This hazelnut log cake features a moist chocolate and hazelnut sponge cake, covered in decadent dulce de leche and Nutella cake cream. A Ferrero Rocher lover’s dream!

Does nothing bring you as much joy as unwrapping a Ferrero Rocher candy? Well, there’s something even better in store for you. This hazelnut log cake is packed full of chocolate and hazelnuts and laced with a ribbon of Ferrero Rocher candies. Get ready to fall in love.
Love the Ferrero line of chocolates? You’ve got to try our Raffaello Cake Roll as well. Hello, coconut and almond heaven!
The Secret to a Perfect Roll Cake
If making a cake roll intimidates you, rest assured. In this recipe, you’ll employ the tried-and-true towel trick to get a perfect roll. By laying the towel on top of the cake right after it comes out of the oven and using it as an aide to roll, you’ll skip out on cracked cake and make a log cake so perfect it will be worthy of any bakery case.
Overview on Making a Hazelnut Log Cake
To make a hazelnut log cake, you need to whip up homemade sponge cake and homemade dulce de leche and Nutella cake cream.
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Make the Cake Batter: Using a stand mixer, whisk the eggs with sugar at high speed until the mixture doubles in volume and turns into a meringue. In a different bowl, sift the all-purpose flour and cocoa powder. In thirds, fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture with a spatula. Lastly, stir in some of the crushed hazelnuts.
- Bake the Cake: Next, spread the cake batter onto a prepared jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper. Bake the cake for 12 minutes.
- Roll the Cake: Take the cake out of the oven, lift it out of the baking sheet by the parchment paper, and place it on top of a kitchen towel. Starting from the shorter end, roll it up into a log and cool it to room temperature.
- Make the Cake Cream: In the bowl of stand mixer, beat the unsalted butter, dulce de leche, and Nutella hazelnut spread together.
- Soak the Cake: Whisk the heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk together. Unroll the cake and drizzle the cream mixture over it. Allow the cake to soak for a few minutes.
- Assemble the Log Cake: Spread a bit of the cake cream on the inside of the roll. At one of the ends, line up the Ferrero Rocher candies. Sprinkle some of the crushed hazelnuts over the top and roll the cake up. Frost the top and side of the log with the remaining cream and sprinkle the hazelnuts on top.
- Decorate the Cake: Melt the chocolate in the microwave and place it in a piping bag. Drizzle the chocolate ganache over of the cake with it and top the cake with halved Ferrero Rocher candies. Refrigerate the cake to allow it to set. Enjoy!






3 Tips for the Perfect Hazelnut Log Cake
A handful of helpful tips will help you knock this chocolatey hazelnut cake out of the park.
- Don’t over mix the cake batter. To keep the consistency of the cake light and spongey, make sure that you don’t over mix the cake batter. Once the ingredients are well-incorporated, leave them be!
- Roll the cake while it’s still hot. Roll the cake immediately after it comes out of the oven to prevent it from cracking. The hotter it is, the more malleable it is. If you let it cool down too much, it’s more prone to breaking!
- Let the cake set in the refrigerator overnight. For best results, allow the cake to set int the refrigerator overnight. This will help it develop not only it’s flavors, but also help it keep its shape.

Storage Best Practices
To keep the hazelnut log cake on hand for up to a week, store it in an airtight cake container made especially for cake rolls. This will prevent the cake from absorbing any lingering smells in your refrigerator, while also preventing it from getting damaged.
FAQ
Can you roll a hazelnut log cake without a kitchen towel?
While we recommend that you enlist the help of a kitchen towel or tea towel to help you roll the hazelnut log cake, experienced roll cake makers often just rely on parchment paper. That said, we find using a kitchen towel yields a smaller margin of error.
Should you eat a hazelnut log cake hot or cold?
Hazelnut log cake is best eaten cold or at room temperature. This gives the cake time to set, hold it’s texture, and develop its flavors.
Do you need a jelly roll pan to make hazelnut log cake?
A jelly roll pan is just a deeper baking sheet and makes for a thicker cake layer. Feel free to get one or simply us a standard, rimmed baking sheet.
What kind of flour should you use for hazelnut log cake?
Regular, all-purpose flour is recommended for making hazelnut log cake. Cake flour is much too fine to get the nice spongey texture you want for the cake.
What’s the difference between a kitchen towel and a tea towel?
A kitchen towel is thick and is typically used for cleaning, while a tea towel is thinner and used for baking. While you can use either to make this hazelnut log cake, a tea towel is a bit more flexible and easier to work with.
More Log Cake and Jelly Roll Recipes to Try
- Easy Strawberry Cake Roll Recipe – Strawberry and cream cake roll
- Dulce De Leche Cake Roll – Caramely cake roll
- Drunken Cherry Cake Roll Recipe – Vodka and cherry soaked cake
- Easy Birthday Cake Roulade Recipe – Festive birthday cake with sprinkles
Recipe
Ingredients
Cake
- 5 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 4 tbsp cacao powder
- 3/4 cup crushed toasted hazelnuts
Cream
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
- 13 oz dulce de leche
- 1 cup Nutella
- 1 cup crushed hazelnuts
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
Decoration
- 20 Ferrero Rocher candies
- 4 oz chocolate chips
Instructions
Baking the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and gather all the ingredients.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the eggs with the sugar until the mixture doubles in volume.
