Name: Hazelnut Citrus Torte
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Jewish
Ingredients: ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, more for oiling pan; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon hazelnut or almond flour; 1/3 cup quinoa flour; 4 large separated eggs; 2 Tablespoons grated lemon zest; 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1 Tablespoon fresh orange juice; 1/4 teaspoon salt

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5 from 6 reviews

Hazelnut Citrus Torte is one of the desserts served during Passover. This nutty, citrus torte is moist, wheat-flourless, gluten-free, and amazingly delicious. You can serve this torte with a light citrus complement like sorbet, fruit salad, or a creamy, airy whipped crème fraîche, mascarpone or coconut cream.

Slice of Hazelnut Citrus Torte being lifted out. Jewish dessert recipe served at Passover. Spoonabilities. — *Recipe post may have affiliate links; read our* *disclosure policy*. *Photographs ©Carlos Leo, Spoonabilities*

Our first official recipe for Passover is the Hazelnut Citrus Torte, published originally in the New York Times in the cooking section by Melissa Clark. I honestly won't say that it has been “adapted" because I didn't do many changes. This recipe is one of a few Jewish dessert recipes I decided to do for Passover.

Watch the Hazelnut Citrus Cake Video

My Adventure making a Hazelnut Citrus Torte

Making this torte and the other Passover desserts were supposed to be a fun adventure for me, but like always, I tried to do too much. I felt so inspired looking at so many delicious nutty and aromatic dessert recipes, that I decided to make not one, but four of them in two days. When will I learn?

Hazelnut Citrus Torte is typically a Jewish dessert made during Passover. Nutty and moist, this recipe is flourless, gluten free, and amazingly delicious. Spoonabilities.com

Making the Hazelnut Citrus Torte was a big challenge for me because I'm not a baker or pastry chef. But that doesn’t stop me. But that also is my huge problem. I don't know how to scale down, or do one thing at a time, so I end up stressed out with so many things to do and little time to do it.

What I can tell you is that in the end, my adventure was worth every second, and especially experiencing each bite of this super moist, nutty and citrus torte.

Hazelnut Citrus Torte is a Passover dessert served during this Jewish holiday. Eleia Kosher certified Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the olive oil we used in this dish. Check it out at Spoonabilities

I'm not Jewish, and I didn't know much about the Passover traditions. Something that I discovered this week that is essential with Passover food is that Jews are prohibited from eating anything leavened. The following paragraph was found on the website thoughtco.com, and you can read more about Passover at What Is Passover (Pesach).

"The basic Passover food prohibition is anything "leavened," which Jews call chametz. What this means, according to the rabbis and tradition, is anything made with wheat, barley, spelt, rye, or oats that are mixed with water and left to rise for more than 18 minutes."

If you are looking for more Jewish traditional dessert recipes for Hanukkah or Passover, check out these recipes.

Another thing I learned is just because I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil in making this dessert, that doesn’t automatically make the whole dessert Kosher. Did I mention that I’m not Jewish by faith, only by taste?

If you have enough dessert recipes to try, instead of the Hazelnut Citrus Torte, during Passover you can try a savory recipe that I made called Grilled Leg of Lamb with Moroccan Date Sauce.

Enjoy!

Carlos Leo
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