Chimney Cake: the Hungarian sweet treat recipe for making Kurtoskalacs

Chimney cakes (or Kürtőskalács) are typical Hungarian sweet treats. They resemble crispy hollow cylinders made of yeast dough rolled around a wooden rolling pin, baked over a fire and traditionally served as street food at Christmas street fairs and open-air markets.

For practical reasons, we recommend baking them in the oven until golden brown and, lacking the most appropriate tool, to use the classic Sicilian cannoli mold to give them their characteristic shape. Once ready, they can be brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with sugar and a pinch of ground cinnamon, or, they can be coated in ground dried fruit, dark cocoa powder, melted chocolate, shredded coconut or anything you might like. Ideally you can serve chimney cake as a dessert at the end of a meal, either in their plain form or filled with some delicious custard.

Because of their particular shape, these sweet treats are also known as sweet chimneys. The Hungarian term kürtő means indeed chimney or flue, and it refers to the traditional design of the kurtoskalacs, shaped like Hungarian chimneys.

Tips for making Hungarian Chimney Cake

If you don't have a cannoli mold, you can use a rolling pin, aluminium foil or a baking pan.

You can fill these cinnamon sugar-coated chimney cakes with cream, chocolate, ice cream, and also top them with fluffy whipped cream, crushed nuts or sprinkles.

You can also dip chimney cakes in caramel sauce, melted chocolate, butterscotch, or fruit sauce.

How to store Chimney Cake

You can store the kurtoskalacs at room temperature, in a food bag or under a glass dome for 1-2 days.

How to make Chimney Cake

Put the sugar in a bowl and add the sieved flour. Melt the yeast in warm milk and combine it little by little to the sugar and the flour 1.

Add in the eggs, the yolks and keep mixing 2.

Finally, add the butter 3 and combine carefully until the mixture is smooth and uniform.

Cover the bowl with cling film 4 and let it rise for 3 hours, or until it gets double its initial size.

Once ready, lay the dough on your work surface and roll it until 1/2cm thick 5.

Using a pizza cutter wheel, create dough stripes 1.5cm wide and roll them around the cannoli mold, making sure the dough overlaps slightly 6.

Lay the cannoli on a tray lined with parchment paper 7 and bake in a static oven at 180°C/350°F for 15 minutes, making sure to turn them after 7 minutes.

Once ready 8 let cool and remove the mold.

Transfer on a dish and brush with melted butter 9.

Coat in sugar 10 and dust with cinnamon.

Serve the chimney cakes 11 and enjoy!