Recipe of the week: coconut biscuit roll / keksztekercs

Everybody has certain dishes that will forever be linked to their childhood. Although coconut biscuit rolls are an evergreen dessert, they were especially popular in the ’70s and ’80s, so now they are a true retro snack. Whether you want to relive the memories or want to try the recipe for the first time, it is always a good choice.

This recipe is especially appealing to coconut lovers as it involves coconut flakes both on the inside and on the outside. According to NlCafe, coconut flakes were a popular ingredient in Hungarian households in the second half of the 20th century; however, if you are not a fan, you can simply leave them out when making the recipe.

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The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it however you want it. You can adapt it so it meets your dietary restrictions. Or, the buttercream can be adjusted to your tastes by changing the butter-powdered sugar ratio, and you can substitute the coconuts with nuts, for example – nothing is off limits.

Coconut biscuit roll
Photo: Daily News Hungary, Anna Wynn

Ingredients

(makes two rolls)

for the biscuit-y base

450 g digestives (in Hungary, they are simply called ‘háztartási keksz’, meaning ‘household biscuits’)

200 g powdered sugar

50 g coconut flakes

6 tbsp. cocoa powder

15 ml rum essence

150 ml milk

150 ml black coffee

for the buttercream

220 g butter

200 g powdered sugar

100 g coconut flakes

Instructions

Grind the biscuits until they are very fine. In a big bowl, add all your dry ingredients for the base –
Dry & wet ingredients
Photo: Daily News Hungary, Anna Wynn

the biscuits, the powdered sugar, the coconut flakes and the cocoa powder – and
mix them well. It helps later if you put it in the fridge for a while.
Measure the wet ingredients in a different bowl. Add them to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Use another bowl to mix the soft butter and the sugar. Then fold the coconut flakes in the butter-y mixture.
Get a pastry board, put a piece of aluminium foil on it, then sprinkle it with coconut flakes so that
Rolling up the coconut biscuit roll
Photo: Daily News Hungary, Anna Wynn

the base sticks to it less.

Get the biscuit-y base out of the fridge and cut it in half. Roll it out so that it is roughly square-shaped – you can use a knife to help with the edges. It should be around 4-5 millimetres thick, but you can adjust it to your tastes here. If it sticks to the rolling pin too much, sprinkle it with coconut flakes or ground biscuits.

Spread half the buttercream evenly on top, then start to roll it with the help of the aluminium foil.

Do this once more with the other half of the biscuit-y base and the buttercream. Leave the rolls in the aluminium foil in the fridge overnight so that they can properly set.
If you have some pieces left from shaping the biscuit-y base into a square, roll them into small balls – you can put sour cherries or hazelnuts in the middle to make them more interesting. This way, nothing gets wasted, and you get two kinds of delicious desserts instead of just one.