Chock full of apple, this apple hazelnut cake is a wonderful Fall treat. Ground hazelnuts add both texture and flavour to the cake, while a warm toffee sauce is the perfect finishing touch.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Apples – This cake has a LOT of apple in it and is best made with a baking apple – one that you might use for an apple pie.
Hazelnut Meal – or ground hazelnuts. You can buy hazelnut meal or make ground hazelnuts yourself by running them through a food processor until fine.
Raisins – I love the addition of raisins in this cake, but if you’re not a fan, simply omit.
Cook’s Notes
As I am usually not consuming a whole cake at one sitting, I prefer to add the toffee sauce to each piece. If you were serving the cake as a whole dessert, that is likely to be all eaten up, you could pour the sauce over the top and serve slices that way. You could even poke the cake here and there before pouring the sauce over, to allow the sauce to seep in to the cake a bit. That would be lovely, too :) As you like it!
As this cake has a lot of apple in it and is baked in a springform pan, you’ll definitely want to place your springform pan on a baking sheet to bake it, as some of the moisture from the cooking apples might escape from the pan. You may wish to line your baking pan with aluminum foil for easy clean-up, too.
It’s difficult to give a precise cooking time for this cake, as a lot depends on the moisture level of the apples you used. Mine was very moist (I used Cortland apples), so it took well over an hour (about 1 hour, 20 minutes). Start checking at an hour with a skewer, testing in the exact centre of the cake. The cake will be deep golden on top and will be pulling away from the sides of the pan when done.
Making Ahead, Storing and Freezing
This cake keeps surprisingly well, considering the large amount of apple in it, but is probably at it’s best within 24 hours of baking.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email and I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, you'll get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Seasons and Suppers.
You can unsubscribe at any time.
Get the Recipe: Apple Hazelnut Cake with Toffee Sauce
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup hazelnut meal, or ground hazelnuts
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt, reduce to 1/2 tsp if using salted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 cups apple, shredded, from about 3-4 apples *see Notes below
- 1/3 cup raisins, optional
Topping:
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoons hazelnut meal, or ground hazlenuts
Toffee Sauce:
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 5 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 6 Tablespoon whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. (regular bake setting/not fan assisted). Spray an 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set on a baking sheet and set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter with the brown sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, whisk together the hazelnut meal, flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until combined. Fold in shredded apple.
- Spoon batter in to prepared pan and level. Sprinkle with brown sugar and hazelnut meal for topping.
- *Make sure you bake your cake with the cake pan on top of a baking sheet, to catch any moisture that may escape from the pan.
- Bake cake in preheated oven for 60-80 minutes, or until golden, pulling away from the sides of the pan and a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Time will vary depending on the moisture in the apples you use.
- Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the outside and loosen and remove the outer ring. Allow to cool further, before cutting. Enjoy slightly warm or at room temperature with warm toffee sauce.
- For the toffee sauce, combine the butter, brown sugar and cream in a microwaveable bowl. Heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir. Heat a further 15-20 seconds and stir again, until butter is melted. Microwave on high for 30-45 seconds more. Stir in vanilla. Serve warm over cake. Will keep in the fridge and can be re-heated as needed.
- *You can also make this sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring, until melted. Allow to come to a boil, then boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
Notes
More Apple Cake Recipes to Love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
This. Cake. Is. Amazing!
Delicate flavour, perfectly moist. I followed the recipe exactly (in grams) and it came out perfectly. Mine baked for an hour. I also used granny Smith apples. It was perrrrfect.
So glad to hear! Thanks so much :)
For those allergic to tree nuts, what is a good substitute for the hazelnuts?
Hi Astrid, this is probably a tough cake to try to make nut-free as it has a full 1/2 cup of ground nuts in. That said, something like Rolled or Quick Oats run through the food processor to break them down a bit, maybe mixed with some ground flaxseed might work.
Hi. Can I add more hazelnut flour in place of some of the flour?
Hi Raadhiya, possibly. It will certainly affect the texture of the finished cake somewhat (probably less rise/more dense). If you are ok with that, it’s certainly worth a try :)
Would I be able to use ground flax would that alter the taste of the cake?
Hi Rochelle, I don’t think ground flax would work here, as 1/2 cup of it in a cake would certainly alter the taste and texture. Any ground nut would be fine, though.
This cake recipe looks delicious, do you think it would freeze ok with the toffee sauce ?
Hi Joan, I think the cake will freeze well and the toffee sauce should freeze, as well, but I wouldn’t freeze the cake with the toffee sauce on it. I think in an ideal scenario though, I would freeze the cake, but then make the toffee sauce fresh to serve with the thawed cake. Hope that helps :)
I made this last night as a birthday cake for myself for a small dinner gathering of friends. One of my friends showed up way too early so they had to hang with me as I prepped this cake. For one, this cake took very little time. I was able to chat with them as I threw this together- very easy. I had a roast going, took the roast out to cool and popped the cake in the oven for an hour. As far as timing went, the cake was ready for dessert and the toffee glaze was easy to throw together at the last minute. Everyone loved this cake.
I subbed with GF flour because one of my guests is sensitive to gluten as a secondary symptom of a disease. It came out perfect. I also used blended almonds and pecans in a pinch since I lacked access to hazelnuts or hazelnut flour. Came out great and couldn’t recommend this recipe more!
So glad to hear, Leslie and good to know it works nicely with GF flour, too! Thanks :)
This is such a pretty fall cake and I love the warm toffee sauce!
Thanks Laura :)
Such an awesome fall cake Jennifer. I think I’d want to put that toffee sauce on everything.
This looks amazing. I’m not familiar with Hazelnut Meal and good to know that it can be used in so many other ways. Can’t wait to try!
Thanks Cindy :)
I don’t have access to Bob’s good products. Can I grind roasted hazelnuts instead?
Sounds like a fabulously yummy cake.
Thanks Janice and yes, you could. I think you could probably buy online, as well.
Would love a recipe for the cranberry goat cheese stuffed breaded pork loin chops! This cake looks so yummy!
Hi Andrea, I can definitely share the pork recipe! I made it with cranberry-coated goat cheese and I wasn’t sure how far and wide that is available to people, but there are ways around that probably. Will post it next week for you :)
Did you ever share this recipe? It sounds amazing! Looking forward to trying this recipe too!
I did 3 years ago :) I have 10 years worth of recipes, so lots of goodies hiding in the archives! Enjoy :)
So gorgeous Jennifer! I didn’t know Bob’s Red Mill sold hazelnut meal – that’s outstanding! We love their products and are such fans of apple cakes. This is a brilliant combo – and that sauce seals the deal :)
Thanks Tricia and yes, it was new to me too, but I’ve found so many great ways to use it in the past few weeks :)
Gosh this looks like the perfect little treat to go along with my morning coffee ~ love Bob and all his wonderful products! Sharing all around today, thanks Jennifer!
Thanks so much, Sue :)
This looks delicious Jennifer. Two questions: I am assuming I can sub out the hazelnuts for almond meal or possibly ground pecans – yes?(Hazelnuts are not kind to me.) And point #7 for the toffee sauce – is it heat a further 15 – 20 minutes in the microwave or 15 – 20 seconds? BTW thank you for all of your wonderful recipes. My family loves them.
Hi Maria and thanks so much :) And yes, you could definitely use ground almonds or pecans (I think pecans would be nice with the apple). And thanks so much for catching that error. It’s for sure 15-20 seconds. I’ve fixed it in the instructions :)
Oh my gosh! This has my name written all over it – Pinning and sharing, it looks AMAZING (and I’m drooling).
Thanks so much, Chris :)