This Vegan Nutella Mousse Cake is the ultimate chocolate dessert. Moist chocolate sponge is topped with a chocolate, Nutella cream mousse, hazelnut cream mousse, with vegan friendly Nutella and nuts! Vegan, No-Egg, No-Dairy and easy to make.
Vegan Nutella Mousse Cake
My easy vegan Nutella mousse cake is a luxurious dessert that blends rich flavours and textures. The base features a moist chocolate sponge with a light crumb and rich cocoa flavour. This chocolate sponge cake layer is complemented by layers of rich chocolate ‘Nutella’ mousse made with dairy-free whipped cream and vegan friendly Nutella resulting in a creamy, nutty and airy filling. The cake is elegantly finished with a layer of roasted hazelnut whipped cream, garnished with a thin layer of Nutella and chopped hazelnuts. This cake is both visually stunning and indulgently delicious, making it a perfect centrepiece for any special occasion. You’ll love it!
Looking for more chocolate recipes? Check out my:
- No-Bake Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecakes
- Vegan White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Ombré Cake
- Viral Vegan Chocolate Espresso Pie
- No-Bake Chocolate Nutella Cheesecake Bars
- Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s unbelievably rich and chocolatey!
- 100% vegan – made without the use of any animal derived products.
- Using vegan nutella which makes this recipe completely dairy-free!
- The texture is super smooth and mousse-like, light yet satisfying!
- That deep hazelnut flavour gives it a luxurious, almost gourmet feel.
- It strikes the ideal balance between sweetness and depth-never overpowering
- The cake is rich, moist and super chocolaty, with a undertone of hazelnuts!
- It’s a crowd-pleaser – vegans and non-vegans both love it!
- It looks SCRUMPTIOUS! The presentation with the layers looks impressive.
- Every bite feels indulgent!
What is Nutella?
Nutella is a sweet and creamy chocolate hazelnut spread made by the brand Ferrero. The original / actual branded ‘Nutella’ isn’t vegan because it contains dried milk powder, BUT they recently bought out a plant-based friendly version – yay! The flavour is rich with cocoa and roasted hazelnuts, with a super glossy and silky smooth texture. I’ver listed some other plant based / vegan friendly nutella alternatives below, also including the one i use for this recipe:
- Natures Store Hazelnut and Cocoa Spread (I used this spread in this cake recipe).
- Nutella Plant Based Hazelnut and Chocolate Spread
- Rhythm 108 Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Layers of a nutella mousse cake
Below is a little overview of the layers of this recipe. Find the full written recipe and method in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Chocolate cake
The base is a deliciously light, moist and rich vegan chocolate sponge cake loaded with cocoa and chopped hazelnuts. The cake is my go-to recipe for all cakes (as it just never fails to impress). It’s spongy, light, airy and has a delicious crumb to it, made with self raising flour to make it extra light, and soya milk mixed with apple cider vinegar as the egg replacer makes this cake super moist!
- Chocolate nutella mousse layer
The middle layer is a nutella mouse. It’s made using melted dairy-free dark chocolate and vegan friendly nutella alongside the BEST vegan cream double cream from The Coconut Collaborative. This cream is thick, creamy and whips up to stiff peaks, which is crucial for this dessert. If you were to use a single cream or poor quality cream, it won’t hold it’s shape or create the mousse like texture! The dark chocolate also helps to stabilise.
- Hazelnut cream
The cream topping is the same whipped cream, along with chopped hazelnuts to add a scrumptious nutty flavour and light crunch throughout the cream.
- Toppings
A glossy layer of melted vegan nutella is spread out over the set cream layers, finished with a sprinkling of chopped hazelnuts. It adds so much crunch to the dessert, its delicious!
If you make, and love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. Thank you & happy baking! Make sure to tag me in your photos on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook! And if you want to pin this recipe for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, above or below this post, or on any of the photos. Happy baking all!
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Vegan Nutella Mousse Cake
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 8–10 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
The ultimate vegan friendly nutella mousse cake with chocolate sponge, nutty chocolate layers with cream! Heaven on a plate! Vegan, no-egg, no-dairy and easy to make!
Ingredients
Ingredients for the chocolate cake
- 240ml of dairy-free milk (soya milk works best)
- 1 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
- 210g of self raising flour
- 40g of cocoa powder
- 150g of caster sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
- 60ml of sunflower oil
- 60g of chopped hazelnuts
Ingredients for the chocolate mousse
- 220ml of dairy-free whipping cream
- 80g of dairy-fee dark chocolate
- 20g of vegan nutella
Ingredients for the whipped cream
- 220ml of dairy-free whipping cream
- 80g of chopped hazelnuts
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- Vegan nutella
- Chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
Method (cake)
- Preheat your oven to 180°C fan and line a round 8 inch loose base / push up cake tin with greaseproof paper.
- In a bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle. This creates a vegan ‘buttermilk’.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.
- Add the oil into the ‘buttermilk’ and whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.
- Fold in the chopped hazelnuts.
- Pour the batter into the lined cake tin. Make sure to tap the tin on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
- Pop the cake into the centre of the preheated oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes. You will know it’s done when you put a knife or skewer in to the centre of the cake and it comes out clean and it’s springy to the touch.
- Place the cake on a cooling rack and allow to cool fully in the tin, as we’ll be layering the mousse in the tin.
- To store, cover the top of the cake with some grease proof paper then place in a sealed container while in the tin. I like to store the cake overnight so its 100% cool before adding on the cream layers.
Method (nutella mousse)
- Melt the dairy-free dark chocolate either on the hob (bain-marie) or in the microwave in 20 second intervals until fully melted.
- Add the whipping cream, melted dark chocolate and vegan nutella into a stand mixer fitted with balloon whisk attachment. Whip the cream on high speed for 5-8 minutes or until it holds a stiff peak. The Coconut Collaborative double cream will whip up very thick!
- Spoon and spread the thick chocolate layer to the cake base (refer to video for example). Chill in the fridge before adding on the next layer on top.
Method (hazelnut cream)
- In a stand mixer add in the whipping cream and chopped hazelnuts, and whip until thick and holds a stiff peak. TIP: Use the same bowl and whisk as the chocolate layer as this will add a slight chocolate colour the the mousse and added flavour.
- Spoon and spread the whipped hazelnut cream on top of the nutella mousse in an even layer.
- Melt the vegan nutella until its a pourable consistency, allow to cool for a few minutes before pouring over the cake. Use an off set spatula to spread this out.
- Sprinkle a single layer of chopped hazelnuts over the top.
- Set in the fridge to set.
- Once the dessert looks set, carefully use the loose base of the tin to push the dessert out of the tin and onto a serving plate, carefully peeling away any grease proof paper.
- Use a knife sharp knife to cut the cake into servings.
- Serve and enjoy. Optional: serve with a drizzle of melted vegan nutella!
Notes
To store: You want to keep the mousse chilled, so store in a air tight / sealed container in the fridge. Enjoy directly from the fridge. Best enjoyed within 2-3 days of making.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Cakes and layer cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
