Instructions

• 1 Preheat oven to 340°F. Grease an 8" springform pan with olive oil then line with baking paper (parchment paper), then grease the paper.
• 2 In a medium bowl, mix the hazelnut flour, baking soda, lemon zest, and salt.
• 3 In a large bowl, beat the EVOO, eggs, and sugar for 2-3 minutes on speed 7 of a handheld beater or until it becomes pale and thick (like pouring cream).
• 4 Add vanilla extract and beat on speed 1 for 10 seconds.
• 5 Add the dry ingredients and mix in gently using a rubber spatula.
• 6 Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes. It will puff up dramatically in the oven but it collapses as it cools.
• 7 Remove the cake from the oven and allow to fully cool in the pan before releasing from the springform pan. This is a rustic cake that has higher edges and a flatter centre (plenty of meringue-like edges and not an overwhelming amount of the rich brownie-like centre of the cake).
• 8 Optional: Decorate the cake with toasted hazelnuts and dust with powdered sugar, if desired. Serve fully cool.