It’s Jan. 27, which is National Chocolate Cake Day.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought I would introduce you to my festive Ferrero Rocher Cake with a rich chocolate cake batter and a hazelnutty creamy Swiss meringue buttercream.

You know that hazelnut and chocolate were meant to be paired up, right? Well, this cake will not disappoint. The nuttiness of the buttercream goes so well with a foolproof rich chocolate cake recipe.

This recipe can also be topped with a marshmallow buttercream for a S’Mores-tasting cake or paired with a German chocolate frosting, a black forest theme, a coconut Swiss meringue buttercream and the cake filled with fresh raspberry jam, dark chocolate or vanilla bean buttercream or even a peanut butter cream cheese icing.

Once you have this staple chocolate cake recipe in your baking file, you are set.

Do a tester cake out soon, so you are ready to present this cake to the ones you love on Valentine’s Day.

I hope this cake warms your heart during this cold winter time. Enjoy making this cake as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you.

Put chopped hazelnuts on top, Ferrero Rocher candies and fancy up the top of this cake.

Ferrero Rocher cake

Chocolate Cake Batter

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup cocoa powder, measured after sifting

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

½ cup neutral oil such as grapeseed oil or safflower oil

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup hot water or hot brewed coffee

Ferrero Rocher candies, chocolate sprinkles, chopped hazelnuts

3 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature

A scant 3 cups of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 to a ½ of cup of Nutella

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur such as Frangelico

In the bowl of your stand mixer, soften butter with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth. While butter is creaming, sift powdered sugar in a separate bowl.

When butter is smooth, add in half of your powdered sugar. Mix on medium speed until combined. Add the remainder of your sugar and blend that to combine. The rest of your remaining ingredients go in at this point. Mix your buttercream on medium-high to high for about 5 minutes. Decorate your cake, as desired.

Sarah Schweitzer is dual-certified in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry from the Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. She is a former line cook for Chef Robert Irvine at “Fresh Kitchen by Robert Irvine.” Sarah is currently working as a Sous-Chef at Ateira’s on First and has her own blog simplysarah.online. She can be reached at sarah.schweitzer18@gmail.com.