Super soft, moist, and delightful vegan Hazelnut Loaf Cake coated with a rich and decadent chocolate glaze and sprinkled with crushed nuts – A quick and easy one-bowl bread recipe made with 100% plant-based ingredients that can be made gluten-free too!

Grandma’s Nut Cake Recipe made Vegan
I love how each tender and moist slice has that nutty crunch from the toasted hazelnuts and silky texture from the chocolate glaze! The combinations are truly divine, and it’s always a hit when I serve this healthier vegan nut cake adapted from Grandma’s popular recipe for my family and friends. Since it contains no eggs, no dairy butter, and less sugar than most other cakes, you can even enjoy this hazelnut loaf for breakfast!

Super easy, no-fuss Vegan Hazelnut Cake Recipe
Making Granny’s popular hazelnut cake recipe vegan is super simple and straight-forward; all you need are 10 baking staple ingredients, a whisk or spatula, a bowl, a baking pan, and an oven! It’s a no-fuss recipe that is egg-free and dairy-free but is as delicious as any classic nut cake you’ve ever tried! Even making the chocolate glaze is a breeze; simply melt it together with coconut oil in a bowl over a hot water bath. That’s it!

Customize it – keep it simple or go big!
The simple hazelnut and vanilla flavor combination of the cake are delicious enough on its own. You can make it as an everyday hazelnut bread for your afternoon snack with your favorite drink. Adding a layer of rich and silky chocolate glaze and nut toppings instantly transforms it into a sweet cakey dessert. You can also bake it into adorable cupcakes or muffins for breakfast; try adding some chocolate chips in the batter for a sweet surprise! Make an elegant round cake out of it to serve on birthdays, anniversaries, or other celebrations. Get crazy creative and top it with dried fruits and grated chocolate to make it more festive!

Ground hazelnuts – ready-made or from scratch?
It’s quite easy to get a hold of ground hazelnuts in the baking section of a market. However, if you have some whole raw hazelnuts sitting in your pantry, now is the time to use them up! Simply place them in a food processor and grind until they turn into meal.
For even more nutty flavors, you can also roast the nuts in the oven for a few minutes beforehand. This will not only deepen their aroma but also loosen the papery skin. Then you can easily roll the roasted hazelnuts in a towel to remove most of them. After that, place them in a food processor and grind them away. To see a step-by-step instruction and video tutorial for making this check out my vegan Nutella recipe. However, be careful not to blend the nuts for too long, or they may turn into nut butter.
In case you do not have hazelnuts, you can also use macadamia nuts, peanuts, or almonds. They have the same crunchy quality and they also go really well with chocolate.
Further Ingredients needed
In addition to ground nuts, you will also need flour (all-purpose, spelt or gluten-free), sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, dairy-free milk, oil, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar.

How to make Vegan Hazelnut Cake
As always, I recommend checking out the recipe video and this step-by-step instruction first. Then you’ll find the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Making the batter
Start by whisking together flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. In a measuring cup, whisk together plant milk, oil, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. Then pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
Tip: Please do not over-mix the batter or your cake won’t rise well.

Step 2: Add to the pan and bake
Now pour the batter into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper and smooth it out. (Tip: It’s best to tap the pan on the work surface a few times to make sure there are no air bubbles in the batter). Place the cake in a preheated oven at 355 °F (180°C) and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Tip: If the cake gets too dark during baking, cover it loosely with a piece of parchment paper.
Once done baking, let the hazelnut bread cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Then lift it out of the pan using the overhanging parchment paper. Place it on a cooling rack and let it finish cooling.

Step 3: Make the glaze and garnish!
For the chocolate glaze, simply melt the chopped chocolate with a bit of coconut oil slowly over a water bath. Stir well and spread evenly over the cooled loaf. Decorate with chopped hazelnuts or whatever decorations you desire. That’s it!

Helpful Tips when making Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Glaze
- Line your pan with parchment paper and leave enough hanging on the sides for easier removal after baking.
- Using heavier flours, such as whole wheat, will change the texture of the hazelnut bread; it won’t be as soft and fluffy.
- Do not over-mix the batter! Mix the dry and wet ingredients until just well combined. Over-mixing will result in the batter not rising properly. Flat, deflated cakes are a no-no!
- The baking time may vary depending on the type of oven, temperature, pan used, or if you cover the cake while baking. So please always do a toothpick test! Insert it on the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean, then your cake is done! Be mindful that the longer you bake the cake, the drier it will be. It’s best to check on it a few minutes early to get to the right amount of moistness.
- If you notice the cake getting too dark on top during baking, cover it loosely with a piece of parchment paper.
- If you opt to make some muffins or cupcakes using this recipe, the baking time is approximately 25 minutes and about 40 minutes if using a springform pan.
Can I make it gluten-free?
Absolutely! To make the cake gluten-free, I recommend using a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. As always, I suggest checking the package information to be sure when using manufactured products.

How do I store my Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Glaze?
Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator where it will stay soft and fluffy for 3-5 days. If you want to keep it longer, you can separate individual slices with parchment paper, then put them in a freezer bag and freeze.
If for some reason the hazelnut bread has become harder or drier, you can microwave it for a few seconds. This will make the texture wonderfully soft again!

