Ahhh, Zserbó szelet 🥰 — a legendary Hungarian classic. Rich, nutty, jammy, and finished with that iconic chocolate glaze. Here’s an authentic, home-kitchen–friendly recipe.
🇭🇺 Hungarian Gerbeaud Cake (Zserbó szelet)
⏱ Time
- Prep: ~40 minutes
- Bake: 30–35 minutes
- Resting (important!): overnight or at least 6 hours
🧈 Ingredients
Dough (yeasted pastry layers)
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 250 g unsalted butter, softened
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 25 g fresh yeast (or 7 g instant dry yeast)
- 100 ml lukewarm milk
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- Pinch of salt
Filling
- 300 g ground walnuts
- 200 g apricot jam (smooth, high-quality)
- 100 g powdered sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon (optional but traditional)
Chocolate Glaze
- 150 g dark chocolate (60–70%)
- 2 tbsp neutral oil or butter
🥣 Instructions
1. Prepare the dough
- Dissolve yeast in lukewarm milk with a pinch of sugar.
- In a large bowl, mix flour, powdered sugar, salt, butter, egg yolks, vanilla sugar, and yeast mixture.
- Knead until smooth and soft (not sticky).
- Divide dough into 4 equal balls, cover, and rest 30 minutes at room temperature.
2. Make the filling
- Mix ground walnuts, powdered sugar, and lemon zest.
- Warm apricot jam slightly so it spreads easily.
3. Assemble the layers
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
- Line a rectangular pan (approx. 30×20 cm).
Layer order:
- Roll out first dough layer → place in pan
- Spread ⅓ jam, sprinkle ⅓ walnut mixture
- Repeat with second and third layers
- Place final dough layer on top
👉 Gently prick the top with a fork to prevent bubbles.
4. Bake
- Bake for 30–35 minutes until lightly golden.
- Cool completely in the pan.
5. Chocolate glaze
- Melt chocolate with oil/butter over low heat.
- Spread evenly over cooled cake.
- Let set completely before slicing.
🔪 Cutting Tip (very important!)
For clean, sharp slices:
- Let the cake rest overnight
- Use a warm knife, wipe between cuts
✨ Pro Tips from Hungarian kitchens
- The cake tastes better the next day
- Do not overbake — the layers should stay tender
- Apricot jam is traditional; anything else changes the soul of the cake 😉
If you want, I can also:
- Share a no-yeast shortcut version
- Help you convert this to cups instead of grams
- Or explain why Zserbó tastes better after resting
Just say the word 🇭🇺🍰
