Szia!!! Boldog születésnapot kívánok!
(Hello!!! I wish you a happy birthday!)
Finomnak néz ki (That looks delicious!)
Our next sprinkly sweet stop brings us to 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇭🇺!
The type of bakes you might see at a Hungarian birthday celebration vary, but a fairly common one is the crepe cake AKA Rakott Palacsinta [Ra-cote Pah-lah-cheen-ta]! Alternating layers of yummy crepes and endless filling options such as jams, jellies, cream, nuts, and chocolate will make any birthday human ready to celebrate 🥳🥳🥳
FUN FACTS
What could you expect to see at a traditional Hungarian birthday celebration? After the birthday human has opened their gifts, they get their earlobes rubbed and pulled by everyone there to celebrate as a sign of good luck and a happy life! Friends, family, and guests will each tug on your earlobes while singing a traditional birthday song which lyrics of the song translate roughly as: ‘God bless you, may you live long so your ears reach your ankles.’¹
This next tradition was a little complicated for us to write about, but this awesome blog describes it perfectly:
Many Hungarians also celebrate their “name days'' as well. Most names are associated with a certain day each year. For example, all people named Boglárka will celebrate their “name day” on August 1 – this is for various reasons. A person's actual birthdate is generally only celebrated along immediate family members and is a small celebration. While name days are more popular and involve classmates, coworkers, and even strangers - what a party! This makes school and work parties easier because specific birth dates are sometimes hard to get or remember.²
Then, during those “name day” celebrations, women are traditionally given flowers, men are given liquor, and children are given chocolates and sweets! Yum!²
Group birthday parties sound very inclusive to us – we love it!!
WE ARE HUNGRY FOR HUNGARY!
Hungarians and all their traditions came to the United States in pursuit of the American Dream in the late 19th and 20th centuries! Many of those who arrived in America during that time of prosperity went where the jobs and similar culture/people were. Cleveland, Ohio was one of the largest gathering points of Hungarian immigrants during this time frame and, for a brief moment in time, Hungarians made up 14% of the state’s population!³ That’s a lot of crepes!!
Cleveland is still home to a large Hungarian population (they even have a Hungarian Museum!)⁴ but we see a bigger spread of Hungarians found all over the country including New York, New Jersey, and Los Angeles (sound familiar?). Cleveland is also a hop, skip, and jump to our newly opened Detroit Chapter and soon-to-be opened Cincinnati Chapter 🥰
GET READY FOR CAKE!
Delectable baking demo by the amazing @budapest_bakery_and_deli
Rakott Palacsinta (Crepe Cake)
** Please remember to mask up when baking cakes for our Sprinkly Kiddos and Young Adults **
Batter:
4 cups flour
2.5 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
3 cups milk
1 cup sparkling water
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Ingredients for the filling:
Can be anything such as Nutella, any kind of jam, pudding, nuts, chocolate, cream etc.
Ingredients for the ganache:
1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp boiling water
Bittersweet chocolate chips as needed to thicken the ganache
Directions
To make the batter, mix the salt and sugar with the flour, add the eggs then gradually add the milk and sparkling water while whisking until the batter is smooth. Finally add the vanilla extract and the vegetable oil.
Heat a medium sized frying pan over medium heat, brush the bottom of the pan with some oil to prevent sticking. Pour about half cup of batter into the frying pan and move it in circular motion to evenly spread the batter. Cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute, then flip and continue frying for about 30 seconds. Set on a plate. Repeat frying the crepes until no batter is left. (This amount will yield about 25 crepes depending on the thickness of each crepe.) Set aside and let cool.
To build the cake, spread the first crepe on a serving plate, spread the desired filling then cover with the next crepe. Spread filling again then cover with crepe. Repeat until you get to the last remaining crepe and use it to cover the cake. Set aside.
To make the ganache, combine the first four ingredients in a bowl and stir until the glaze is smooth and shiny. Let cool to room temperature. If you find the ganache too runny, mix in some chocolate chips.
Pour ganache over the cake, and, with the back of a spoon, spread it evenly. Transfer the cake to the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Decorate with whipped cream, nuts, candies, frosting etc.
Élvezd! [E-el-vezd]
(Enjoy!)
Köszönöm! [Ko-so-nom] - Thank you!
Excuse us while we drop into the nearest crepery after reading this 😂. We hope you found this recipe as drool-dropping as we did 🤤
A HUGE thank you to our Sprinkliest of Bakers who whipped up our Crepe Cake demo video – Please be sure to check out Budapest Bakery and Deli the next time you visit Portland, Oregon! YUM!!!!!!!
If you’re interested in writing for our Cultural Bake series to represent your culture, please fill out this form below!
WRITE FOR OUR CULTURAL BAKES SERIES!
After you’ve eaten layer after layer of this deliciously chocolate-y cake, let us know how it tasted! Tag us on Instagram @forgoodnesscakeshq and show us your creation 🥳🎂⭐️
Happy Baking Sprinklers! 🎂=💖