Traditional Kurtoskalacs Chimney Cake Workshop Budapest

Kürtőskalács, the story of Hungary's chimney cake

Kürtőskalács comes from the Székely Land in Transylvania, the Hungarian-speaking region of today's Romania, where it was baked for weddings and village feasts. A long ribbon of sweet yeast dough was wound around a wooden cylinder, rolled in sugar and turned slowly over glowing embers until the outside caramelised into a crisp, shiny shell. The earliest known written recipe appears in a Transylvanian cookbook from 1784.

The name comes from kürtő, an old word for a chimney or stovepipe, because the hollow cake lets out a plume of steam when it is pulled apart, just like a little chimney. Today you find it at every Budapest Christmas market and festival, sold warm in paper bags. Your host opens the chimney cake workshop with this story, so by the time you touch the dough you know why the pastry matters so much to Hungarians.

Rolling, wrapping and baking your own cake

Because the dough needs about 75 minutes to rise, it is ready for you when you arrive. After a short demonstration you roll it into a smooth, even strip and wrap it in a spiral around the wooden spindle, overlapping each turn slightly; this is the technique that gives kürtőskalács its signature hollow shape. You then press the dough lightly so it holds and coat it with sugar.

Next, your spindle goes into the rotating oven, the modern version of the open fire. As it turns, the sugar melts and caramelises into an amber crust while the inside stays soft and fluffy, and the whole studio fills with the smell of a Hungarian fair. The hands-on part lasts about 45 minutes, enough for each participant to make a complete cake and ask the host plenty of questions.

Toppings, coffee and your certificate

When your cake comes out of the oven, you choose how to finish it. The classic topping is cinnamon sugar, but you can also pick vanilla, cocoa or ground walnut, the most traditional Transylvanian coating. Everything is rolled on while the cake is still hot so the topping sticks to the caramel, and you can eat it straight away or take it with you as a sweet souvenir of Budapest.

The last 20 minutes are for sitting down with coffee or tea and enjoying your creation while it is still warm. Before you leave, the host hands out a certificate of completion, a fun keepsake for children and adults alike. Many visitors ask whether a chimney cake class in Budapest is worth it compared with buying one at a stall; making your own is the best way to understand, and taste, the real thing.

The studio in Ferencváros and how to get there

The workshop takes place in a small studio at Ipar utca 11 in District IX, Ferencváros, about 15 minutes from the city centre by public transport. The easiest way is to take tram 2, 4 or 6 to Boráros tér at the Pest end of Petőfi Bridge and walk for about 7 minutes, or metro line M3 to Corvin-negyed and walk about 10 minutes. Look for the white door next to number 11 and ring the bell; it opens 5 minutes before the start.

Ferencváros is a pleasant district to combine with the class. Nearby you find the Central Market Hall at Fővám tér, opened in 1897 and perfect for buying paprika and local products, the Museum of Applied Arts with its colourful glazed tile roof on Üllői út, and Ráday utca, a pedestrian street lined with cafés and restaurants for lunch afterwards.