This is a gloriously rustic olive oil cake that’s both dairy-free and gluten-free, making it ideal for any gathering since just about everyone can enjoy it! I really love that hazelnut is the front-and-centre flavour, with the olive oil whispering quietly in the background. With meringue-like crispy edges and a brownie-ish centre, this sweet number is wickedly addictive.
Hazelnut Olive Oil Cake
This is actually the Lemon Olive Oil cake from a delightful cookbook called “Just Desserts” by Charlotte Ree. I’ve taken the liberty of renaming it because I enjoy the hazelnut flavour in it so much, I wanted to headline it – so I did!
Usually with olive oil cakes, the olive oil is the dominant flavour. Recipes also typically encourage you to use very good olive oil (read: expensive!) for this reason, which tends to result in quite an assertive flavour. But in this cake, hazelnut is the primary flavour and that’s a reason I enjoy this so much. My taste buds get kind of confused when I taste strong olive oil in sweet cakes. I think, “salad dressing”! #SimpleGal
In this cake though the role of olive oil is to produce a rich, brownie-like cake with a moistness you can’t achieve with just butter.
But my favourite part is the crust around the corners, sides and surface! It’s a bit crisp – meringue-like is how I describe it. I want to cut it all off and run away with it. Catch me if you can!!
Proof of damp brownie-like insides, in case you doubt me:
What you need to make this Hazelnut Olive Oil Cake
Here’s what you need to make this:
Extra virgin olive oil – As mentioned above, despite the name a really nice thing about this cake is that there’s no need to invest in expensive olive oil for it since it’s not the primary flavour. Just use a decent-quality one that you use for everyday salads.
The olive oil brings a moistness to the cake that you don’t get with butter. Plus, it makes it dairy-free!
Hazelnut meal – This is ground hazelnuts, the hazelnut equivalent of the more well-known almond meal used in flourless baked treats like Flourless Chocolate Cake, Flourless Chocolate Brownies and Orange Cake.
In addition to taking the place of flour in cakes, hazelnut meal brings a wonderful nutty flavour to cakes. So much more interesting than tasteless wheat flour!!!
Lemon zest – Finely grated, using a microplane or similar. Being a delicately-flavoured cake, this is key ingredient. You can taste the lemon but it’s more a back note flavour that accentuates the hazelnut. Initially, I was unsure why lemon was included in a nutty cake like this until I was forced to make a version without (I had a fruit bowl filled with white-zestless lemons!). The cake was way less interesting in taste and hazelnut flavour more muted. The takeaway: don’t skip the lemon!
Baking soda / bi-carbonate soda – This is what gives the cake a bit of lift, though the inside of the cake will not have an airy, spongey crumb typical of flour cakes. It’s rather moist and gooey like brownies, which is by design.
Baking powder can be substituted but because it is not as powerful, the cake will be a little more dense. Not a disaster though by any means!
Sugar – Caster sugar / superfine sugar is best because it dissolves more easily in the batter. However, regular white sugar (granulated sugar) will work just fine too.
Eggs – Large ones, 50 to 60g / 2 oz each (cartons are usually labelled “large eggs”) at room temperature, not fridge-cold, as cold eggs don’t aerate as well when beaten.
Vanilla extract – Extract is better than artificial vanilla essence which is, well, fake. I personally wouldn’t waste pricey vanilla beans on this cake. I reserve vanilla beans for things like Creme Brûlée, Flan Patissiére (French Custard Tart), pouring custard (Creme Anglaise) etc.
Pinch of salt – Generally good practice in most sweet things is a sprinkle of salt to bring out the flavour of the other ingredients. It doesn’t make it salty.
How to make Charlotte’s Hazelnut Olive Oil Cake
It’s a breeze – and rather forgiving too. Remember, we are not going for Michelin-starred patisserie perfection here. This is a “shabby chic”-vibe cake we’re making here!
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. The hazelnut meal, baking soda, lemon zest and salt.
Beat wet ingredients – Beat the eggs, sugar, and olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes on speed 7 with an electric beater until it changes from yellow to pale yellow, and thickens to the texture of thickened/heavy cream – in unwhipped form (which is thicker than standard pouring cream).
Stir dry ingredients into the egg mixture.
Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake 45 minutes. It will puff up dramatically but don’t get too excited, it collapses again as it cools!
Cool completely in the pan before releasing from the springform pan to serve. This cake is rather delicate to handle when warm so really, be patient and let it cool!
What it looks like – The cake will rise in the oven then deflate as it cools. Don’t be alarmed when you see that it settles with a “crater” in the centre. This is the way it is supposed to be! And as you eat you will appreciate the contrast it effects, ie. you get more of the fluffier, addictively-crispy meringue-ish sides and the right amount of the rich, fudge-y brownie-like centre of the cake.
Sprinkle the cake with roughly-chopped toasted hazelnuts, if you want to double up on the hazelnut flavour like I do. Finally, dust with icing sugar, slice and serve!
Charlotte suggests serving with a dollop of crème fraîche, which I did when I served it to friends. I even served the cake on a plate and provided forks. But in real life, I just grab a slice with my hand. Make it. And you’ll understand what I mean! – Nagi x
PS. I realise I’ve used the description “brownie” a lot to describe the cake’s texture, but there is no chocolate flavour here! Sorry if you’ve been confused.
Watch how to make it
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Hazelnut Olive Oil Cake (GF, DF)
Ingredients
- 150g / 5oz hazelnut meal (1 3/4 cups firmly packed) (ground hazelnut, sub almond meal, Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda / bicarbonate soda , sifted (Note 2)
- Zest of 1 lemon , finely grated (about 2 teaspoon or so)
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (Note 3)
- 1 cup caster sugar / superfine sugar (sub ordinary/granulated sugar)
- 3 large eggs , at room temperature (Note 4)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Optional decoration:
- 1/4 cup whole hazelnuts , toasted then roughly chopped (Note 5)
- Icing sugar / confectioners’ sugar , for dusting
- Crème fraîche (dollop for company)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170°C / 340°F (150°C fan). Grease a 20 cm/8" springform pan with olive oil then line with baking paper (parchment paper), then grease the paper. (Note 6)
- Dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, mix the hazelnut meal, baking soda, lemon and salt.
- Beat wet ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the olive oil, eggs and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes on speed 7 of a handheld beater or until it becomes pale and thick (like pouring cream).
- Add vanilla and beat on speed 1 for 10 seconds.
- Mix in dry: Add the Dry ingredients and mix in gently using a rubber spatula.
- Bake 45 minutes: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes. It will puff up dramatically in the oven but it collapses as it cools.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and allow the cake to fully cool in the pan before releasing from the springform pan. This is a rustic cake that has higher edges and a flatter centre. Perfect proportions, I say: plenty of meringue-like edges and not an overwhelming amount of the rich brownie-like centre of the cake!
- Decorate: Sprinkle with hazelnuts and dust with icing sugar, if desired. Serve fully cool.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
When it rains, Dozer really enjoys standing at the doggie door holding the door open with his head, looking out and contemplating the meaning of life as he watches the rain pitter-patter on the deck …..
… as well as letting the blustery cold wind blast inside through the hole, not to mention all the RAIN that comes in!!! 😖
Hello Nagi,
I made this cake today for supper and it was a hit! My brother is not supposed to eat gluten, so I was so happy to have a dessert that I could make for him. It was soooo delicious and the inside was nice and chewy, with the outside having a perfectly light crisp edge. Everyone enjoyed it very much. Thank you so much for such a quick and easy recipe!
Thank you so much for baking. I am so glad you enjoyed it all so much!
I’m trying to make this cake, but I have a question: The recipe says 150g (5 oz) [1 cup + 3/4 cup (firmly packed) hazelnut meal, but 1 cup (not firmly packed) hazelnut meal already weighs 4 oz. Have I misunderstood the recipe or what? Kindly clarify please. Many thanks!
Hi Nagi and friends, Is it possible to make your own hazelnut or almond meal for these cakes? They’re wildly expensive here in Italy.
Thanks. Nora
Nora, yes! You absolutely can! You can do it in a food processor.
hi beautiful lady and Dozer i will make cake ,olive oil always smells strong any suggestions ?? don’t want cheap oil ?? cake book sold out sending my love and kisses to your family
We didn’t have hazelnut flour on hand so made it with almond meal. Delicious! And super easy. Great as dessert or for breakfast.
