Dobos, Esterházy and flódni: Budapest’s great cakes

About Dobos, Esterházy and flódni: Budapest’s great cakes

By the ULTIMATE Budapest Editorial Team

Budapest’s cukrászdas, the traditional cake shops, are temples of layered cakes, cream slices and strudels, many invented in the city in the late 19th century. Each has a story, and a table by the window is the best place to hear it.

The Dobos torte

The confectioner József C. Dobos presented his cake at the National General Exhibition in Budapest in 1885: six thin layers of sponge with chocolate buttercream, crowned with a disc of hard caramel that kept it fresh. He shipped it across Europe, and published the recipe when he retired.

Esterházy and Rigó Jancsi

The Esterházy torte, named after the aristocratic family, layers almond or walnut meringue with cream and is topped with a feathered pattern of white fondant. Rigó Jancsi, a cube of chocolate mousse between chocolate sponge, is named after a violinist whose romance with a princess caused a scandal.

József Dobos sealed his cake with caramel so it would travel without spoiling.

Somlói galuska

Somlói galuska, a trifle of sponge, walnuts, rum, chocolate sauce and whipped cream, was created in the 20th century and is on almost every menu.

Flódni

Flódni, from the Jewish pastry tradition, layers apple, walnut, poppy seed and plum jam between thin sheets of pastry; look for it in the Jewish Quarter.

Our advice: try a Dobos torte in a historic café such as Gerbeaud or Ruszwurm, a somlói galuska after dinner, and flódni in the Jewish Quarter; neighbourhood cukrászdas are often just as good and much quieter.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Dobos, Esterházy and flódni: Budapest’s great cakes before you go.