Dobos, Esterházy, Rákóczi – This is how the most famous Hungarian cakes were created

In 1718, Károly Hosszmann received permission to be the first to operate a confectionery in Buda. The name confectioner was not widely known until 1830 when it first appeared in the work of Count István Széchenyi. By 1841, there were already 13 confectioners working in Pest and 17 in Buda. Let’s uncover the history of the most famous Hungarian desserts that simply sweeten your days 😉

From the end of the 19th century, going to a café or confectionery was part of the civic way of life. In addition to the rich selection of cakes, confectioneries tried to entice their guests with different snacks. Ladies in particular were the target audience, who could spend their free time and gossip in the elegant confectioneries while sipping coffee with whipped cream. According to Femina, going to a confectionery was a social, aesthetic, and culinary pleasure at the same time.

Dobos Cake, Rigó Jancsi, and others

One of the most famous Hungarian cakes, Dobos Cake, is named after its creator, József C. Dobos. Dobos came from a real cooking dynasty; he studied the profession from the Andrássy family. In 1878, he opened his shop in Kecskeméti Street, and in 1884, he created the now world-famous cake named after him. The developed Dobos cream, made with egg whites whipped with sugar while warm, cocoa powder, melted cocoa butter and tea butter, has become a real speciality.

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The Esterházy cake was named after Foreign Minister Pál Antal Esterházy, who later became the Ambassador to Moscow of Austrian Emperor and King of Hungary Franz Joseph. An unknown confectioner created this cake to express his respect for him. What made it special was that its dough was baked from egg whites, sugar, and finely chopped almonds.