Hungarian Honey Cakes Mézeskalács Recipes

HUNGARIAN HONEY CAKES (MéZESKALáCS)

Steps:

• DAY BEFORE BAKING:.
• Sift together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and baking soda.
• Melt together the butter and the honey, pour over the flour combination and stir to mix.
• Add 1 egg and knead together. The dough should be soft (you can add a bit of lukewarm water if necessary), since it will harden a bit during its resting period.
• Cover the dough in a bowl and let it rest at least one day at room temperature.
• BAKING DAY:.
• Rolling out the dough is easiest between two pieces of waxed paper.
• Cut desired shapes out of the dough (of about 3/8 inches thickness on average).
• Before baking, brush with the yolk of an egg to which a few drops of red food coloring have been added. If you are decorating with seeds, brush dough with egg white to "paste" seeds on top of dough before baking.
• (Alternately, let the honey cakes rest a few days and then decorate with colored sugar icings.).
• Place cut out pieces of dough on a cold, greased cookie sheet, bake at 350 degrees F. (or less) for about 6-8 minutes. Thicker pieces may need a longer time (ovens temperatures also vary).
• DECORATION:.
• If icing cookies, let the honey cakes rest a few days and then decorate with colored sugar icings.
• MAKE VARIOUS COLORED SUGAR ICINGS:.
• Colored sugar icing, one version: To one egg white, add as much sifted powdered sugar as needed to make fairly stiff paste. Add desired food colorings, separated by color. (Do not use a mixer!)
• Spoon this mixture into a small nylon baggie, cut a tiny hole in one corner, roll up and use like a pencil to draw and color.

COUSIN JENNY'S HUNGARIAN HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• 1. To make the torte, put the butter, sugar, milk, and honey in a small pan. Warm it over a low heat, beating well, and then let cool.
• 2. Sift the flour and the baking soda onto a board. Make a well and break the egg into it. Mix thoroughly with your hands, then add the contents of the small pan. Make a dough, kneading a few minutes until the dough is smooth. Divide into 4 balls. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.
• 3. Using a rolling pin, flatten each ball and roll out into a 10- by 15-inch rectangle. Place on 4 greased cookie sheets and bake in a preheated 400-degree oven until the surface is golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. (Watch carefully: The dough burns quickly.) Remove the sheets from the oven and let stand overnight at room temperature. If you do not have 4 cookie sheets, use 2 and then repeat.
• 4. Before going to bed, prepare the filling. Place the cream of wheat and the milk in a small pan, stirring constantly until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract.
• 5. Let cool slightly. Add the butter, sugar, and egg. Beat with a mixer. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• 6. The next day, place half of the filling on the first pre-baked sheet of dough. Put the second sheet of dough on top of the first and spread on the apricot or sour cherry preserves. Then put the third sheet on top, spread the remaining filling on it, and finally top with the last sheet. Let stand for at least 6 hours. Cut with a sharp knife into small squares, which is what Mr. Fenyvesi's mother likes, or into diamonds, which is what Jenny preferred.