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Gundel palacsinta
Budapest walnut-filled pancakes with chocolate–rum sauce
Gundel palacsinta is the festive pancake of Budapest, named after the Gundel restaurant by City Park, where it became the showpiece dessert of the mid-twentieth century. Thin Hungarian pancakes are filled with a rum-scented walnut and raisin paste, folded into triangles and drowned in a dark chocolate sauce, sometimes flamed at the table. Everyday palacsinta at home are simpler, rolled with apricot jam, cocoa sugar or sweet túró; this is the version for name days, Christmas and guests. Chef's tip: rest the batter for 30 minutes; the pancakes become thinner and more elastic and stop tearing when you fold them. Common mistake: overfilling, which makes the triangles burst open.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the pancakes
For the walnut filling
For the chocolate sauce
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Whisk 5 ½ oz plain flour, 2 eggs, 1 pinch salt and 1 tbsp sugar with half of 1 ¼ cups milk until smooth, then whisk in the remaining milk, ½ cup sparkling water and 2 tbsp sunflower oil. The batter should be like single cream. Rest it for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 2: Soak 1 ⅜ oz raisins in 2 tbsp dark rum. Bring ½ cup milk and 2 ⅛ oz sugar to a simmer, stir in 5 ½ oz walnuts and 1 tsp orange zest and cook over a low heat for 2–3 minutes until thick and spreadable. Stir in the raisins and rum.
3 minStep 3: Heat a 20–22 cm frying pan over a medium-high heat and wipe with oil. Pour in a small ladle of batter, swirling so it covers the base thinly. Cook for about 1 minute until the edges lift and the underside is lightly spotted gold, then flip for 20 seconds. Stack and repeat; you should get about 12.
20 minStep 4: Spread each pancake with a thin layer of filling, fold in half and then in half again to make triangles. Lay them overlapping in a buttered ovenproof dish and keep warm in a 300°F (275°F fan) oven for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 5: Heat ¾ cup double cream until steaming, take off the heat and stir in 3 ½ oz dark chocolate (60–70%) and 1 tsp cocoa powder until glossy, then add 1 tbsp dark rum. Pour the warm sauce over the pancakes and serve straight away, two per person.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gundel palacsinta take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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