Ooo yes — Lajcsi szelet 😋
A classic Hungarian retro cake: soft cocoa sponge, creamy vanilla filling, chocolate glaze on top. Straight out of grandma’s baking notebook.
🇭🇺 Lajcsi Szelet (Hungarian Layer Cake)
🧁 Ingredients (medium tray, ~20 slices)
Cocoa Sponge
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5 eggs
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5 tbsp sugar
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5 tbsp all-purpose flour
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2 tbsp cocoa powder
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1 tsp baking powder
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Pinch of salt
Vanilla Cream Filling
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500 ml milk
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1 packet vanilla pudding powder (or 40 g cornstarch + vanilla)
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4 tbsp sugar
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200 g butter, room temperature
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2 tbsp powdered sugar
Chocolate Glaze
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100 g dark chocolate
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2 tbsp oil or butter
👩🍳 Instructions
1️⃣ Cocoa Sponge
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Separate eggs. Beat egg whites with salt until stiff.
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Beat yolks with sugar until pale and fluffy.
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Gently mix flour, cocoa, and baking powder into yolks.
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Fold in egg whites carefully.
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Spread into a parchment-lined baking tray.
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Bake at 180°C (350°F) for ~15–18 minutes.
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Let cool completely, then slice horizontally into two layers.
2️⃣ Vanilla Cream
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Cook pudding powder, milk, and sugar until thick.
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Cool completely (VERY important).
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Beat butter with powdered sugar until fluffy.
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Gradually mix pudding into butter → smooth cream.
3️⃣ Assemble
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Spread vanilla cream over the bottom sponge layer.
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Place second sponge on top and press gently.
4️⃣ Chocolate Glaze
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Melt chocolate with oil/butter over low heat.
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Pour over the top and spread evenly.
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Chill at least 1–2 hours before slicing.
🇭🇺 Hungarian Grandma Tips
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Slice with a hot knife for clean layers.
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Even better next day after resting in the fridge.
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Some versions add a thin apricot jam layer under the cream — highly recommended 👀
If you want, I can:
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Make it extra creamy (Budapest cukrászda-style)
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Convert it to cups instead of grams
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Or help you bake it with what you already have