From caramel-topped Dobos torte to vanilla-laced krémes, pastry culture is alive and well Budapest.
Similar to Vienna, Budapest enjoys a thriving pastry culture: pastry shops (cukrászda) are peppered across the city, with each neighborhood boasting at least a couple. Some people might visit them to socialize – there's also coffee, tea, and savory biscuits – others to pick up cakes for the family meal. Hungary's pastries reflect many influences: some hark back to the Middle Ages, others have Ottoman Turkish origins, still others show French inspirations that seeped in through neighboring Austria. Starting in the mid-19th century, Hungary's pastry industry came into its own.
The year 1884 was especially pivotal: Two bakers, Emil Gerbeaud and Vilmos Ruszwurm, each took over a pastry shop that went on to transform Budapest's confectionery: Café Gerbeaud and Ruszwurm (the latter currently closed amid legal disputes). This was also when József C. Dobos invented the famous Dobos torte. Today, most pastry shops serve the classics alongside more contemporary creations, some also catering to those with dietary restrictions.
#1 - Pogácsa: Dating back to medieval Hungary, these soft sconelike snacks are among the most traditional and widespread across the country. They come in different sizes and varieties: topped with melted cheese, studded with pork cracklings (tepertős), filled with cottage cheese (túrós), for example. Both bakeries and pastry shops sell pogácsa, but those often can’t hold a candle to a fresh homemade version.
Where: Borpatika.
#2 - Strudel (rétes): Strudels (rétes in Hungarian) evolved from the baklava during Hungary's occupation by Ottoman Turkey in the 16-17th centuries and spread across the Habsburg Monarchy. The first written mention of rétes, which comes from the word “réteges,” meaning layered, dates to 1549 and calls for thin layers of a rich wheat dough anointed with butter, sprinkled with sugar, and baked in the oven. Soon, the rétes was filled and enclosed by folds of a paper-thin dough – the ancestor of today’s strudels.
By the 18th century, the rétes spread from the aristocracy to Hungarian peasants for whom it remained largely a celebratory food until the mid-20th century, made for weddings, baptisms, new year’s celebrations, and name days. Interestingly, the strudels never spread to Transylvania, a mainly a corn rather than wheat-producing region.
Fillings traditonally included cooked cabbage, carrots, summer squash, poppy seeds, apple, plum, cherry, fruit preserves, walnuts, and sunflower seeds. Beans too, among the German communities. Most popular was the túrós rétes – layered with fresh cottage cheese. Today, still, what makes the strudels unique in Hungary is the sheer variety of fillings, both sweet and savory.
Where: Házi Rétesbolt.
#3 - Bejgli: During Christmas, few dining tables in Hungary are absent these sweet rolls filled with finely ground and sweetened poppy seeds and walnuts. People usually place them on a plate side by side due to a folk belief that poppy seeds bring prosperity and walnuts keep trouble away. Bejgli is popular across countries in Central Europe.
Where: In most Budapest pastry shops around Christmas time.
#4 - Pozsonyi kifli: A variation of the bejgli, above. During Austria-Hungary, bakers in Bratislava (Pozsony) were so skilled at making these filled buns that people from as far as Budapest would order deliveries. The ones containing poppy seeds come in a crescent shape, whereas those with a walnut filling resemble a letter C. Unlike the bejgli, the pozsonyi kifli is available throughout the year.
Where: Auguszt.
#5 - Chimney cake (kürtőskalács): A sugar-coated yeast dough wrapped around a baking spit and roasted over fire, the Transylvanian chimney cake flaunts a caramelized crust and a chewy, soft interior. Kürtőskalács was traditionally made by the Transylvanian aristocracy for celebrations such as birthdays, weddings, carnivals, New Year’s Day, and baby showers. Today, still, kürtőskalács is a symbol of Transylvania, but it has become extremely fashionable across Budapest where kürtőskalács vendors make all sorts of new-wave varieties.
Where: Most kürtőskalács vendors these days use an electric oven, but Édes Mackó, outside the Budapest Zoo, makes them the traditional way, over charcoal.
#6 - Donut (fánk): You might know it as krapfen, Berliner, bombolone, sufganiyah, or donut – fánk is the Hungarian version of this centuries-old deep-fried pastry traditionally eaten in the days of Carnival. Besides fruit jam, a fánk might also come filled with chocolate or vanilla custard these days. Most bakeries and grocery stores in Hungary serve them year-round.
Where: In most Budapest pastry shops and supermarkets.
#7 - Dobos torte: It was confectioner József C. Dobos who in 1884 created this sponge cake layered with chocolate buttercream. The Dobos torte's signature feature is the shiny, brittle caramel topping. After pathetic attempts by competitors to replicate his concoction, Dobos made the recipe public and the cake has remained a staple of pastry shops in countries of the former Habsburg Monarchy, from Brasov to Trieste.
Where: In most pastry shops across Hungary and Austria.
#8 - Esterházy torte: The Esterházy torte consists of vanilla and rum-spiked buttercream layers that are sandwiched between rows of ground walnuts (or almonds) and encased in white fondant inscribed with chocolate. Almost all Budapest and Vienna pastry shops serve it. Various origin stories exist but the Esterházy torte likely first appeared in Budapest pastry shops in the late 19th century and was named after one of the wealthiest persons in Austria-Hungary, the gourmand-aristocrat Prince Pál Antal Esterházy (1786-1866).
Where: In most pastry shops across Hungary and Austria.
#9 - Krémes: Similar to a Napoleon pastry, krémes is a cherished custard slice across Central Europe with each country flaunting a slightly different version. In Hungary, apart from regular krémes – vanilla custard enclosed by puff pastry – there's also "francia krémes," which comes with an extra layer of whipped cream and a caramel glaze on top.
