Classic Hungarian bejgli with an exciting twist – recipe

Are you as much of a bejgli fan as we are? Do you also have trouble deciding which one do you prefer; the walnut or the poppy seed filling? If so, the following bejgli cake recipe is for you.

Gulyás, chimney cake, mulled wine, pálinka… What else is missing from the festive table? Bejgli, of course! Hungary’s traditional poppy seed and walnut roll, the bejgli is served around the Advent and Christmas period. If you want to come up with a special dessert this year, we have got the perfect one for you: the bejgli cake. This recipe from Magyarországom mixes the traditional walnut and poppy seed bejgli in a cake shape to give life to something even more delicious!

Ingredients

For the dough

40 dkg plain flour

20 dkg butter

1 beaten egg

1 dl sour cream

2 tbsp icing sugar

1 dkg yeast

Pinch of salt

For the walnut filling

20 dkg ground walnuts

1 dl hot milk

10 dkg sugar

1 packet of vanilla sugar (can be substituted with vanilla extract)

1 tbsp breadcrumbs

3 dkg raisins (if you like them)

Zest of ½ lemon

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 small apple grated

For the poppy seed filling

20 dkg ground poppy seeds

1 dl hot milk

10 dkg sugar

1 tbsp semolina

Zest of ½ lemon

3 dkg raisins (if you like them)

1 small apple grated

1 packet of vanilla sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Plus, you will need 1 egg to spread on top of the cake, and 3 cl rum to soak the raisins in.

Instructions

• As the very first step, soak your raisins in approximately 3 cl rum for a couple of hours before you start baking.
• We are going to start with preparing the dough: crumble the butter and the yeast into the flour and work it well together with all the ingredients for the dough.
• When everything is combined, form three buns from the dough. Cover them and put them aside to rest for about half an hour.
• While you wait for the dough to rise, let us start making the fillings. The process is the same with both the walnut and poppy seed fillings: boil the milk with the sugar and then take it off the heat. Mix the walnuts (or poppy seeds) in, as well as the rest of the ingredients for the filling, then let it cool.
• Grab a cake tin of 26 cm diameter and cover it with baking paper. Roll the first bun to the size and form of the cake tin and place it in the tin, then spread the walnut filling on it.
• Roll the second one similarly and cover the walnut filling with it. Then spread the poppy seed filling on it.
• Finally, cover the poppy seed filling with the last rolled bun. If you wish, you can also make more layers with more dough and fillings.
• Spread beaten egg yolk on the top of your cake. Let it dry and give it another spread of egg white. Put the cake aside for about half an hour.
• Grab a fork and poke the top of the cake with it, then place it in the oven preheated for 190 degrees. Bake your cake for 25-30 minutes. To get the best flavours, it is recommended to let it rest for a day and then serve.

Enjoy!

Source: Magyarországom