A delicious compromise!
I’m going to make this to bring to Rosh Hashanah dinner this weekend. Thank you, Nagi, for including gluten and dairy free recipes. My wife isn’t allergic to gluten or dairy but tries to avoid them when she can.
Wonderful news, happy baking!
This was delish however mine was so flat. Only 1/4” thick. What did I do wrong??
Oh no! I was going to try it today! I’ll check back and see if Nagi has any suggestions.
Omg when my two favourite Aussie food personalities come together, I’m
In heaven! Love you both X
Oh Elle! Thank you so much! A dream to have my little cake featured by Nagi!
Can this be made vegan successfully?
PS I have only a 10″ springform pan and the cook time was the same.
Hi Anne, good to know that your 10” springform was the same cook time. Did you use the same quantities of ingredients, and did it make any difference to the appearance. TIA
Since this was the first time I made the cake, I don’t know if the appearance was different, but the recipe was exactly the same.
Thanks for this note! That is all I have and only realized when ready to bake!
This will be a gift to a friend I am visiting. YUM!
I tried the Hazelnut meal cake, substituting almond meal (since that is what I had). It met all of my expectations, and I look forward to serving it to my gluten-free friends!! Thank you, Nagi!
So happy to hear, Anne! Thank you for baking!
Hi Nagi, I need a clarification please. Is it 1 plus 3/4 cup of hazelnut meal or just 3/4. That was how I made it, just 3/4 cup, but turned out color of a blond brownie and no crisp crust. But deliscious,, shared with neighbors, and can’t wait to make again! PS Kota says woof to Dozer and you!!
Mine came out blonde too?? So strange. I used 150g of meal. Haven’t tasted it but looks dry in the middle.
My husband made this yesterday for my birthday. Absolutely delicious flavours and very moist. He only cut it to feed 8, good man.
Hazelnut Olive Oil Cake
Cake was very good
I only used 80g of caster sugar and it was still sweet
I realized I could have gone lower still, probably down to 60g
I have used the recipe quantity for all the other ingredients
Thank you for trying and sharing this! I always lower the sugar in cake recipes.
Love that you are changing it to your flavour preferences. I do the same when I bake new recipes, too!
Baked the cake yesterday . Used almond meal and almonds for the topping . Was moist and simply delicious ! Brought it to my sister for supper and everyone loved it ! Thanks Nagi . I love your recipes .
I managed to make mine deflate rather a lot! I had to quickly rotate the cake halfway through baking though to avoid it burning on one side (dodgy oven!), which I think caused the extra deflation – does that sound right? It looks crispy and meringuey (if that’s a word!) on top though, so it will hopefully taste good when we eat it tomorrow for a friend’s birthday morning tea.
Every oven is different, mine is dodgy too, but we know how to work with one another! Mine always deflates a little when it comes out too so don’t worry about that!
I made this, this weekend, too ( as well as the Saltimbocca). Wow, what a simple thing to put together..and it tastes really good, no need for any sides, it’s just great by itself. But, I do have a question…it took so much longer than the stated 45 mins to cook. I don’t know what I did different from your recipe, I can only think that maybe my tin was different size to yours…?
Every oven is different. I always say to anyone baking, trust your intuition! Nobody knows your oven better than you!
I know what I’m doing this Sunday afternoon- baking session with recipe tin eats.
I’m not a baker, so I have a few questions…
If substituting almond flour for the hazelnut flour, won’t that change the taste to almond?
Also, would regular olive oil alter the flavor since it isn’t as strong as extra-virgin?
I’m looking forward to trying this! I wonder if adding cocoa powder might make it taste a bit like Nutella….? Oh Yum!!
Hello! Yes, the hazelnut has a much stronger flavour than the almond, which is quite subtle really. And the lighter olive oil will be subtle in flavour too.
You can add 50g cocoa powder, sifted, to enhance the flavour too!
This was amazing! I used almond meal because I didn’t have hazelnut but it still turned out awesome!
I’m so delighted to hear that Amy! I’ve made this quite a few times over the past couple of months and it’s been a hit with everyone, with both hazelnut and almond meal. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts! N x
I love making it with almond meal, too! So delicious.