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Loading...This iconic Hungarian sweet bread is wrapped around a wooden spit and baked until the sugar coating caramelizes into a crackly golden crust. The result is a hollow, cylindrical pastry with a soft, pillowy interior and a sweet cinnamon-sugar shell that crackles as you bite in.
Prep Time40 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time65 mins
Servings4
Yield4 chimney cakes
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (estimated)
- 510 kcalCalories
- 22 gFat
- 12 gSaturated Fat
- 73 gCarbs
- 2 gFiber
- 38 gSugar
- 8 gProtein
- 180 mgSodium
- 160 mgPotassium
- 75 mgCalcium
- 3 mgIron
- 0 mgVitamin C
- 420 mcgVitamin A
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 7 g active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 200 ml warm whole milk (about 110°F)
- 80 g granulated sugar
- 80 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
For the Coating and Topping
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 80 g unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar for dusting
Directions
- In a small bowl, stir the yeast into the warm milk with 1 tablespoon of the sugar; let stand 5 to 10 minutes until foamy. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, remaining sugar, and salt, then make a well in the center.
- Pour the yeast mixture, melted butter, egg yolks, and vanilla into the well. Stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms, then turn onto a floured surface and knead 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise 1 to 1.5 hours until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece on a lightly floured surface into a thin rope about 100 cm long and 1 cm thick, keeping unused pieces covered with a kitchen towel.
- Prepare four wooden dowels or special chimney-cake molds (about 5 to 6 cm in diameter, 30 cm long). Wrap each dough rope snugly around a mold, slightly overlapping the edges as you spiral upward; press gently to seal the seam.
- Mix the cinnamon and sugar together on a flat plate. Brush each wrapped cylinder generously with melted butter, then roll it through the cinnamon-sugar mixture, pressing gently so the coating adheres well to the entire surface.
- Rest the coated cylinders seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes to proof slightly; meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) with a rack in the middle position.
- Place the molds across two parallel oven racks (or balance them on a baking sheet on the rack) so they do not touch the heating element. If using a rotisserie attachment, set it to rotate slowly.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, turning once or twice so the sugar caramelizes evenly, until the cakes are deep amber and sound hollow when tapped. The sugar should form a hard, crackly crust.
- Carefully slide each cake off the mold while still hot (the sugar shell will harden as it cools), then roll in chopped walnuts if using and dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm, pulling apart by hand.
Cook’s Notes
- Traditional kürtőskalács is baked over an open fire on a hand-cranked spit; for home ovens, wooden dowels or purpose-made chimney-cake molds give the closest results.
- Wrap the dough tightly without gaps so steam puffs the cake from the inside and creates the signature hollow chimney.
- The sugar coating must caramelize fully to a deep amber color; underbaking leaves a soft, sandy crust instead of the classic crackly shell.
- Eat within 30 minutes of baking, when the sugar crust is crisp and the interior is still warm and steamy.
- Try flavor variations by swapping the cinnamon for cocoa, ground walnuts, or vanilla sugar, or brush the finished cake with honey before serving.
