This hazelnut cake is the perfect show stopping dessert. Freshly candied oranges make for a beautiful decoration and give this cake a fresh burst of citrus flavour.
This hazelnut cake is rich, soft and moist. Folding whipped cream through the cake batter is the secret to making it super light and fluffy!

I'm always in awe of how gorgeous these candied oranges look! This cake never fails to impress.
How To Make Hazelnut Cake With Candied Oranges
Thinly slice the oranges about 2 mm (just less than ⅛ inch) thick.
The sliced oranges are simmered in a sugar syrup for about 10 minutes.
They will turn translucent. Carefully remove orange slices from the saucepan, making sure to keep them in tact.
The hazelnut batter is made by creaming together the butter and sugar, then slowly incorporating the eggs, vanilla and orange zest. Fold in flour and whipped cream until just combined.
To get the beautiful orange layer on top of the cake, make a layer of snugly-fitting orange slices on the bottom of the lined cake tin. Fill in the gaps with a second layer of orange slices.
Carefully spoon the hazelnut cake batter on top of the orange slices, being careful to keep the slices in place.
Bake until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Turn the cake out upside down onto a cooling rack so the oranges are at the top. What a reveal!
Enjoy a big slice of fresh orange and hazelnut cake! Take a moment to appreciate your expert decorating skills too, of course 🙂
Hazelnut Cake with Candied Oranges
This show-stopping hazelnut cake with candied oranges is surprisingly easy to make! Fresh, fruity candied orange slices sparkle on top of a soft and moist hazelnut cake. With simple step-by-step instructions, this cake is guaranteed to be a winner every single time!
Ingredients
For the Candied Orange Slices
- 2 large oranges
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup caster sugar
For the Hazelnut Cake
- 1 cup (150 g / 5.5 oz) hazelnuts
- 200 ml (7 oz) heavy whipping cream
- 200 g (7 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- Zest of 2 large oranges
- 2 cups self-raising flour
Instructions
For the Candied Orange Slices
- Zest the oranges and reserve for the cake batter. Slice about 2 cm (¾ inch) off the top and bottom of the oranges and discard. Slice the trimmed oranges very thinly into rounds, about 4 mm (⅛ inch) thick.
- Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Add orange slices and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for about 10 minutes or until orange slices go slightly translucent. The peel should be soft.
- Carefully remove slices from sugar syrup and place onto a piece of baking paper. Set aside.
For the Hazelnut Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Grease and line a 20 cm (8 inch) round cake tin with baking paper.
- Coarsely grind the hazelnuts in a food processor. Set aside.
- In the medium mixing bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer), whip the cream until soft peaks form. Set aside.
- In the large bowl of an electric stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each addition. Add vanilla and orange zest and beat until well combined.
- Sift over the self-raising flour and add hazelnuts and fold through until nearly combined. Add whipped cream and fold through carefully until batter is completely combined.
- Take the candied orange slices and use them to line the bottom of the baking tin. Remember that the first layer will be what you see on top of the cake. I place about 6 slices down, side by side, on the first layer, then fill in the gaps using a second layer. Spoon the batter carefully on top of the orange slices.
- Even out the batter with the back of a spoon. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the tin before turning out, upside down, onto a cooling rack so that the oranges are now at the top. Remove baking paper carefully. Allow to cool completely before serving.
Notes
Storage
- You can keep the cake un-refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- To freeze the cooked cake, allow to cool completely then wrap tightly in clingwrap and then in foil. Keep for up to 6 months frozen. To thaw, allow to defrost at room temperature for 6 hours or overnight.
Substitutions
- You can replace 2 cups of self-raising flour with 2 cups of plain flour combined with 1 tablespoon of baking powder.
- Orange varieties suitable for eating (instead of juicing) are best. You can also use blood oranges for a stunning colour and tangy flavour.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1/10th of CakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 552Total Fat: 36.2gSaturated Fat: 16.6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 119.6mgSodium: 501.1mgCarbohydrates: 51.8gFiber: 3.1gSugar: 27.6gProtein: 8.5g
anya says
hi my parents are allergic to eggs can i substitute applesauce? l
Chloe says
Hi Anya, unfortunately this cake relies on the eggs for structure and fluffiness so applesauce won't work very well as a substitute. In other cake recipes which only use 1 or 2 eggs, you can definitely use applesauce as a substitute. Hope that helps!