National Hazelnut Cake Day is celebrated on June 1 to raise a toast to the tasty hazelnut cake. On this day, it is customary to eat some hazelnut cake. Hazelnut cakes are one of the most popular cakes in America. Their multiple varieties make them a great choice for different people with varied tastes.
History of National Hazelnut Cake Day
References to hazelnuts are frequent in the Bible as well as ancient Greek and Roman mythology in which they were believed to have healing powers. Pliny the Elder, a Roman scholar in the 1st century A.D, and Greek philosopher and teacher of botany Theophrastus (born in around 370 B.C.), both wrote extensively about hazelnuts.
In America, in the pre-European era, native tribes utilized hazelnuts that grew in the eastern woodlands and Oregon and California. Roasted hazelnuts were used for oils and eating raw. The milk of the hazelnut was used for medicinal purposes, like curing coughs and colds. The roots were used to make a blue dye for fabrics, while the branches were used for arrow shafts, basketry, and more.
The arrival of domestic hazelnuts in America took place with the immigration of Europeans to the U.S. A commercial nursery for hazelnut trees was established by Robert Prince in Flushing in 1737. This was after Lewis and Clark brought back specimens of native hazelnuts from their expedition, which were the very specimens that were grown by Prince in his nursery. The legacy of American hazelnuts began in Scottsburg, Oregon, in 1856. Retired English sailor Sam Strickland settled in Douglas County where he planted the first known hazelnut tree in the Pacific Northwest. And now, 160 years later, Oregon is known for the world’s finest hazelnuts.
Hazelnuts are known by several names, including Pontic, filbert, and cobnuts. They are native to the Northern and Southeastern U.S., along with in the Midwest and Canada.
National Hazelnut Cake Day timeline
Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides discovers that hazel trees can be used to cure the common cold and baldness.
Robert Prince establishes the first nursery with hazelnut specimens in Flushing, New York.
Famous Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus gives the hazelnut plant its scientific name, Corylus avellana, from ‘coryllus’ (meaning nut), and ‘avellana’ (from the city of Avella, in the Avellino province of Italy, where the plant is widespread).
The Oregon state legislature declares hazelnut as its state nut, recognizing the historical significance of hazelnut farmers of Oregon.
National Hazelnut Cake Day FAQs
Can you freeze hazelnut cake?
Yes. You can double wrap the cooled cake layers in plastic wrap and keep them frozen for up to three months. But you need to take them out two to three hours before assembling them.
Why does hazelnut go with chocolate?
Milk chocolate and hazelnut are the most popular combo due to their mutual creaminess. Dark chocolate also goes well with hazelnut as the bitterness of dark chocolate gives the hazelnuts’ creaminess a tasty edge.
What goes well with hazelnut cakes?
The hazelnut flavor goes well with chocolate, caramel, apple, banana, apricot, berries, and more. So it is up to you to decide which one you want to add to your hazelnut cake.
How To Celebrate National Hazelnut Cake Day
Bake a cake
Bake your favorite hazelnut cake. You can have it with iced coffee and sit on your balcony or sunny patio and enjoy it.
Surprise a loved one
Surprise a loved one by placing an online order for a hazelnut cake to be delivered to them as a surprise. Or you can even make your own hazelnut cupcakes for them.
Look up new hazelnut cake recipes
If you love hazelnut cake then you would know that there are lots of hazelnut cake recipes available on the internet. Look them up and try out a new recipe. You can also watch YouTube videos about how different kinds of hazelnut cakes are made.
5 Facts About Hazelnuts That You Didn’t Know
The Filbert origins
One of the names for hazelnuts, i.e. ‘filbert,’ is believed to come from a 7th-century Frankish abbot St. Philibert.
There are many of them
There are over 100 types of hazelnuts around the world and Turkey provides 70% of them.
The U.S. production house
Oregon’s Willamette Valley is responsible for producing over 95% of America’s hazelnuts.
Years and years of hazelnuts
Hazelnut trees bloom and pollinate in winter, and can keep producing their nuts for several hundred years.
Hazel magic
There was a time when the hazelnut tree was believed to be a magical tree and a hazel rod was used as protection against evil spirits.
Why We Love National Hazelnut Cake Day
A tasty toast to good health
Hazelnuts are a superfood. From lower cholesterol and risk of heart disease to less stress, hazelnuts contribute to all of these and more.
It celebrates variety
There are various kinds of hazelnut cakes available, like chocolate hazelnut torte, hazelnut cheesecake, hazelnut cake squares, hazelnut pear cake, and many more. There is a hazelnut cake out there for everyone.
A treat for all
National Hazelnut Cake Day is a day for all, from kids to adults. Hazelnut cake is just as much for parents as it is for their kids. It is a wholesome family treat.
National Hazelnut Cake Day dates
Year | Date | Day |
---|---|---|
2025 | June 1 | Sunday |
2026 | June 1 | Monday |
2027 | June 1 | Tuesday |
2028 | June 1 | Thursday |
2029 | June 1 | Friday |