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Authentic Krémes Recipe Hungary, Europe
JUMP TO RECIPEWe strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
A thick layer of smooth, wobbly vanilla custard sandwiched between two layers of puff or flaky pastry dusted with powdered sugar — that, in short, is the description of krémes, a favorite Hungarian dessert. Thin sheets of flaky pastry or puff pastry dough are baked in the oven until lightly golden, and the custard is made by cooking egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, milk, flour, and sometimes gelatin over low heat. The egg white snow is often added to this mixture to give it an airy texture, and some quick-fix recipes suggest making the custard with vanilla pudding powder. Traditionally, krémes are served cold, cut into large squares generously sprinkled with powdered sugar. The modern variants suggest glazing them with chocolate, placing a layer of whipped cream between custard and the top layer of the dough, or even putting another sheet of puff pastry in the middle, but the classic krémes are still undoubtedly the most appreciated.
Cooking tips
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dough
Although many krémes recipes suggest using pre-made puff pastry or flaky pastry, you can easily make your own by combining flour, margarine, salt, water or sour cream, and sometimes egg yolk. Do not make the dough too smooth — small bits of margarine will melt during baking and give it its flaky texture. Leaving the dough in a refrigerator overnight or for at least a few hours will make it more manageable.... Read more -
baking the dough
Before being baked, the dough needs to be rolled out as thinly as possible, cut in half, and pricked with a fork. The dough is usually baked in an oven preheated to 180°C/350°F until it becomes golden. The half which will end up on top of the krémes should be cut into equal-sized squares before being placed on the custard, which will make cutting significantly easier. -
vanilla
When it comes to custard, using a real vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract is what differentiates excellent krémes from the regular ones. Small black spots in the vanilla custard indicate that the krémes were made with vanilla beans. When choosing a vanilla bean, make sure it is plump, pliable, and that it has a strong vanilla scent. Best vanilla beans usually come from Madagascar, Mexico, and ... Read more -
eggs
The classic approach for making the krémes custard is to separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. The egg whites are then whipped with sugar into a firm snow, which is gently folded into the custard. -
thickening agents
Flour and gelatin are the most common thickening agents for the custard. The flour will make the custard slightly denser and heavier, while the use of gelatin will make the custard wobblier and lighter. -
serving
Most commonly, krémes are dusted generously with powdered sugar before being served. Modern versions suggest glazing krémes with chocolate or placing a layer of whipped cream on top of the custard. Make sure you serve krémes cold, right out of the refrigerator.
Recipe variations
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Ruszwurm-inspired Krémes
Ready in 5h 50minThis recipe was inspired by the most famous Hungarian krémes which are made at the Ruszwurm pastry shop in Budapest, the oldest one in the city. Their secret is to make the custard with whipped cream instead of egg white snow, which gives these krémes a rich, milky taste and a firmer texture.
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Krémes With Vanilla Pudding Custard
Ready in 2h 50minThe main feature of this simple krémes recipe is that custard is prepared with vanilla pudding powder. The dough is made from scratch, and it is advisable to prepare it one day in advance since it needs to rest in the fridge to become manageable.
Classic Hungarian Krémes
PREP 1h
COOK 40min
cooling 2h
RESTING 20min
READY IN 4h
This recipe gives a step-by-step method for preparing traditional Hungarian krémes from scratch, including the feather-light flaky pastry. In this case, the custard is thickened with egg whites and gelatin.
Ingredients
Classic Hungarian Krémes
VANILLA-INFUSED MILK
2 cups (480 ml) milk
1 vanilla bean
FLAKY PASTRY
1 ½ cup (180g) flour + 1 tbsp
3/4 cup (170g) margarine
1 pinch salt
4 tbsp cold water
4 tsp vinegar
CUSTARD
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1/3 cup (40g) flour + 1 tbsp
2 packages (2 tbsp) vanilla sugar
3 packages (21g) gelatine
1/4 cup (55g) unsalted butter
8 egg whites
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
FOR DUSTING
1/4 cup (30g) powdered sugar
Preparation
1
Classic Hungarian Krémes
Step 1/14
Start by making the vanilla-infused milk. Place the milk in a small saucepan and heat it over low to medium heat. Take the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds into the milk, and toss the bean pod into the milk as well. Cover the saucepan, remove it from heat, and leave for 1 hour.
Step 2/14
The next step is to prepare the flaky pastry. Place chilled margarine and flour into a large bowl and combine them into fine crumbs. Add salt, water, and vinegar, and knead into a firm dough.
Step 3/14
Flour the working surface generously and roll out the dough into a thin rectangle. Divide it into 4 parts, then roll out each part and stack them on top of one another. Place in a refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Step 4/14
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
Step 5/14
Cut the chilled dough in half. Take the first half and roll it out very thinly - this will be the top of your krémes. Now, fold the dough in half and transfer it into a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking pan. Unfold the dough and arrange it, so it goes halfway up the sides of a baking dish and so that it has deep folds at the bottom. This is done because the dough shrinks during baking.
Step 6/14
Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, until the dough turns golden, but be careful not to burn it. Cut into 12 equal pieces immediately, and set them aside, making sure you arrange them as they were in the baking pan.
Step 7/14
Repeat the procedure with the second half of the dough, which will make the bottom of your krémes.
Step 8/14
Now, make the custard. Beat the egg yolks with ½ cup (100g) sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy - for approximately 8 minutes.
Step 9/14
Combine flour, gelatin and vanilla sugar in a separate bowl. Add them to the egg yolk mixture gradually and mix until smooth.
Step 10/14
Take the vanilla pods out of the vanilla-infused milk, and slowly pour the milk into the bowl with the custard mixture.
Step 11/14
Transfer the custard mixture into a medium-sized saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir constantly until the temperature reaches 176°F (80°C). Use a cooking thermometer to determine the temperature. Remove the custard from heat, add butter, and set it aside.
Step 12/14
In the meantime, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add lemon juice and sugar and continue mixing until stiff and shiny. Gently fold the custard into the egg white snow.
Step 13/14
Pour the custard over the bottom layer of flaky pastry and place the baking dish into the fridge. When the custard begins to set, arrange the pastry squares over the top. Allow the krémes to cool completely.
Step 14/14
Right before serving the krémes, cut them into individual pieces and dust generously with powdered sugar.
Other Variations
-
Ruszwurm-inspired Krémes
Ready in 5h 50minThis recipe was inspired by the most famous Hungarian krémes which are made at the Ruszwurm pastry shop in Budapest, the oldest one in the city. Their secret is to make the custard with whipped cream instead of egg white snow, which gives these krémes a rich, milky taste and a firmer texture.
-
Krémes With Vanilla Pudding Custard
Ready in 2h 50minThe main feature of this simple krémes recipe is that custard is prepared with vanilla pudding powder. The dough is made from scratch, and it is advisable to prepare it one day in advance since it needs to rest in the fridge to become manageable.
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