- In a separate bowl, sift the flour and cacao powder.
- In thirds, use a spatula to fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture, being extra careful not to over-mix the dough.
- Stir in 3/4 cups of the crushed hazelnuts. Spread the cake batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (10in. X 15in. is the ideal size). Bake the cake for 12 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven. Lift the cake up by the edges of the parchment paper and place it on top of a kitchen towel. Starting with either shorter end of the cake, roll it up into a log. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature.
Making the Cake Cream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, dulce de leche, and Nutella together until the ingredients are well-combined. Set the cake cream aside.
- Combine the heavy whipping cream with the sweetened condensed milk. Unroll the cake and spread the sweet cream mixture over the cake and allow it to soak for a few minutes.
- Spread 3/4 of the cake cream on to the inside of the roll. At one of the edges, assemble the Ferrero Rocher candies side by side.
- Spread 3/4 of a cup of the crushed hazelnuts over the cake cream. Roll the cake back up and frost the outside of the cake with the remaining cake cream. Sprinkle the rest of the hazelnuts on top.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring it every 10 seconds until silky and fully melted. Place the chocolate in a piping bag and drizzle the cake with it. Slice the wrapped candies in half and decorate the top of the cake with them.
- Let the cake set in the refrigerator overnight. Serve cold or at room temperature and enjoy!
I'm about to make this cake for my husband's birthday but wanted to clarify. The hazelnuts for the cake are toasted, but for the cream they are raw?
Thanks!
HI Amber, They both should be toasted. The flavor is much better when they are toasted. Enjoy, its a really good cake.
I haven't made this cake yet. But whenever I make a roll cake:
- I put the hot cake face down on a tea/kitchen towel (not terry cloth) dusted with powder/confectioners' sugar, then remove the pan and paper.
- I trim all edges about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, then roll the hot cake, long side to long side unless the recipe states otherwise.
If the cake cracks, frosting usually covers it.
If it cracks badly and falls apart, make a trifle!
Diana, those are wonderful tips. I agree with everything you share, thank you!
Oh. My. God. Thank you! I stuff up every desert I try to make, every single time, but I nailed this and it's delicious! Christmas made!!
Hi Hayley, I am so delighted to hear that! Happy Holidays!
Hi, I added the whipping cream to the cake cream.. will it taste horrible now?
Hey Michelle- no I don't think it will make it horrible! It may change the texture of your cream a bit, but as long as it's thick enough to spread (not too runny) I would totally still use it! Enjoy! Let us know how it tastes 😀
Oh my! This is totally irresistible! My family loved it!
So glad to hear that, Toni!
Ferrero Rochers are one of my all time favorites! This is definitely a hit.
Right? Anything with Ferrero Rochers has my attention too! Thank you, Katie 🙂
What a beautiful cake!! Love the swirl & hazelnut is one of the best flavors!!
Thank you, Kristyn!
Made this recipe for first time for my hubbys birthday and it turned out amazing!!! Thank you for sharing
Hi Marge- ah, I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you for sharing 😄
Have you ever tried making a cupcake version of this? I’ve made this cake once a few years ago and it was so delicious, but would like to make more individualized servings like cupcakes instead.
Not sure how long I would need to change the cooking time to.
Hi Nicole - That sounds great! I've never actually tried them as cupcakes before. My guess would be that you'd need to double the batter. I would bake them at the same temp, but check them around 10 minutes to see how much longer they need (could be up to 20 minutes depending on the size of the cupcakes). Let me know how they turn out!
Followed the recipe to the exact and just like the comments below, my roll cracked. You mention in your recipe to pour the batter into a “lined” baking sheet which I did with parchment paper. Took it out of the oven and rolled it while it was still hot with a kitchen towel. It was already cracking at that point. When it came time to unroll it, I had to pull the cake off my kitchen towel because it was stuck on there. Don’t know what or where the recipe went sideways but it definitely did not turn out. Also wasn’t a big fan of the buttercream tasting frosting :/ Really wish I could leave a better review but I was disappointed with this bake.
Hi Katie - So sorry this didn't turn out like you'd hoped it would and you didn't like our buttercream frosting. I'm not sure what went wrong, but my thought is that the cake may have been a bit too steamy before you attempted to roll it? This might have been what caused it to stick. Thanks for your feedback and we'll work hard to figure out how to improve the recipe/explain the process better.
Are you missing baking powder in this recipe? I think it would make a huge difference with not breaking.
Hi Yelena - We actually don't use any baking powder. If the cake is rolled with a kitchen towel while it's still warm, you typically won't run into any issues. Happy Holidays!
