High Altitude Hazelnut Cake with White Chocolate Orange Buttercream

Moist and nutty high altitude hazelnut cake made with brown butter and toasted hazelnuts, frosted with fluffy white chocolate orange buttercream. All the flavors work together so perfectly in this rich, slightly dense and buttery cake that’s perfect for the holidays.

Looking for more high altitude cake recipes? Don’t miss this snickerdoodle cake, roasted sweet potato bundt cake, and chocolate truffle cake.

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Why You’ll Love This Cake

Rich, Nutty and Buttery. I just can’t get over the incredible depth of flavors in this cake. The browned butter and nutty toasted hazelnuts complement each other perfectly. I based this hazelnut cake recipe on my brown butter pecan cake, which is also fabulous.

Small in Size. Most of my cakes are three layer 8-inch cakes, but since this one is so rich, a smaller 6-inch cake seemed just right. It’s the perfect size for 8-10 people, without having too much leftover cake.

Moist and Dense. If you love a more dense cake that’s still incredibly moist, you’ll love today’s recipe!

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Cake

• Hazelnuts. You can use shelled or unshelled, but your hazelnuts should be raw, preferably. The first step of toasting the hazelnuts brings out so much of their flavor.
• Butter. I use unsalted butter so I can control the saltiness. Browning the butter before adding it to the cake batter gives it the most incredible rich, nutty flavor and aroma.
• Vegetable Oil. Both the butter and oil keep the cake moist.
• Sugar. A combination of white granulated sugar and brown sugar adds sweetness and moisture, with a hint of molasses flavor.
• Eggs. Gives the cake structure.
• Milk + Sour Cream. The fat in the whole milk and sour cream keeps the cake tender and moist.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• Praline Hazelnut Extract. The praline hazelnut extract is optional, so if you can’t find it, don’t worry, your cake will still be delicious.
• Flour. All-purpose flour gives the cake structure and strength. You can also use cake flour for a slightly lighter cake crumb.
• Salt. Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavors.
• Baking Powder. Leavening agent, to help the cake rise.

TIP: For best results, be sure your ingredients are at room temperature before making your cake.

Buttercream

• White Chocolate Chips. Melted white chocolate in the buttercream adds another nuance of flavor that’s so good with the hazelnuts.
• Butter. Use unsalted butter so you can control the saltiness in the buttercream.
• Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the buttercream.
• Meringue Powder. Adds stability and improves the texture.
• Salt. Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavors.
• Orange Extract + Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• Fresh Orange Zest. Balances the richness of the butter and white chocolate.
• Milk or Cream. Use only if needed for desired consistency.

Instructions

Toast the hazelnuts.

• Preheat the oven to 325 F, and spread the hazelnuts into a single layer on a baking sheet.
• Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, until hot and fragrant.
• Wrap the hot hazelnuts in a clean dish towel, and let them steam in the towel for 1 minute, then rub the towel over the hazelnuts to loosen as much of the papery skin as you can. If any skin is still clinging to the nuts, that’s fine.
• Let cool, then use a small food processor to finely chop the nuts.

Brown the butter.

• In a saucepan, melt the 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan occasionally, until fragrant and nutty brown solids form at the bottom of the pan. A layer of foam might form on top of the butter, and this is usually when the butter is ready.
• Use a spatula to scrape all the golden brown solids off the bottom of the pan, then pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl.

Make the hazelnut cake.

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Grease three 6-inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the hot browned butter with the oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, milk, sour cream, vanilla extract and hazelnut extract.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and chopped hazelnuts.
• Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and whisk just until smooth.
• Divide the cake batter between the greased pans and bake for about 19-20 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Set the pans on a cooling rack, covered loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.

Make the Buttercream

• In a double boiler or in the microwave at 50% power, melt the white chocolate until smooth. Set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes until cooled to room temperature, but still smooth and drizzly.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
• With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar by spoonfuls, the meringue powder, salt and extracts.
• Increase speed to medium and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl several times, until very light and fluffy. Only add the milk if the buttercream seems too stiff and dry.
• Add the orange zest and the melted/cooled white chocolate and whip for 1 minute, then turn the speed down to low and mix for 2 minutes to get rid of air bubbles.

Assemble and Frost the Cake

• Remove the cooled cakes from the pans. Place one of the cooled cakes on a cake board or cake pedestal.
• Fill, stack and crumb coat the cake, then chill for 30 minutes to set the crumb coat, keeping the bowl of buttercream covered in the meantime. Frost the cake all over with a final coat of buttercream.
• If you like, fill a piping bag with any extra buttercream and pipe swirls on top of the cake.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use two 6-inch pans instead of three?

No, there’s too much batter for two pans. It would be better to bake 2/3 of the batter first, then bake the remaining 1/3 after you can free up one of the pans.

What size pans should I use if I double the recipe?

For a larger cake, you can double this recipe and bake it in three 8-inch pans. Note that you only need to double the cake batter. For the buttercream, just scale it up by 25% for an 8-inch cake.

Do I have to toast the hazelnuts first?

You don’t “have to”, but it’s an easy step that adds so much more flavor to the nuts.

Can I use another nut besides hazelnuts?

Yes, you should be able to substitute other nuts like pecans or walnuts with no other adjustments needed.

Will this recipe work if I don’t live at high altitude?

I develop and test all my recipes at Denver’s high altitude of 5,280 feet. If you live at sea level or low altitude, you’ll likely need to make a few adjustments. I recommend reading this article on high altitude baking for guidance.

What piping tip did you use for piping the buttercream on top?

Tip 1M.

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