Where: In most pastry shops across Hungary.
#10 - Sacher torte: Offbeat readers know that I admire many aspects of the Habsburg Monarchy. The fact that it was a diverse place with many cross-cultural exchanges, including those in gastronomy, for example. Take the Sacher torte, which originated, of course, in Vienna, but has spread deep into Budapest pastry shops.
The story is well-known: pastry maker Franz Sacher invented the recipe in 1832 for the all-powerful Chancellor of the Habsburg Monarchy, Prince Metternich. Later, Franz's commercially-savvy son, Eduard, opened the Hotel Sacher and cashed in on the name. The Sacher is a chocolate sponge cake layered with apricot jam and encased by a chocolate glaze.
Where: Daubner Cukrászda.
#11 - Minyon: Local confectioner Henrik Kugler introduced in Hungary the petit fours – those dainty, bite-sized, delicate French cakes – in the 19th century. Here, they grew in size and one of them, what came to be known as the minyon, became especially cherished. The color of the icing indicates the flavor of the buttercream filling: brown for coffee, dark for chocolate. But pink is most popular, sporting a rum-soaked sponge cake inside.
Where: Geraldine.
#12 - Flódni: This eye-catching cake features layers of plum jam, grated apples slickened with honey, sweetened ground walnuts, and ground poppy seeds. The flódni originated among Hungary's Jewish community whose members traditionally made it for the Purim holiday, but today it's widely available across Budapest pastry shops (recipe).
Where: Angelo Cafe.
#13 - Punch torte: A classic of pastry shops across Budapest and Vienna, the punch torte's signature feature is the striking pink icing on top. A layer of apricot preserves and raisins is sandwiched between rows of rum-infused sponge cakes.
Where: Sommer Cukrászda.
#14 - Linzer & Isler cookies: Both of these fruit jam-filled cookies made their way to Hungary from neighboring Austria with a few twists and turns along the way. Typically, they accompany an afternoon tea or coffee. The main difference between the two is the chocolate glaze that blankets the Isler.
Where: In most pastry shops across Hungary and Austria.
#15 - Rigó Jancsi: This dark-hued sponge cake is named after the Hungarian Roma violinist whose story scandalized 19th-century Europe: Rigó seduced Princess Chimay, an American-Belgian socialite, who ran away with him, leaving behind her husband and two children. Their romance didn't last very long unlike the chocolate cream-filled cake that Rigó inspired, which became a classic, though fewer and fewer Budapest pastry shops serve it these days. The photo above was taken at Hámori Cukrászda in Budapest's District 8.
#16 - Indiáner: These puffy black-and-white cakes were all the rage a hundred years ago in pastry shops across Budapest and Vienna. Blanketed in chocolate and split by a layer of whipped cream, Indiáners are delicious but a hassle to make.
Where: Auguszt pastry shop is among the few places in Budapest that still serves them.
#17 - Gesztenyszív: How about a post-meal dessert that won't knock you out for the rest of the day? These chestnut paste treats coated in crackly chocolate are light and winsome. Molded in the shape of a heart, they are sold in almost all Budapest pastry shops.
Where: Szamos Gourmet House.
#18 - Kókuszgolyó: Judging by the prevalence of the kókuszgolyó across pastry shops in Hungary, one would hardly believe that this modest kugel sprinkled with shredded coconut dates back only to the second half of the 20th century! And that it originates in the Nordic countries where it’s made from oatmeal! In Hungary, the kókuszgolyó base is usually ground biscuit which is fortified with butter and milk and sugar and cocoa powder and rum and cherry pieces.
Where: In most pastry shops across Hungary and Austria.
#19 - Tepertős-szilvás papucs: Prune jam and pork cracklings? In the same pastry? What may sound like a bizarre combination turns out to yield a delicious sweet-savory snack (these two ingredients are widespread and adored in Hungary). People usually make tepertős-szilvás papucs at home but a few pastry shops will also have it.
#20 - Somlói galuska: Despite dating back only to the 1950s, the somlói galuska has become a beloved dessert dish across Hungary. It consists of a rum-infused sponge cake soaked in vanilla custard, chocolate cream, and whipped cream, with a sprinkling of walnuts and raisins on top.
Where: Apart from pastry shops, restaurants also often serve it.
#21 - Gerbeaud slice: Created at the historic Café Gerbeaud, this bite-sized cake is a standard of most pastry shops in Hungary: Under a chocolate glaze lie layers of a sweet dough alternating with a filling of ground walnuts and apricot jam.
#22 - Rákóczi túrós: Even most Hungarians mistakenly believe that this meringue and apricot jam-topped túró cake is named after the country's famous prince and revolutionary leader, Ferenc II Rákóczi, but the truth is more banal: the moniker is a hat-tip to baker János Rákóczi who invented the cake in the 1930s.
Where: Nándori Cukrászda.
#23 - Kossuth kifli: Typically homemade, these half-moon shaped treats were supposedly a favorite of Lajos Kossuth, a national hero and leader of the 1848 Hungarian revolution against Habsburg Austria. It's a simple and delicious sponge cake, sprinkled with bits of browned walnuts or almonds. Some people prepare it annually on March 15th, in memory of Kossuth and the launch of the revolution.
#24 - Marzipan: Similar to Italy, Germany, and Spain, Hungary enjoys a thriving marzipan culture with Budapest pastry shops serving colorful figurines of all shapes and sizes (marzipan is made from a mixture of almond paste and sugar). There's even a dedicated Marzipan Museum in Szentendre, a charming Danubian town outside Budapest.
Where: Szamos Gourmet House.
My content is free and independent. I rely in large part on readers to support my work. I'm grateful if you make a one-time payment (PayPal, Venmo, Revolut) or subscribe to my weekly newsletter in which I write about Budapest and Vienna.