Thinning down Nutella filling????

My dh, who is into food science, suggests warming the nutella and adding heavy cream bit by bit with a whisk. He warns to be careful about overheating the nutella, as it may separate.

hi apcakes

i have made a filling before with whipping crream and nutella ......was really good ...i can't find the recipe anywhere...i'll look for it again
but i wonder if you could do the same technique as makin ganache
i mean heat nutella and heavy cream up..stir until combined, chill and then whipped the mixture
i am out of nutella other wise i would try it out
let us know

Ashiana

I know what you mean about not wanting to worry about the stability of your cake's filling BUT I do have a recipe on chocolate-hazelnut mousse using Nutella if you would like to try. I read somewhere the usage of gelatin or piping gel (I can't remember which one) in whipping cream to help with stability but you would probably still need to consider refridgeration. I will look at my recipes but in the mean time here's that recipe: Whip up 2 cups of heavy cream, 3 tbsp of confectioners sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, then gently fold in 1/2 cup of Nutella (other chocolate-hazelnut spread can be used). Makes 4 1/2 cups.

Another sugguestion would be to try a hazelnut buttercream.

Yes, definitely have to put this one in the fridge and up to serving time and shortly afterwards.
Hugs Squirrelly

Well, you could thin it out with a thinned buttercream. I cannot see why a bit of milk wouldn't work, if you are worried about using it, just heat the Nutella up with a bit of cream or milk as suggested.
Usually milk added to something like this, when it is only a wee bit, will withstand being at room temperature for a couple of days because of the sugar etc. It is only when you use cups of it and it is the main ingredient, where you end up with problems.
Have you tried using it on its own? For filling a cake usually a thicker less runny filling is best anyway, Now don't forget to first make a stiff buttercream dam, but I cannot see why it wouldn't work well. Haven't bought it in a few years, but I remember it being of a thinner consistency. If you want it fluffier, add some buttercream icing or a chocolate buttercream icing to it, maybe about a third icing to two thirds Nutella. Another option would be to add some high-ratio shortening to it, this will make it quite a bit fluffier. Start by adding about 1/4 of high ratio shortening to the amount of Nutella and add more if needed.
As long as your room temperature is below 75F and it isn't sitting in the sun, you won't have any problems with adding a wee bit of milk or cream.
I hope that the guests will be warned of the use as many, many people have a severe reaction to nuts, particularly peanuts, almonds and hazlenuts (filberts).
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Well I get it at a Bulk Barn in Canada, you might be best off getting it online at an American store. There are different brands available to you in the U.S., it is actually much easier for you to get it than it is for me, haha! Sweetex seems to be the preferred brand name of high-ratio shortening. In a pinch you can still use your good old Crisco but the high ratio will have a bit less of the shortening feeling on the roof of your mouth. It tends to hold on to moisture and icing sugar and such easier which might well make it a good thing for this situation.
Just a warning with the nuts and such, folks that have nut allergies usually have them to the extreme. So be careful not to use the same utensils for the nuts, peanut oil or Nutella filling or any other nuts or nut by-product. For folks with a nut allergy any contact at all with even minute traces of nuts can be very serious. So if the cakes are stacked together or in close proximity and there is even the slightest risk of cross contamination, this can be very serious indeed.
I make a cooked chocolate icing which might go well with the Nutella. I will post it.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Here is the cooked chocolate icing. You can add more sifted icing sugar to it if you want it to be much thicker, but it should work well as is mixed with the Nutella.
Filling/Frosting
2 tbsp. butter
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 tbsp. whipping cream, un-whipped
1 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over minimum heat, 1 0r 2 on my stove. Stir constantly until smooth. If you are frosting a cake, use immediately. If you let it cool too much, it becomes fudge like. If you are using as a filling, remember to place a bead of buttercream icing on the outer rim of your cake so the filling won't seep through. As a filling, you should cool to room temperature, whisk and pour onto cake. Let it set a few minutes before placing top layer over filling.

Well yes, putting up a sign and informing the guests is about all you can do. But I was worried that you thought that if you had safe fillings in other tiers that these would be served as being nut free. Since they are in close proximity to the nut filled cake, they are still a risk. So this is why I mentioned it. the servers might use the same server for both cakes or there may be some contact between them.
I have several friends that have severe nut allergies to peanuts and hazelnuts (filberts). Many folks are unaware of just how severe these allergies can be. I have one friend that ate dinner at a home and the dishes were very clean. However, the night before the cake plates had been used to serve a cake that had hazelnuts in it. Even though the plates has been put through the dishwasher and appeared to be perfectly clean, my friend had a bad reaction and her throat started to close up very quickly. Nut allergies can produce a very quick severe reaction.
People with severe allergies to peanuts can react to even traces of the peanuts or shells in the air when a bag of peanuts is opened. So we don't always see the traces but they are there. That is why if you are making something for someone with a nut allergy, you cannot have any nuts in the room even.
Anyway, because Nutella is nut based, I wanted to mention this. There is a lot of potential for law suits which is why so many manufacturers starting labelling their products, "May contain traces of nuts".
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Yes, some allergic reactions are more deadly than others. Funny how that is, bee stings, penicillin, nuts, shellfish, these are some of the worse ones. Plus folks can have mild reactions for years and then suddenly have a severe reaction.
Scarey stuff, isn't it?
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes