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!
1 cup caster sugar / superfine sugar ((sub ordinary/granulated sugar))
3 large eggs (, at room temperature (Note 4))
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole hazelnuts (, toasted then roughly chopped (Note 5))
Icing sugar / confectioners' sugar (, for dusting)
Crème fraîche ((dollop for company))
Categories
Cake
Cuisine
Western
Steps
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.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 241 kcal
Carbohydrates: 19 g
Protein: 3 g
Fat: 18 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Trans Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 41 mg
Sodium: 16 mg
Sugar: 17 g
Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
Reviews
Chizzy on 2026-06-11 (5 stars): I'm Japanese and live in New Zealand. With butter prices being so expensive here, I'm always searching for cakes that use oil instead. I made this cake with light olive oil, added ground almonds, reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup, and baked it for 40 minutes. It came out moist, fluffy, and wonderfully light. Best of all, there's no need to separate the eggs, which makes it quick and easy to prepare. I'll definitely be making this one again.
Grace on 2026-04-08 (5 stars): This cake is such a winner! I have returned to it multiple times. Thank you.
La on 2026-02-18 (5 stars): I just really wanted to share that if you are looking to improve your poop experience then this is the cake for you. I can still taste the cake in my mouth and feel the splash of toilet water from the poop. It really gets the bowls moving. I used artificial sweetener to make it keto. 10 out of 10 experience from both ends
Bree on 2026-02-01 (5 stars): Omg this recipe is amazing. I’ve made it twice with cashew meal (as substitute for hazelnut meal). The second time I also added 2tbsp cocoa powder and both versions were delicious! Thanks Nagi, you are the best.
Lisa-Marie Robinson on 2025-11-30 (5 stars): Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I made almost to the letter … I forgot the extra EVOO 🙄, but it was still fine, but I think because I substituted Lakanto monkfruit sweetener for the sugar (to make it low-carb), it didn’t come out gooey with a distinct crust. I feel conventional sugar would caramelise better. It was still delicious, though 😁
Al on 2025-11-08 (5 stars): Very late reply, but I figured it could be of use to someone:
I use Goldi smooth olive oil and find it to be a perfect all rounder. It was great in this cake. Very subtle, but added a lush fruitiness to the finished cake.
Wendyh on 2025-11-02 (5 stars): Easy to make and delicious too. Highly recommend
Nancy Belz on 2025-09-06 (5 stars): Thank you for sharing Charlotte's fabulous recipe! I chose to make the chocolate hazelnut olive oil version today. I added 45 g of organic raw cacao, left out the lemon zest and added 150 g of caster sugar in total. This was perfect for my taste buds. I enjoyed two generous portions and I am looking forward to making it again very soon.😊
Abby on 2025-09-01 (5 stars): I had never made an olive oil cake before making this recipe. It was super simple to follow and equally delicious to eat! Super unique texture and flavor! Yum :)
Anne Marie on 2025-05-16 (5 stars): p.s.: I found this cake paired beautifully with sliced strawberries
Anne Marie on 2025-05-16 (5 stars): This is delicious! I added 2 tablespoons of Plais2towe cocoa because of your fudgy, brownie description Nagi! I'm going to make it exact to recipe next time so I can compare and will post again.
I suggest adding a Note 9 to the instructions.
"If this is your first time preparing a cake tin using olive oil, it can be helpful to have a therapist on speed dial. A specialist in 'emotional regulation' would be perfect" :)
Gus Franzese on 2025-05-07 (5 stars): Thank you Nagi for bringing this recipe to my attention. It is truly delicious. I baked mine in a tube pan, turned out perfect!
Cheryl P on 2024-08-15 (5 stars): I finally tried this with cashew nut meal. I used the same quantity, but it weighed more. The cake was very nice, just a bit heavier and more moist.
Cathy on 2024-06-23 (5 stars): I did everything possible to sabotage this recipe (not by design). I didn’t have enough hazelnut meal so I did 50-50 with almond meal.
I then absentmindedly added the olive oil to the dry ingredients and then nearly forgot to include the extra tablespoon mentioned in the ingredient list. So I ended up beating the eggs and sugar without the oil, and just mixed in the dry ingredients, including the oil, at the end.
I also had a brain fade and oiled and lined a Bundt tin instead of a spring form pan. Once I realised I’d used the wrong tin I reduced the cooking time a little.
Despite my best efforts the cake was yummy- more frisbee shaped than cake shaped. But the comments from the family were we need to make it again.
Emily on 2024-02-20 (5 stars): This is one of the most delicious things I have ever made. I used an evoo and almond oil blend and the hint of almond really pairs well. My oven runs hot so I baked it 5 minutes less and it came out perfect. The balance of the slightly jammy layer on the bottom, the nutty lemony middle and the torte like top is like no other cake I've made.
