This Year’s Cake of Hungary Title Goes to “Poppy Flower”

“Mákvirág” (“Poppy Flower”) by Alfréd Kovács, pastry chef of the Édes Vonal Confectionery in Vác, won the title Cake of Hungary this year. The Sugar-free Cake of Hungary was made by the pastry chefs of Reök Kézműves Confectionery and Café in Szeged: Ádám Novák and László Csonka’s “Zöld málna” (“Green raspberry”) is a raspberry-pistachio-white chocolate-rosewater creation, and as the name of the category suggests, contains no sugar. The awards ceremony was held at the Parliament on Thursday, where this year’s St. Stephen’s Day bread was also presented.

Ádám Pataki, member of the board of the Association of Hungarian Confectionery Manufacturers, said that the “Mákvirág” cake consists of a light, almond-flour sponge cake with poppy seeds, a soft white chocolate cream, crispy black sesame crunch, and also features poppy seed liqueur and blackcurrant.

This year’s competition, held for the 18th time, required applicants to use so-called superfoods, as the organizers wanted to draw attention to Hungarian ingredients with rich nutritional values.

The second place went to Sándor Fodor’s cake called “Rigófütty” (“Song of the blackbird”) from Habcsók Confectionery, Budapest, while the third place went to Ádám Novák and Noémi Domonkos (Reök Artisan Confectionary, Szeged) for their creation called “Fekete gyöngy” (“Black pearl”).

László Nándori, the chairman of the jury of Hungary’s Sugar-free Cake competition, presenting the winner sugar-free cake, said that

pistachios appear both in the sponge cake and in the mousse, its sweet taste is complemented by the acidity of red raspberry jelly and made special by the rosewater.

In the pastry-to-go category, introduced in 2023, this year launched in a savory edition, the “Shepherd’s breakfast” – a French croissant filled with sheep’s cheese, ham and red onion and colored with Szeged peppers – from Varga Pékség 95 Kft. in Mórahalom, Hungary, took first place.

In order to protect the quality of the cakes, the recipes will only be available to the public from the end of the year, until then only members of the industry body will be allowed to make them.

The winning cakes can be tasted in hundreds of confectioneries across the country from August 19.

József Septe, President of the Hungarian Bakers’ Association, presented the award-winning St. Stephen’s Day breads at the event. The winner of the St. Stephen’s Day breads was Balmaz-Sütöde Kft. with “My Grandfather’s Bread with Potatoes.” In the Innovative Breads category the same bakery took the first place. The president of the Hungarian Bakers’ Association said that the bread competition was being held for the 13th time, with almost 100 products entered in the three categories this year.

This is the highest number of entries ever, with many young baking professionals competing,”

he added.

Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Magyar Cukrász Ipartestület