This Hazelnut Cake is light, airy, and springy, lightly textured with ground hazelnuts, and subtly flavored with a touch of espresso. (Taking a breath because I’m so excited about this one).
Annnnd it’s absolutely delicious with a generous dollop of whipped cream.
This wonderful vintage cake is the perfect alternative to pumpkin pie for the holiday table, but my Mom used to make this one year ’round. Grab a cup of tea or refill your coffee mug – it’s time to get cozy with a fat slice of hazelnut cake!
Table of Contents
- The Story Behind the Recipe
- About this Hazelnut Cake Recipe
- Ingredients
- Adaptation/Variation
- How to Make Hazelnut Cake
- Tips for Success
- Storage/How Long Does it Keep?
- Can I Freeze It?
- What to Serve with Hazelnut Cake
- More Cake Recipes
The Story Behind the Recipe
We had three hazelnut trees in the backyard growing up, but we didn’t call them hazelnuts. We called them filberts. It wasn’t until I was well into my teens that I realized that filberts and hazelnuts were the same thing. I thought we just happened to have rare and exotic nut trees in our backyard!
My mom always made sure to gather the nuts that would fall to the ground, shelling them and keeping them on hand to make this hazelnut cake year around. It’s one of those staple childhood recipes – and it makes me feel so happy and nostalgic to share it here on Kitchen Treaty.
My mom is no longer with us, and I thought this recipe was gone with her – I’ve never seen anything like it out there. But a few months ago, I found the handwritten recipe for her “Filbert Cake” in the back of a three-ring binder full of recipes. She had written it down for me years ago and I’d forgotten!
“This is out of a Better Homes and Gardens mag and is at least 40 years old,” she wrote. “You know my history and this cake turns out right every time.” My mom was the self-deprecating type, so I especially love the burst of confidence in this statement.
It’s also true; this hazelnut cake does turn out right every time!
About this Hazelnut Cake Recipe
This light and fluffy cake lies somewhere between an angel food cake and a sponge cake, though I’d say it leans more firmly toward the side of an angel food cake, down to the meringue in the batter.
It’s nutty tasting and slightly sweet, but not overly so. My mom always served it unfrosted, and therefore so do I. I’ll sometimes sift some powdered sugar over the top to fancy it up, and a dollop of whipped cream is, as it was then, non-negotiable.
The accompanying cup of piping-hot coffee or tea is nearly as mandatory as the whipped cream.
One thing that’s really nice about this recipe is that it’s naturally dairy-free. So if you’re looking for a dairy-free cake to enjoy, this is the one! You’ll just want to top it with a dairy-free whipped cream, of course.
Ingredients
- Hazelnuts – Or “filberts” as my Mom called them! You’ll want one cup of raw hazelnuts (plus any extra for garnishing the top of the cake, if you want). You’ll pulse them in your food processor or high-speed blender until finely ground. If you prefer, you can actually grab hazelnut flour at the grocery store these days, too. That’ll work!
- Instant espresso powder – My Mom’s original recipe called for instant coffee, but now that espresso powder is more commonly used in baking recipes (and it adds a bit of an extra coffee punch!) I decided to swap that in. If you don’t have instant espresso powder, you can swap 1/2 cup of strong coffee or espresso (cooled) for the espresso powder and water.
- Water – For dissolving the espresso powder. Use lukewarm water – the espresso powder will dissolve just fine. If you use hot water, you’ll have to wait for it to cool off before you add it to your eggs, or they might scramble.
- Eggs – You’ll need six eggs, and you’ll be separating them.
- Sugar – Plain old granulated sugar.
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract.
- Flour – I’ve only tried this one with all-purpose flour, but the original recipe called for cake flour.
- Salt – I like to use a fine salt for baking.
- Powdered sugar, hazelnuts, & whipped cream – Dust the top with powdered sugar, if you like, and scatter with hazelnuts. Top each piece with a dollop of whipped cream.
Adaptation/Variation
- Pecan Cake – Use pecans instead of hazelnuts.
How to Make Hazelnut Cake
This hazelnut cake isn’t the simplest cake to make (check out this chocolate wacky cake if you’re ever looking for super-duper easy, which is also something my mom always made!) But it’s definitely not the hardest, either! If you’ve ever made an angel food cake, the process is very similar.
I’m including lots of details and photos so that you know exactly what to expect when you’re making this hazelnut cake.
First, you’ll grind the hazelnuts into a fine meal.
Then, you’ll mix some espresso powder with water and set it aside so it has a bit of time to cool, and then get to work separating your eggs.
Set the egg whites aside for later, and beat your yolks until thick and lemon-colored. Add the cooled coffee and vanilla.
Set a fine-mesh sieve over your bowl and add the flour, baking powder, and 3/4 cup of the sugar. If you don’t have a sieve, mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Note that the original recipe calls for sifting them together two times – I am lazy and just sift it directly into the bowl.
Mix until combined, then add the hazelnuts and mix again.
Time to beat your egg whites! Add the salt and beat them until soft peaks form, then add the remaining sugar a little at a time, continuing to beat, until stiff peaks form.
Now fold your batter into the whites, 1/3 at a time.
Pour your batter into an ungreased 9″ tube pan and bake just until you can poke the cake about an inch from the center tube and it bounces back. It’ll take about an hour to bake.
