn’t think there was a way to make nutella taste better and you found it!
I would have never thought to make this with nutella but I love the flavor!
Chocolate is my middle name and Nutella…who can say no to that. I love how easy this recipe is and gonna be my new favorite.
The ganache looks amazing and I’m saving your post to use this for a party next week.
The nutella ganache looks so glossy and tempting. This one recipe can make any cupcakes and cakes tastes awesome
Do you think I could use this as filling for some cupcakes? Is it similar to the texture you get when you make truffles once dried?
Hi Marie, The ganache does not get as firm as the ganache you make truffles out of. It will stay soft and moist like a jam filling. I think it would be delicious in a cupcake. Let me know if you try it, I would love to hear how it turns out. 🙂
P.S. I’m so sorry for the late response, for some reason this comment only showed up in my email and blog dashboard yesterday. That happens every now and then.
Hello, would this icing be good to use as a drip icing over the top of a chocolate buttercream coating for a cake?
Please and thank you
Hi Dakota, Yes, you can use this icing just the same as other ganache icing recipes. Do keep in mind that it does not get quite as firm as some ganaches so, I would not use it for truffles or anything that needs to be very firm.
I hope you love it! We do.
Hi!!
Thanks for the recipe!
Do yo think that it can be whipped to make it more stable? To use it as a 3 layer cake filling?
Hi Fabiola! It’s good to hear from you! I have not tried to whip the ganache. It would be interesting to find out if the ganche can be made stable enough for making truffles, etc. The Nutella itself is a soft spreadable treat and not firm like regular chocolate bars, so I think it would be difficult to get the Nutella ganache to set up in the same way that chocolate does. Please let me know if you try it and how it turns out. I’d love to hear back from you, Sandy
Will this work for a drip cake?
I’m drooling over here!! I make ganache all the time, but I never would have thought to use Nutella. Such a great idea! Thanks for sharing.
Our nutella-loving family is going to go wild for this! Yum!
Nutella is nature’s perfect food. This ganache recipe is terrific!
Omg it’s so good!!! I ate 3 cupcakes lol I usually eat one or none but the Nutella ganache was so good I couldn’t resist.
Hello,
This ganache looks great for people like me, chocoholic 🙂
Can it be prepared in advance, then reheated once needed?
Thanks
Jo