This vegan Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Glaze is:
- Dairy-free and egg-free
- So easy to make
- Highly-customizable
- Perfect as an everyday snack or for any occasion!
- Moist
- Soft and fluffy
- Super nutty and chocolaty
- Divinely delicious!

More easy Vegan One-Bowl Cake Recipes to try
- Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
- Blood Orange Bundt Cake
- The Best Vegan Lemon Cake
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Cranberry Orange Bread
- Raspberry Almond Orange Cake
- Blueberry Bundt Cake
- Apricot Cake with Coconut
- Strawberry Rhubarb Cake
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Vegan Marble Zebra Cake
- Chocolate Pumpkin Marble Bread
- Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
- Healthy Vegan Banana Bread
If you try this easy vegan Hazelnut cake recipe, please leave me a comment and a review because I always love to hear your feedback! And if you take a photo of your delicious loaf and share it on Instagram, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka to make sure I don’t miss your post! Happy baking!

Vegan Hazelnut Bread
Author:Ingredients
Hazelnut Cake
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose or spelt flour or gluten-free flour*
- 1 cup (120 g) ground hazelnuts
- ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda or 2 tsp more baking powder
- ½ tsp (1 tsp) salt
- 1 ⅓ cup (320 ml) plant milk e.g. soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, or oat milk
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) oil e.g. canola or sunflower oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Chocolate Glaze
- 3.5 oz (100 g) dark chocolate chopped
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Topping
- 2 tbsp chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
Hazelnut Cake
- Preheat the oven to 355 °F (180°C). Lightly grease a 9.5x4-inch (25x11cm) loaf pan, then line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on both sides.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
- In a measuring cup, whisk together plant milk, oil, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. Then pour it into the flour mixture and stir with a whisk, wooden spoon, or spatula until just combined. (Please do not over mix the batter or the cake will not rise well).
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth it out. (It's best to tap the pan on the work surface a few times to make sure there are no air bubbles in the batter).
- Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (If the cake gets too dark during baking, cover it loosely with a piece of parchment paper).
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Then lift it out of the pan using the overhanging parchment paper. Place it on a cooling rack and let it finish cooling.
Chocolate Glaze
- Melt the chopped chocolate with the coconut oil slowly over a water bath. Stir well and spread evenly over the cooled cake.
- Decorate with chopped hazelnuts if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- To make the cake gluten-free, I recommend using a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- If you use a heavier flour, such as whole wheat flour, the cake will not be as soft and fluffy.
- You can also roast whole hazelnuts and then grind them into a coarse flour using a food processor or blender. For step-by-step instructions and a video tutorial on how to make it, check out my vegan Nutella recipe. However, be careful not to blend the nuts for too long, or they may turn into nut butter.
- The baking time may vary depending on the type of oven, temperature, pan used, or if you cover the cake while baking. So please always do a chopstick test! Also, keep in mind, the longer the cake is baked, the drier it will be.
- You can also bake muffins from this recipe. The baking time is then about 25 minutes.
- For more helpful tips and information, read the text above the recipe card.
- Nutrition information is calculated for 1 piece of 14 without the glaze.
IF YOU HAVE PINTEREST, YOU CAN FIND ME HERE AND PIN THE FOLLOWING PICTURE, IF YOU LIKE! 🙂

©Bianca Zapatka | All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please link back to this post for the recipe. More info here. Thank you for supporting biancazapatka.com!

This page may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. You can find more information here.
Thank you so much!! This was so easy to make and turned out perfectly for my partner’s birthday. I added cocoa powder to the cake for extra chocolate flavour and reduced the sugar a bit. Yummy will make again.
Yay! Glad you enjoyed this cake! Thanks for your feedback! 🥰
Hi Bianca, Can this recipe made as a layer cake with frosting? If so will the texture be like a sponge cake? Thanks!
You can absolutely do that! The cake is perfectly fine to use it for a layer cake. 🙂
What a beautiful recipe! So easy to whip up and tastes delicious. Also tried this with ground pistachio, which worked well. Thanks for the recipes
With ground pistachio this cake tastes great for sure. Such a cool idea! Thanks for sharing your opinion. 🙂
Really easy cake, and great result! It’s moist and crumbly, and whenever you get a bite with the glaze on it really tastes like Nutella 😍
Glad you love it! 😍 Thank you so much for your feedback! ♥️
It is absolutely delicious! I made this at 2pm and it is already gone by 7pm 😬. My daughters loved it so it is kids approved!! They say it tastes like nutella ☺️
Yay, that’s great!
So glad everyone loved it! ❤
Thanks for your positive feedback! 🙂
I made it yesterday, replaced hazulnuts with walnuts, and vanilla with rum, but everything else was the same to the last bit.
It was perfect, I loved it! (And I’m not vegan and a bit partial to eggs in cakes 😉).
Thank you so much for the great recipe! I’m going to use it as a basis and customize it various ways when I need to bake a vegan cake.
I’m very happy that you loved this recipe! 🙂
Thanks for your amazing feedback!
Greetings,
Bianca ♡
So delicious and super easy. I tried the glutenfree version and it was also perfect 🙂
Yay, that’s great!
Thank you so much for your feedback! 🙂
I’m very happy that you loved this recipe!
Greetings,
Bianca ♡