When you pull the cake out of the oven, you’ll want to cool it upside down – just like an angel food cake! The reason you cool it upside down is so that it doesn’t collapse on itself as it cools. I use a wine bottle, but you can use any sturdy bottle with a neck narrow enough to fit through the center.
It’s a leap of faith, but as long as the cake is cooked through, it’ll stay in the pan.
To remove your cake from the pan, run a narrow knife along the outer edge once or twice until well loosened. Then, with confidence, flip the cake over onto a wire rack and, with possibly a slight jiggle or two, it’ll release.
Perfection!
Then it’s just a matter of dusting with powdered sugar and decorating with a few chopped hazelnuts, if you’d like.
Tips for Success
- Don’t attempt this in any other type of pan other than a tube pan. Yes, I tried this in a bundt pan, and yes, it was a dismal failure. You need the smooth, straight sides of an angel food cake pan so that you can cool this cake upside down yet release it easily when it’s time.
- Don’t grease the pan! I know it feels weird to not grease the pan, but don’t do it, because if you do, the cake will likely slide out when you’re cooling it.
- Cool it upside down! It takes a leap of faith to flip a cake upside down to cool, but the cake and the pan are designed for this. Just do it. Otherwise, a meringue-based hazelnut cake like this one can collapse in on itself.
Storage/How Long Does it Keep?
Store your hazelnut cake in an airtight container or tightly wrapped with plastic wrap. It’ll last at room temp for up to 5 days.
Can I Freeze It?
Yes! Hazelnut cake freezes well. Wrap it well with plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temp, dust with powdered sugar, and serve!
What to Serve with Hazelnut Cake
- Whipped cream or Cool Whip, as my mom used to use, is mandatory, in my opinion! Here’s a great homemade whipped cream recipe, or, if you’re needing a dairy-free option, this coconut whipped cream is a great solution.
- I don’t frost this one because my mom didn’t, but I think it would be divine with a thin layer of Nutella frosting.
- How about a vanilla latte, turmeric tea, or hot cocoa to complete the cozy scene?
More Cake Recipes
- Wacky Cake
- Devil’s Food Cake
- Banana Spice Cake
- Lemon Cake
- Dark Chocolate Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake
- Gooey Butter Cake
- Peanut Butter Mug Cake
Mom’s Hazelnut Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw hazelnuts* (ground finely)
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 6 egg yolks
- 6 egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (divided)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (180 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (or table salt)
For decorating/serving
- 2 cups sweetened whipped cream
- 1/4 cup raw hazelnuts
Equipment
- 1 10-inch tube pan
- 1 food processor or high-speed blender for grinding the hazelnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (162°C). Have a tube pan ready; do not grease it.
- Place the hazelnuts in a food processor or high-speed blender and grind them finely, to the consistency of a coarse nut flour like almond flour. Set aside.
- Dissolve the espresso powder in the lukewarm water. Set aside.
- Pull out two large mixing bowls. Separate the eggs, dropping the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another. Set the bowl with the whites aside.
- Using a hand mixer with the beater blades, beat the egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored, about 3 minutes. Check to make sure your coffee and water mix is lukewarm or cooler (so it doesn't cook the egg yolks), and if so, add it to the yolks along with the vanilla. Mix for a few seconds until combined.
- Set a fine-mesh sieve over the yolk mix and add the flour, baking powder, and HALF of the sugar (3/4 cup). Sift the mix in. The original recipe calls for sifting these three ingredients together two times in a separate bowl, first, but I've found sifting it directly in works just as well.
- Beat the flour mix into the yolk mix, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary, just until smooth.
- Use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir the nuts into the egg yolk mixture. Set aside.
- It's time to beat your egg whites! Clean off your beaters. Add the salt to the egg whites and beat at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the egg yolk batter into the egg white mixture, 1/3 at a time, until combined. The batter will be relatively thick but pourable, pale brown, and homogenous.
- Pour the batter into the ungreased tube pan.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes, just until the cake springs back when you lightly poke it.
- Have a wine bottle or another bottle with a narrow neck ready. When the cake comes out of the oven, you'll want to carefully turn it upside down and slide it over the bottle to cool upside down. Like an angel food cake, this helps keep the cake from collapsing in on itself as it cools.
- Cool completely, for about 45 minutes. Place the cake right-side up and carefully slide a long, narrow knife around the sides two or three times to help release the cake.
- Have a cooling rack ready and invert the cake over the rack. If you have a one-piece tube pan, the cake should still come right out, but if it doesn't, you can turn it back over and try releasing the edges with a knife again. If you have a two-piece tube pan and the bottom doesn't release, gently slide a knife between the pan and the cake to finish releasing it.
- Serve with chopped hazelnuts and whipped cream. You can also dust the cake with a bit of powdered sugar for a pretty presentation.
- Store at room temp either tightly wrapped or in an airtight container. Keeps for up to 5 days.
Hi! I’m Karen – I’m a real person with real recipes. No A.I. here! Since 2009, every recipe on Kitchen Treaty is thoroughly tested and loved before I hit “publish.” I’m a home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m a vegetarian married to a carnivore, and my goal is to coexist deliciously.
silly question, but it’s this doable vegan?
Hi Crystal, not a silly question! Unfortunately I’m not sure how this hazelnut cake could be made without the eggs. 🙁 The meringue is such an important part of the batter. I wonder if aquafaba could be substituted, and maybe flax eggs? But I think it would take some testing to get it right! I’ll report back if I’m able to make it work. Thank you for asking!