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–+ servings
Hazelnut cake sliced in half with hazelnut garnish and dusting of powdered sugar
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 19 minutes

Mom's Hazelnut Cake Recipe

This light and airy hazelnut cake is perfect with a piping hot cup of coffee or tea! This old-fashioned, angel-food-esque cake recipe is from a Better Homes and Gardens magazine from at least 60 years ago, and it's a family keeper for sure.
Yield: 10

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.

Notes

* Can substitute hazelnut flour
Nutrition information does not include whipped cream topping.

Storage/freezing info:

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.
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!

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1g, Calories: 307kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 117mg, Sodium: 237mg, Potassium: 162mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 31g, Vitamin A: 158IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 80mg, Iron: 2mg