National Day Calendar Logo 🔎︎

NATIONAL HAZELNUT CAKE DAY

4 min. read
June 1, 2026

NATIONAL HAZELNUT CAKE DAY

June 1 means its National Hazelnut Cake Day on the National Day Calendar. We encourage you to spend some time in the kitchen baking up a delicious hazelnut cake or take a trip to your local bakery to pick one up. We don't care how you celebrate as long as you celebrate National Hazelnut Cake Day eating cake with family and friends.

#HazelnutCakeDay

Hazelnut cake originates in the Piedmont region of Italy when the cost of flour was expensive. The cake was created when local farmers were looking for ways to avoid wasting leftover hazelnuts after harvest. Ground hazelnuts were substituted for flour, creating a delicious delicacy. Today, there are many variations of the hazelnut cake it's too difficult to share our favorite.

Hazelnut History

The Hazelnut dates back to around 11,000 years in the British Isles becoming a prominent forest tree after the ice age. In fact, the hazelnut tree how outgrows the beech tree region. Ancient Romans believed hazelnuts ensured a long and happy marriage. Because of this, they used torches made from hazel tree branches during wedding ceremonies. In Greece, physicians recommended crushed hazelnuts to cure the common cold.

During the pre-European era, hazelnuts were used for making oil, roasted or eaten raw. European immigrants get credit for bringing these sweet and delicious nuts to the U.S. Today in North America, hazelnuts are native to the Midwest, North and South Eastern U.S., and Canada.

Hazelnuts are very versatile, which is why a hazelnut is one of the most popular flavors available. Hazelnut is a favorite flavoring in coffee, liquor, and complement a variety of recipes. Many hazelnut cake recipes include a hazelnut spread as a topping or in between layers. Hazelnut also enhances the flavor of:

  • Bread

  • Muffins

  • Puddings

  • Ice cream

  • Salad

  • Pasta

  • Pancakes.

You can also incorporate hazelnuts into your diet by adding them to trail mix, drinking hazelnut milk, and spreading nut butter on your bread.

10 Health Benefits of Hazelnuts

Eating hazelnuts improve your health. Medical experts agree that hazelnuts are one of the healthiest kinds of nuts to eat. To get the maximum health benefits from hazelnuts, you should try to consume between 25 and 30 pieces a day. Eating hazelnuts daily can help balance out cholesterol levels, as well as increase heart health and reduce blood pressure. Some people even eat hazelnuts to aid in weight loss or improve their digestive function.

  1. Protein

  2. Dietary fiber

  3. Vitamin E

  4. Phosphorous

  5. Magnesium

  6. B vitamins

  7. Calcium

  8. Zinc

  9. Iron

  10. Potassium

6 Fun Facts About Hazelnuts

  1. Oregon produces 99% of the country’s hazelnuts.

  2. In 1989, the hazelnut became Oregon’s official state nut.

  3. A hazel tree can produce fruit for over 80 years.

  4. There are up to 18 species of hazel, all of which are edible.

  5. Hazel trees grow anywhere from 10 to 120 feet high.

  6. Hazelnuts are harvested each year in the middle of fall.

HAZELNUT CAKE DAY CELEBRATIONS

We love celebrating food holidays, so when someone says National Hazelnut Cake Day, we know it's going to be a great day! First, we bake up our favorite hazelnut cake and serve it with iced coffee. If we're lucky, someone deliver us some hazelnut cupcakes, too! Of course, we encourage you to share your favorite hazelnut cake recipe with us on social media using #HazelnutCakeDay.

NUTTY HAZELNUT CAKE DAY HISTORY 

National Day Calendar continues researching the origins of this dessert holiday. While we do, check out these other cake holidays in June: