The Recipe Room

Birthdays! Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they come around every year!  And although I adore cheesecake, there is just no better way to celebrate than with my white birthday cake with Nutella frosting!  I admit it’s not the healthiest thing in the world, but that’s why birthdays are only once a year.

This hearty and delicious white birthday cake recipe was a staple around my house at birthday time when I was growing up.  It was handed down to me by my mother, who got it from my grandma, who got it from her mother, who supposedly invented it – although I make no claims as to the authenticity of this fact!  Either way, the cake is absolutely scrumptious and the Nutella frosting (my own addition) provides a great nutty/chocolaty contrast to the spongy white cake base.

If you’re feeling adventurous, try cutting the cake into two layers (after cooking and cooling, of course).  You can fill the middle layer with more Nutella, or strawberry jam, or any other flavour of jam, or whatever else tickles your fancy.  You could also garnish it with sliced almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, or whatever other nut you prefer.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of butter, softened
• 2 cups of white sugar
• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup of boiling water
• ½ cup of whole milk
• 2 tsp. of baking powder
• 1 tsp. of vanilla extract
• 400g jar of Nutella

Instructions:

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until they’re light and fluffy.
2. Add the boiling water and the milk a little at a time, stirring continuously.
3. Add the vanilla and stir well.
4. Add the baking powder and stir it in to the mix.
5. Add 1 cup of flour and 1 egg, mixing vigorously.
6. Repeat step 5 until all the flour and eggs have been added.
7. Pour the mixture into an approx. 23cm round tube cake pan.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 160ºC for one hour or until a toothpick inserted at the top comes out clean.
9. Turn out onto a cake rack and let it cool.
10. Spread the Nutella over the outside of the cake and serve.

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Serves:  10

Difficulty:  Medium