This recipe is from the German cookbook Kiehnle Kochbuch that my mom got as a wedding gift. She told me it’s considered the German cooking Bible! This is the cake my mom would almost always make for our birthdays and I still insist on having it every year.
The cake itself has only 5 ingredients – eggs, sugar, lemon, hazelnuts, and a touch of flour (or cornstarch to keep it GF). The result is a very light cake with rich hazelnut flavor. Another reason why I love this cake is because instead of cloyingly sweet frosting, it uses a simple whipped cream with ground hazelnuts mixed in. So the end result is a super light cake that isn’t too sweet and is loaded with fluffy, hazelnut-infused whipped cream. This cake really does feel so special, so I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do!
P.S. After making it for myself over the past few years, I’ve made two adjustments – I reduced the sugar by 50 grams and increased the amount of whipped cream for the best cake to whipped cream ratio. It’s perfect!
Ingredient highlight
Hazelnuts (AKA filberts!)! This rich, slightly sweet, earthy, buttery (and expensive!) nut is one I save for the holidays and special occasions. This is a nut that you definitely want to roast because it really brings out it’s deep nutty flavor. Compared to other nuts, hazelnuts are particularly high in fiber, vitamin E, and manganese. They are also particularly high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.
Servings 8 – 10
Prep Time 30 minutes 
Cook Time 40 minutes Ingredients
For the cake:
- 8 large eggs, yolks separated from whites*
- 150g cane sugar
- Juice and zest from half a lemon
- 250g roasted hazelnuts, ground**
- 2 tbsp flour or cornstarch
For the whip:
- 16 oz heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 1-2 tsp cane sugar (optional)
- 250g ground roasted hazelnuts*
Topping ideas (optional):
- More toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
- Shaved chocolate
- Ferrero Rochers, cut in half
- *When separating the yolks from the whites, put the whites of each egg into a small bowl before adding it to the large bowl. If you get any yolk in those whites, you need to start over.
- **You need a total of 500g hazelnuts for the recipe. A well toasted nut is important for a rich hazelnut flavor! Bake them at a lower temp for a longer time to ensure it’s toasted all the way through.
- **To roast hazelnuts: add the hazelnuts to a baking sheet, place on the center rack and bake in a 350F oven for 15-25 minutes or until golden and fragrant, stirring after every 5 minutes. Times vary depending on your oven and how big the nuts are. To know if it’s done, bite into a few – they should be golden brown on the outside and in the center. They’ll continue to toast up after removing them from the oven. To remove the skins, place the nuts in a kitchen towel, fold and twist up the towel to seal them, then rub/squeeze them all around to loosen the skins.
- **To grind the hazelnuts: add the cooled, toasted nuts to a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely chopped. You’re looking for a semi-chunky nut meal, not a super fine flour. Don’t over-process them into a nut butter!
- Note: ~ if you don’t have a 9-inch springform pan, you should be able to bake it in a 9×9-inch square baking dish.
- Make ahead! ~ You can make the cake a few days in advance – wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge. Cut and ice the cake the day of. To make it look more festive, shave some chocolate over the top of it.
Instructions
- Line a 9” springform pan with parchment, then grease thoroughly all over with butter. Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer (starting at a low speed and increasing the speed as they get foamy) to beat the 8 egg whites until you get stiff peaks when you lift the beaters out of the egg whites (this takes about 4-5 minutes). Set aside.
- In a larger bowl, using the same beaters, beat the egg yolks, adding sugar gradually, until they become a pale yellow and have a silky ribbon-y texture (about 2-3 minutes). Add the lemon zest and juice, then beat in the flour or cornstarch and 250g ground hazelnuts until everything is evenly combined.
- Add the egg whites to the bowl and use a rubber spatula to fold it in gently so you don’t lose all of the air in the whites. If you don’t know how to do that, watch the video and/or look at a YouTube video on how to fold egg whites into a batter (he actually has some good tips I didn’t know about!). Properly folding and not deflating the whites is key to a well-risen light cake/crumb.
- Pour the batter into the springform pan, smooth it out on top and put it into the middle of the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown on top. You’ll know it’s done if your finger doesn’t leave an impression on top when you touch it. Don’t open the oven while it’s baking, or the whole thing can collapse!
- Take it out and let it cool completely. If it has collapsed a lot and isn’t big and puffy don’t worry about it – it will still be delicious, just a bit more dense and not as tall.
- Once it’s cool take it out of the pan and use a long bread knife to slice it into two even layers.
- In a medium/large bowl, use the electric mixer to beat the heavy cream until it’s stiff, adding the sugar towards the end (if using). Add in the hazelnuts and beat just to combine.