Sorry, tried this recipe twice, followed instructions to a T, and cake still broke when trying to roll. It is UNROLLABLE. ALL listed ingredients were used EXACTLY. so irritating considering this recipe uses 5 eggs, and it was also for my mother's 65th birthday. Thanks but no thanks.
I just made this recipe twice- like Jessica. Fail. And I didn’t everything to the T. Is something missing in your ingredients list? Possibly baking powder/soda? It was flat like a pancake and broke and stuck all over the towel. I mean I’m throwing this kitchen towel out it was that big of a disaster?!
Hi Natalya - I'm so sorry you had a bad experience! I'm not sure what went wrong to be honest. The ingredient list is accurate and nothing is missing. Did you roll it with the parchment paper as a barrier between the towel? That might help prevent the sticking.
Hi Jessica - So sorry that it didn't turn out the way you wanted it to. Did you roll the cake while it was hot out of the oven? Also, did you use a towel when you rolled? I'd love to help you nail it this next time around. Thanks for the feedback and hope this helps!
Do they eggs need to be at room temperature?
Hi Anna - Thanks for the question. We usually just whip them straight out of the fridge. Hope this helps!
Do you just use the egg whites? the picture doesn't look like there are any yolks in it
Hi Shelly, yes used the entire egg. When you beat the eggs, they turn light and fluffy.
Thank you Natasha!
for this recipe!
Merry Christmas!! i made this roll for a family gathering. we cant wait to dig in!!
at first the roll did not crack.. i rolled it out of the oven waited 30 sec. then i unrolled then rolled it back waited untill room temp. and the roll ended up cracking.. im nit sure what i did wrong... pls help 🙂 God bless
i would post a pic roll is still beautiful..
Hey Tanya, you have to be very gentle when working with the roll. Sometimes mine also cracks but after you add the cream, no one can see them. 🙂
This cake is yummy. So what happend is I failed at making the roll, ended up with three pieces of different sized bases. So instead of a roulade mine was a triangle sponge cake. Nevertheless still tasted amazing, on day 1 half was gone.
Hey Anna, I am sorry it didnt come out perfect. I am planning to do a video to show how not to break a roll. Glad to hear that you still enjoyed it.
Hello, cake looks delicious.... am feeling a bit nervous about the rolling and unrolling- do you roll it when its still hot and out from the oven? Also- is there no butter or oil in the cake- as i see the butter mentioned only in the cream/icing. Thank you
Hey Ani, there is no butter in the cake sponge. Yes, roll up hot out of the oven. Be gentle and it will be ok. But if it does break, it's fine because you will be coving it with cream.
Hi, which flour is used in this recipe? Is it all purpose?
Hi Sophie, all-purpose flour would work great in this recipe.
I’m confused about which end you roll it up from. You say from the short end, but further along the recipe, you’ve lined up the chocolates along the long end, meaning you must have rolled it up from the long side of the cake. I wondered the same thing with your Rafaello version of the cake. Do you roll up both the longest way, ending up with a long cake? From the readers comment photos, it looks like some have done it each way. Also, is it 5 eggs (as recipe states), or 6 (as photo shows)?
It is 5 eggs. You should end up with a long cake.
My favorite cake roll!! Making it for Christmas again this year, because last Christmas it was a hit!
This cake roll is a hit at my family holiday party. I am glad you guys loved it too.
Thanks.. a masterpiece. And super delish. Thank you
Wow, thanks for sharing the photo! 🙂 Love it
Can I substitute butter with cream cheese?
Yes, but cream would taste different. If you dont like butter creams it would work out perfect.
Thanks for this amazing recipe! I'm almost ready for cooking but I don't understand one step. Does whipping cream foam has to be thick or liquid? I really didn't get what I supposed to do in that picture where is white bottle and condensed milk..
Hope on soon reply! ?
Liquid, its for soaking the sponge cake it self.
I if missed a step of soaking the cake, will this effect the overall taste????? im nervous that its going to be very dry. ???
Hi Nad, The soak is there to moisten up the cake. It will turn out slightly different than if you had soaked it, but still very tasty!
Hi do you have refrigerate the cake overnight after you make it or you can serve right away after you make it?
Overnight for cakes is always best. The flavors get combined together.
Made it for thanksgiving (like many that did I saw 😉 was very delicious!! Although kinda sweet for me cuz all of those yummy flavors! Haha! Thank u for a keeper-recipe! ❤️ It was gone really quick!
I made it as well. My family loves this cake and they always request it. So glad you liked it. Love the pic 😉
You're a genius!
Thank you for an amazing recipe. It was absolutely divine!
It looks really good. It's one of my favorites as well.
Thank u for an amazing recipe 🙂 it was one delicious cake roll with my favorite candy ever
Amazing! I love the photo. I am glad you loved it.
Im making the Ferrero Rocher cake for a friends birthday.`This is one is for me. But my fav candy from them is Kinder Bueno. Reminds me of my childhood in France! Now that would be a great idea for a cake!
Awesome cake!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us 🙂