Hungarian Chimney Cake Recipe (Kürtőskalács)

Published: January 8, 2023 Last Modified: September 5, 2024 by Greta Talas

This authentic traditional Hungarian Chimney Cake Recipe (Kürtöskalács) has a crunchy, shiny exterior and a soft, fluffy interior. You’ll find this treat in every tourist hotspot in Hungary and Romania, but now you can make the original recipe straight from your kitchen.

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Growing up in Romania, more precisely in the heart of Transylvania, I was lucky enough to have this treat every day if I wanted. Now, being away from home, I no longer have that privilege. So, I decided to recreate it in my kitchen.

I am blessed enough to say that I have the original chimney cake recipe from my grandmother, who made Kürtőskalács all the time when I was younger. But whenever I visit Romania, I always go to these food trucks that serve these fire-roasted sweet treats. They never disappoint.

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What is Chimney Cake?

Chimney Cake is a Hungarian Pastry and originally was created by the Székelys, the Hungarian population from Transylvania. It is a sweet caramelized spit cake that has a spiral form. The dough is applied on a spit which is slowly rotated over an open fire. Most commonly they use charcoal for the fire.

It has so many different toppings, but the most common ones are sugar, ground walnuts, shredded coconut, and cinnamon.

Chimney Cake has more like a sweet milk bread dough which will be caramelized on the outside. It will be soft and fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside.

Other countries like to add their own version of toppings, which include such as sprinkles, cocoa powder, almond flakes, etc. In some spots, they like to make chimney cakes shaped like chimney cones. So they can be used as a cone for ice creams, pastry creams, chocolate, and so many things.

Necessary Equipment

Traditionally, the Kürtőskalács is roasted over charcoal on a rotating wooden spit. But not everyone has the whole equipment. So this recipe is adapted for home baking. You can roast in your own oven and with your own tools.

Wooden rolling pins – The best ones are the classic pins with thinner handles. This makes it easier to place them on a tray.
Deep tray – You’ll place the rolling pins on top of a deep tray, with the ends of the rolling pin on the outside. That helps the dough not touch the bottom of the tray.
Large Mixing Bowl – You’ll need a mixing bowl if you’ll knead with your hand. If you use a stand mixer, just ignore it.
Aluminum Foil – is optional. Wrap all wooden pins with aluminum foil so you can prevent the dough from sticking to them. This can make it easier to remove the cakes after baking.

The Ingredients You’ll Need

All-purpose flour – Other self-rising flour or bread flour is NOT suitable for this recipe.
instant dry yeast – fresh yeast can be used for this recipe, indeed is the best practice. But if you don’t have instant yeast is good too.
baking soda
confectioners powder sugar – Not so much sugar in the dough. Preferably use white sugar.
lukewarm milk – full-fat milk, semi-fat milk, non-fat milk, or even plant-based milk are also good. Makes the dough extra tender and sweet.
egg – use room temperature egg
melted butter – Use room temperature butter. Melt the butter before starting the dough, so it can cool down.
pinch of salt
lemon zest – use the zest of 1 lemon in the dough. It will give a delicious authentic taste.
sugar (topping) – this extra white sugar will be used for the exterior of the dough when it’s already placed on the wooden rolling pin. This will make the chimney cakes crunchy, caramelized, and super shiny.

Toppings for the Chimney Cake Recipe

The traditional recipe of chimney cakes is topped with ground walnuts, shredded coconut, cinnamon sugar, or plain.

You can use other toppings especially if you make chimney cones.

Ice Cream
Nuts
Cocoa Powder
Sprinkles
Fruity Pebbles (and different types of pebbles)
Crushed Cookes, etc.

How to Make the Chimney Cake Recipe

In a small bowl add warm milk, 1 tbsp sugar, and yeast. Mix well then let sit for 10 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy.
In a large bowl pour the remaining sugar, yeasty mixture, softened butter, eggs, salt, and lemon zest. Combine everything with a stand mixer or your wooden spoon. Pour the flour into the wet mixture and mix until a dough forms.
If kneading by hand, lightly flour the work surface, and knead for 8-10 minutes, until the dough is no longer sticky and springs back when poked with the finger.
Grease a large bowl with oil, then place the dough into it. Cover with plastic wrap. Let proof for at least 45 minutes or until double in size.
Once proofed, roll the dough into a rectangular shape about 1.5 inches in thickness. Use a knife to cut 4 equal strips.
Use your hands to roll each strip of dough into long coils around 1 inch in thickness. Each coil should be about 20-25 inches in length.
Roll the pin around a few times, while applying a little pressure to flatten the dough and make the swirls stick together. Repeat the process for the remaining chimney cakes.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Roll the chimney cakes through sugar only, pressing gently to help them stick. Ensure all sides are covered evenly. This helps with the beautiful caramelization that will appear on the outside.
Place the rolling pins with chimney cakes on top of a deeper tray. The handles should rest on the edges of the tray, so the chimney cakes do not touch the bottom of the tray.
Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the rolling pins on the other side. Bake another 10 minutes or until is golden brown in color.
After baking the chimney cakes and still hot sprinkle them with your chosen toppings.
Serve immediately. Start eating it by uncoiling the pastry strips. Break off small pieces and eat with ease!

How to Store

Kürtőskalács taste best when are fresh and still hot. I recommend eating them as soon as still hot, as this gives the most authentic experience!

The best thing is to eat them within a day because they get hard quickly. If you want to store them for a few hours, first let them cool down completely, then cover them in plastic wrap. This will make the crust less crispy, but it will keep them from hardening for a few hours.

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