- Add about 1/3 of the whipped cream on top of the bottom layer and spread it into an even layer. Place the top cake layer on top and scoop the rest of the whipped cream on top. Use a spatula, knife, or offset spatula (this works best if you have it!) to spread the cream to coat the top and sides of the cake as evenly as you can.
- Top with your toppings of choice or leave it plain. Slice and serve!
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Roast 500g hazelnuts
- Grind 500g roasted hazelnuts
Substitutions:
- No substitutions for this one, sorry folks!
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Like most things, this tastes best at room temp, so let it sit out for 10-20 minutes if you can. If not, it’s also delicious cold!
- I like to top leftovers with more whipped cream…you do you.
Servings 8 - 10 Prep Time 30 minutes Cook Time 40 minutes Ingredients
For the cake:
- 8 large eggs, yolks separated from whites*
- 150g cane sugar
- Juice and zest from half a lemon
- 250g roasted hazelnuts, ground**
- 2 tbsp flour or cornstarch
For the whip:
- 16 oz heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 1-2 tsp cane sugar (optional)
- 250g ground roasted hazelnuts*
Topping ideas (optional):
- More toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
- Shaved chocolate
- Ferrero Rochers, cut in half
- *When separating the yolks from the whites, put the whites of each egg into a small bowl before adding it to the large bowl. If you get any yolk in those whites, you need to start over.
- **You need a total of 500g hazelnuts for the recipe. A well toasted nut is important for a rich hazelnut flavor! Bake them at a lower temp for a longer time to ensure it’s toasted all the way through.
- **To roast hazelnuts: add the hazelnuts to a baking sheet, place on the center rack and bake in a 350F oven for 15-25 minutes or until golden and fragrant, stirring after every 5 minutes. Times vary depending on your oven and how big the nuts are. To know if it’s done, bite into a few - they should be golden brown on the outside and in the center. They’ll continue to toast up after removing them from the oven. To remove the skins, place the nuts in a kitchen towel, fold and twist up the towel to seal them, then rub/squeeze them all around to loosen the skins.
- **To grind the hazelnuts: add the cooled, toasted nuts to a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely chopped. You’re looking for a semi-chunky nut meal, not a super fine flour. Don’t over-process them into a nut butter!
- Note: ~ if you don’t have a 9-inch springform pan, you should be able to bake it in a 9x9-inch square baking dish.
- Make ahead! ~ You can make the cake a few days in advance - wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge. Cut and ice the cake the day of. To make it look more festive, shave some chocolate over the top of it.
Instructions
- Line a 9” springform pan with parchment, then grease thoroughly all over with butter. Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer (starting at a low speed and increasing the speed as they get foamy) to beat the 8 egg whites until you get stiff peaks when you lift the beaters out of the egg whites (this takes about 4-5 minutes). Set aside.
- In a larger bowl, using the same beaters, beat the egg yolks, adding sugar gradually, until they become a pale yellow and have a silky ribbon-y texture (about 2-3 minutes). Add the lemon zest and juice, then beat in the flour or cornstarch and 250g ground hazelnuts until everything is evenly combined.
- Add the egg whites to the bowl and use a rubber spatula to fold it in gently so you don’t lose all of the air in the whites. If you don’t know how to do that, watch the video and/or look at a YouTube video on how to fold egg whites into a batter (he actually has some good tips I didn’t know about!). Properly folding and not deflating the whites is key to a well-risen light cake/crumb.
- Pour the batter into the springform pan, smooth it out on top and put it into the middle of the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown on top. You’ll know it’s done if your finger doesn’t leave an impression on top when you touch it. Don’t open the oven while it’s baking, or the whole thing can collapse!
- Take it out and let it cool completely. If it has collapsed a lot and isn’t big and puffy don’t worry about it - it will still be delicious, just a bit more dense and not as tall.
- Once it’s cool take it out of the pan and use a long bread knife to slice it into two even layers.
- In a medium/large bowl, use the electric mixer to beat the heavy cream until it’s stiff, adding the sugar towards the end (if using). Add in the hazelnuts and beat just to combine.
- Add about 1/3 of the whipped cream on top of the bottom layer and spread it into an even layer. Place the top cake layer on top and scoop the rest of the whipped cream on top. Use a spatula, knife, or offset spatula (this works best if you have it!) to spread the cream to coat the top and sides of the cake as evenly as you can.
- Top with your toppings of choice or leave it plain. Slice and serve!
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Roast 500g hazelnuts
- Grind 500g roasted hazelnuts
Substitutions:
- No substitutions for this one, sorry folks!
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Like most things, this tastes best at room temp, so let it sit out for 10-20 minutes if you can. If not, it’s also delicious cold!
- I like to top leftovers with more whipped cream…you do you.
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