Chocolate and hazelnut marble sandwich cake

Method
Prep:20min  ›  Cook:30min  ›  Ready in:50min 

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas 4 and grease and line two 18cm (7 in) round cake tins with baking parchment.
2. Spread the hazelnuts over a baking tray.
3. Bake the hazelnuts for 8 minutes then remove from the oven and set aside. Keep the oven on.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time until creamy. Add the remainder of the cake ingredients, except the cocoa powder, and whisk with an electric mixer.
5. Spoon out half the mixture into another mixing bowl and add the cocoa powder and hand whisk.
6. Very finely chop the hazelnuts and add to the plain cake mix and whisk using a electric mixer.
7. Pour half of each mixture into each of the tins. With a metal skewer mix the different flavours together in the tin. Don't over mix, stir just enough to make a pretty pattern.
8. Bake the cakes in the centre of the oven for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
9. Remove the cakes from the tins and allow to cool fully.

For the buttercream:

10. Make the filling by placing all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and using a electric mixer, mix until smooth.
11. Place the first cake onto a serving plate then spread the filling on top. Place the second cake on top. Enjoy!

Tip

Sometimes it is helpful to horizontally cut a little off the top of the bottom cake to form a flat base upon which to spread the filling and place the second cake layer on top.