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    Home » European Vegetarian Desserts

    Published: May, 2018. Updated: Aug, 2022 by Iryna Bychkiv | This post may contain affiliate links. Read more here

    Gerbeaud Cake (Traditional Hungarian Dessert)

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    Shortcrust pastry layers are smothered with almond jam-walnut filling and covered with rich dark chocolate. This Hungarian Gerbeaud Cake is moist and so delicious! It makes a big batch and just like my Chocolate Eclairs, Gerbeaud Cake is perfect for potlucks, picnics or other special occasions. Gerbeaud Cake - Traditional Hungarian Dessert

    Gerbeaud Cake

    I'm pretty sure that the first time I visited Hungary I haven't tried Gerbeaud Cake. Honestly speaking, I don't even remember the food that I had back then.

    Hungary was one of the first European countries that I was lucky to travel to and I was so impressed by its beauty that I didn't pay much attention to the local cuisine.

    Now, that my blog is all about European recipes, I'm slowly starting to explore more and more recipes of my favorite places that I've been to.

    Gerbeaud Cake is named after a Swiss confectioner Emil Gerbeaud in 18th century. He used to live in Budapest and took charge of a famous Confectionery Kugler, which he later renamed to Café Gerbeaud.

    He was the one to invent several famous Hungarian desserts and delicious Gerbeaud Cake was one of it.Zserbo Cake - Hungarian Dessert

    Just like my Russian Sour Cream Layer Cake, this traditional Hungarian dessert consists of several layers of shortcrust pastry which are slathered with a thick layer of apricot jam and walnut mixture and followed by an impressive layer of melted chocolate.

    Dessert comes moist and crispy at the same time with an incredibly delicious filling! It's definitely a crowd-pleasing dessert that is not difficult to make.

    Original Gerbeaud Cake recipe uses apricot preserves, however you can make your own twist to the recipe and use any other jam you like.Traditonal Hungarian Dessert - Gerbeaud

    Start off with making the dough. In a medium bowl combine flour, yeast and baking powder.
    In a large bowl whisk together egg, warm milk, sugar and melted butter. Gradually stir in flour and yeast mixture and knead until the dough is smooth and not sticky. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and place it in a warm place to rise for 30-40 minutes.
    I've actually started the process the night before. So I put my dough in the fridge and the next morning when I was ready to continue, I took it out the fridge and let it come to a room temperature.

    Meanwhile, in a medium bowl mix together walnuts and apricot preserves.

    Line 13x9-inch baking pan with a parchment paper. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts. I found the best way to ensure this is by weighting the dough. Here are my favorite kitchen weights that I use all the time.

    Next, lightly dust a working surface with a flour and roll out the first piece of dough to be the size of your baking pan. I used a ruler for convenience. 

    Transfer first layer of dough into the baking pan. It's okay if you have little gaps here and there, you won't feel them in the final result.

    Generously spread half of almond preserve-walnut mixture on a first layer of dough. 

    Repeat with the remaining 2 layers of dough. Pierce the top layer with a fork 10-15 times. Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes at 355 F until top is golden brown.

    Now, is the my favorite part - spreading of hot chocolate. I used good quality bittersweet chocolate, melted it in the microwave along with some butter and generously spread it on top of the cake. You can lick the spatula after:) Yummy!

    And we're pretty much done. Not too difficult at all and the best part - the cake comes out incredibly delicious and rich.

    Also try these amazing Eastern European desserts recipes

    • Trdelnik recipe
    • Russian Apple Sponge Cake
    • Ukrainian Paska
    • Syrniki

    Recipe

    Gerbeaud cake

    Gerbeaud Cake (Traditional Hungarian Dessert)

    5 from 11 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Hungarian
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 9 -12
    Author: Iryna
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    Ingredients

    For the dough

    • 1 7 grams packet instant yeast
    • 4 cups 500 grams all-purpose flour
    • ½ cup sugar
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 egg
    • 7 ounces 200 grams butter, melted
    • ½ cup milk

    For the filling

    • 7 ounces 200 grams apricot preserves
    • 7 ounces 200 grams walnuts, chopped

    For the chocolate topping

    • 5 ounces 140 grams dark chocolate
    • 2 ounces 56.7 grams butter

    Instructions

    • In a medium bowl combine flour, yeast and baking powder.
    • In a large bowl whisk together egg, warm milk, sugar and melted butter. Gradually stir in flour and yeast mixture and knead until the dough is smooth and not sticky. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and place it in a warm place to rise for 30-40 minutes.
    • Meanwhile, in a medium bowl mix together walnuts and apricot preserves.
    • Preheat the oven to 355 F.
    • Line 13x9-inch baking pan with a parchment paper. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts.
    • Lightly dust a working surface with a flour and roll out the first piece of dough to be the size of your baking pan. I used a ruler for convenience.
    • Transfer first layer of dough into the baking pan and spread half of the apricot-walnut mixture on top. Repeat with the remaining 2 layers of dough.
    • Pierce the top layer with a fork 10-15 times.
    • Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes until top is golden brown.
    • Remove cake from the oven and let it cool.
    • In a small bowl combine butter and chocolate and microwave in 10-15 seconds intervals until melted. Give it a stir and evenly spread the chocolate on top of the cake.
    • Chill for an hour or until chocolate is set.
    • Enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @Lavender.And.Macarons or tag #lavenderandmacarons!

     

    Try this traditional Gerbeaud Cake and let me know what you think.

    If you make my Gerbeaud Cake recipe, don't forget to snap a picture and post it on Instagram with a hashtag #lavenderandmacarons. I'd love to see your creations.

    I'd love to connect with you on social media. Follow me on:

    Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Bloglovin, Twitter

    Hungarian Walnut-Apricot Layer Cake (Gerbeaud)

     

    Iryna Bychkiv
    Website

    Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
    Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.

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    Comments

    1. Guy says

      January 27, 2025 at 5:45 am

      the instructions state pierce the top with a fork 10 or 15 times but the picture shows 66 docks.

      Reply
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    5 from 11 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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