Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1 cup Nutella (or similar hazelnut spread), slightly warmed
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease and flour a standard 9x5-inch loaf tin, lining it with a parchment paper sling for easy removal.
- Whisk together the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set this dry mixture aside.
- In a large mixer bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together on medium speed until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color (about 3–4 minutes).
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until just incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Reduce mixer speed to low. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients (Dry, Milk, Dry, Milk, Dry). Mix only until the last streaks of flour disappear. Do not overmix.
- Spoon half of the pound cake batter into the prepared loaf tin, spreading it into an even layer.
- Dollop spoonfuls of the slightly warmed Nutella randomly over the first layer of batter, covering most of the surface.
- Top with the remaining pound cake batter, gently covering the Nutella layer as best as possible.
- Create the swirl effect by gently running a butter knife or skewer through the batter 3–4 times in an 'S' pattern. Avoid scraping the bottom of the pan.
- Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake (avoiding large streaks of Nutella) comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before carefully lifting it out using the parchment sling. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.