Recipe of the week: lúdláb cake

Hungarian cuisine has a lot to offer, including a wide range of desserts and sweet treats. Our Dobos cake is known and loved abroad as well, for example, famous for its many layers and delicious chocolate filling. This week’s recipe also involves a wonderful chocolatey layer, together with sour cherries, resulting in the perfect combination.

Origins

Lúdláb cake is known and loved by most Hungarians; however, its origins are somewhat shrouded in mystery. First of all, the name literally means ‘goosefoot’. Some people say this is because of its signature shape; the cake is cut into wide triangles. Others say it is a typical dessert at Saint Martin’s Day celebrations, where many meals are centred around geese. This would certainly explain the unusual name of this dessert.

There are some fascinating anecdotes connected to the lúdláb cake as well. Around the ’80s, people believed that ordering certain food and drink combinations at the famous Gerbaud Café in Budapest had hidden meanings. According to Origo, ordering sparkling water and a slice of lúdláb apparently meant that the young man was available for the older, wealthy ladies who spent their day in the café chatting and exchanging secrets to approach and, in exchange of some money, employ his services for the afternoon or a few hours.

Over the years, many versions appeared, of course. Some say the number of sugar cubes you put in your coffee was the real signal while others associate it to punch cakes and placing the fork on your plate in a specific direction. Either way, today, you probably do not have to worry about someone misinterpreting your order at a café, but it is an entertaining story.

Ingredients

For the pastry

5 eggs

5 tbsp. sugar

4 tbsp. pastry flour

2 tbsp. cocoa powder (unsweetened)

1 tsp baking powder

For the cream

150 g butter