Kürtőskalács (Hungarian Chimney Cake)

About This Recipe

Kürtőskalács is a real, traditional Hungarian dish, known as Hungarian Chimney Cake. A yeasted dough wound around a wooden spit, roasted over open flame or in an oven until golden and rolled in sugar and toppings.\n\nKürtőskalács has roots in Transylvanian Hungarian communities dating back centuries, traditionally cooked by rotating dough-wrapped spits over hot coals, and it remains a popular street food at fairs across Hungary and Romania today.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Hungarian home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 500 gall-purpose flour
• 50 gsugar
• 10 ginstant yeast
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt
• 250 mlwhole milk(lukewarm)
• 60 gbutter(melted)
• 1egg
• 100 gsugar(for coating)
• 50 gchopped walnuts(for coating, optional)
• 50 gground cinnamon and sugar mix(for coating, optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour, sugar, yeast and salt, add warm milk, melted butter and egg, and knead for 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Rise covered for 1 hour.

2. 2

   Divide and roll

   Divide the dough into portions and roll each into a long thin rope.

3. 3

   Wind onto spits

   Wind each rope spirally around a wooden or metal cylindrical spit (traditionally about 5 cm across), overlapping slightly.

4. 4

   Rise again

   Let the wound dough rise for 15 minutes, then roll it in sugar to coat evenly.

5. 5

   Bake or roast

   Roast over an open flame or bake in a very hot oven (220°C/425°F), rotating constantly, for about 15 minutes until deeply golden and caramelized.

6. 6

   Finish

   Remove from the spit while still warm and immediately roll in walnuts or cinnamon-sugar before serving.

Variations

• •

  Roll the finished cake in cocoa powder for a chocolate-coated version.

• •

  A modern filled version adds ice cream or fruit inside the hollow center after baking.

• •

  Coconut flakes are another popular coating used at Hungarian street fairs.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions