Most people do not tire of hearing the words “I love you”. If you don’t speak Hungarian, szeretlek “I love you” is quite possibly the most important first phrase to learn! With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, consider incorporating a little Hungarian in the lives of those you love by wishing them Boldog Bálint Napot! Happy Valentine’s Day!

While you can be sure that any Hungarian pastry or meal will be appreciated during this season of love, here is a sweet opportunity to share a traditional gift for a sweetheart, Mézeskalács ~ Hungarian Honey Cakes.

[The following recipe was taken from the website for the Cleveland Hungarian Heritage Museum. You can check out the website here. It is bilingual and also gives contact information for the museum. The Cleveland Hungarian Heritage Museum is located in the Galleria at Erieview; 2nd floor; 1309 East 9th street in downtown Cleveland, OH. If you live near the area or are planning to visit Cleveland this year, please add this treasure on your list of things to see!]

Mézeskalács ~ Hungarian Honey Cakes

Ingredients:

4 cups flour
     
1 cup granulated sugar
     
2/3 cup honey
     
1 stick unsalted butter (4 TBSP / 2 ounces)
     
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
     
4 level teaspoons baking soda
     
grated rind of 1 lemon
     
1 egg
     
extra egg(s) for egg wash

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.

Rolling out the dough is easiest between two pieces of waxed paper. Cut desired shapes out of the dough (of about 3/8 in. thickness on average). Place cut out pieces of dough on a cold, greased cookie sheet, bake at 350o F. (or less) for about 6-8 minutes. Thicker pieces may need a longer time (ovens temperatures also vary).

DECORATION: 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. Or let the honey cakes rest a few days and then decorate with colored sugar icings.

Colored sugar icing:
To one egg white, add as much sifted powdered sugar as needed to make fairly stiff paste. Add desired food colorings. (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.

Thank you to Petra for her permission to use the photos in this post. Petra was recently married and her mother brought with her these precious mézeskalács baked by pastry chef Pusztai Gyula Istvánné Erzsike in Siofok, Hungary to serve as guest gifts. This undoubtedly added a beautiful Hungarian touch to the wedding!