Hazelnut Olive Oil Cake (GF, DF)
User Reviews
4.8
111 reviews
Excellent
Hazelnut Olive Oil Cake (GF, DF)
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Recipe video above: This is the Lemon Olive Oil cake from a delightful cookbook called "Just Desserts" by Charlotte Ree (Amazon here). I've taken the liberty of renaming it because I enjoy the hazelnut flavour so much, I wanted to headline it. So I did!Personally, olive oil in desserts confuses my taste buds. So I like that it's not a dominant flavour here, hazelnut is. Olive oil gives this cake a rich brownie-like texture in a way that butter never will. I'm addicted to the meringue-like crispy edges - I want to slice it all off and run away with it!This is an excellent gluten-free, dairy-free cake you can make for gatherings that pretty much everyone can enjoy. Don't skip the lemon zest! I tried it with and without, and it's amazing how it brings out the hazelnut flavour. I LOVE THIS cake!
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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
- Creme Fraiche (dollop for company)
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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.
Notes
- Hazelnut meal is ground hazelnuts. It's like almond meal except, well, made using hazelnuts! Find it in the dried fruit and nut section of large grocery stores, and health food stores. Substitute with almond meal.
- MEASURING (important): Scales are best because the volume of hazelnut meal varies depending on freshness which makes cups quite unreliable. But if you only have cups, then spoon it in and press down really firmly to pack the hazelnut meal to measure out 1 3/4 cups. This cake is quite forgiving so it's ok if you mis-measure a bit and add too much. But you don't want to add too little else the cake may not set.
- really
- Baking powder also works - 1 1/2 teaspoons - but the rising is better with baking soda.
- Olive oil quality - most olive oil cakes call for really good quality olive oil because you can really taste it. In this cake, it's much more subtle and is more a background ingredient used for cake moistness. So just use a decent-quality one that you'd use for salad dressings. But no need to use a $50 bottle.
- Eggs - 50 to 60g / 2 oz each (cartons usually labelled "large eggs") at room temperature, not fridge-cold (it won't aerate as well).
- Toasted hazelnuts - Bake for 10 minutes in at 180°C/350°C (160°C fan) oven, shaking tray once or twice during cooking.
- Springform pans are best for ease of removal. Otherwise, a cake pan without a loose base will be fine but you'll need to refrigerate the cake for 1 hour or so (after cooling) so it firms up enough to flip out of the pan without breaking.
- Greasing the pan is safest to be 100% sure of easy removal.
- Storage - Cake will keep for 3 days in an airtight container in the pantry (though if it's super-hot where you are it's safer to keep in the fridge).
Nutrition Information
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Calories
241cal
(12%)
Carbohydrates
19g
(6%)
Protein
3g
(6%)
Fat
18g
(28%)
Saturated Fat
2g
(10%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
7g
Trans Fat
1g
Cholesterol
41mg
(14%)
Sodium
16mg
(1%)
Potassium
17mg
(0%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
17g
(34%)
Vitamin A
59IU
(1%)
Vitamin C
1mg
(1%)
Calcium
24mg
(2%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 12Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 241 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 241cal | 12% |
| Carbohydrates | 19g | 6% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 18g | 28% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 41mg | 14% |
| Sodium | 16mg | 1% |
| Potassium | 17mg | 0% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 17g | 34% |
| Vitamin A | 59IU | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 1mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 24mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
111 reviews
Excellent
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