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Gundel Pancakes (Hungarian Gundel Palacsinta)

Gundel Pancakes (aka Gundel Palacsinta) are one of the famous and classic Hungarian desserts.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Resting Time30 minutes
Course: Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine: Hungarian
Keyword: Hungarian Gundel Palacsinta, Hungarian Gundel Pancakes
Servings: 4
Author: kanthi

Ingredients

For Rum Raisins

  • 50 g raisins
  • 2 tbsp rum

For Walnut Filling

  • 100 g walnuts coarsely ground
  • 100 ml heavy cream or milk
  • 50 g rum raisins* finely chopped (see the notes)
  • 100 g light brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1 tbsp candied orange peel finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp rum

For Chocolate Rum Sauce

  • 200 ml milk or heavy cream
  • 50 g dark chocolate
  • 100 g sugar
  • 2 egg yolks lightly beaten
  • 20 g unsalted butter cold
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 tbsp rum** see the notes

For Pancakes

  • 120 g all-purpose flour or plain flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 200 ml milk at room temperature
  • 100 ml sparkling water or water
  • Oil for greasing

Instructions

Make Rum-Soaked Raisins

  • You can make the rum raisins soaking the raisins in rum a day prior to making the filling.Combine raisins and rum in a small bowl and mix.Cover and set aside for at least 4 hours, or overnight until the raisins plump up. Chop them into small pieces.

Make the Walnut Filling

  • Gather the ingredients; walnuts, raisins, light brown sugar, heavy cream, cinnamon powder, and rum.C
  • Toast the walnuts in a dry frypan on medium heat until start to brown and fragrant or roast the walnuts in an oven for about 5 minutes at 160C.Coarsely grind the toasted walnuts with a grinder.
  • Heat heavy cream (or milk) and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.Add ground walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, and orange peel, and cook until thick and creamy, stirring once in a while. Remove from heat and stir in rum.Set aside or refrigerate if you have made it ahead of time.

Make the Chocolate Sauce

  • Gather the ingredients; dark chocolate, cocoa powder, egg yolks, milk, sugar, butter, and rum.
  • Heat the chocolate, sugar, and milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Don’t boil it.Stir until the chocolate has melted and the sauce is smooth.Remove from the heat.Let it slightly cool down.
  • Place the egg yolks in a small bowl and whisk lightly.First, add 2 tablespoons of the warm chocolate sauce to the beaten egg yolks while constantly whisking the eggs.Next, add the egg yolk mixture to the sauce and whisk constantly until thickened.Add the cold butter and stir until the butter is melted.
  • Mix in the cocoa and stir until you have a smooth sauce.At the end, add rum and stir thoroughly.Let it cool. The sauce should be a bit thicker and pourable.

Make the Pancakes

  • Gather the ingredients; plain flour, eggs, milk, sugar, salt, and butter.Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.Make a well in the center and pour the eggs.Add about a quarter of the milk and whisk together with eggs.
  • First, you need to make a thick paste.Add some more milk and whisk until forms a smooth thick paste.Now, add the rest of the milk and whisk vigorously until you have a smooth batter.Add melted butter and mix well.Strain the batter if there are any lumps.Cover and rest the batter for about 30 minutes.If the batter is resting for more than 30 minutes, make sure to store it in the fridge.
  • Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Grease the pan lightly with oil.Gently stir the batter and pour a ladleful of batter onto the center of the hot pan.Holding the pan by the handle, tilt the pan immediately to swirl in a circular motion in order to spread the batter evenly and thinly over the entire surface.
  • Cook for about 1 minute until the top is set and the edges become lightly golden brown.Loosen the edges with a palette knife.Flip and cook on the other side for another 20 seconds.Transfer to a plate and cover with plastic wrap.Repeat with the remaining batter adjusting heat as needed.

Assemble

  • Gather the pancakes, walnut filling, and the chocolate sauce. Fold them either way; folding them in quarters or folding them into rolls.

Folding in Quarters

  • Spread one-quarter of a pancake with the walnut filling.And fold it over into quarters.Place two pancakes on each plate.Sprinkle the pancakes with icing sugar if you like.Drizzle generously or pour over them with the chocolate rum sauce.Serve immediately with some ice cream.

Folding into Rolls

  • Spread each pancake with the prepared walnut filling.Roll it into a tube, as shown in the photo.Cut off the edges on both sides so that it is smooth and beautiful and then cut in half. Place them on a serving plate. Pour over the chocolate sauce. Serve immediately with some ice cream.

Notes

* You can use raisins instead of rum raisins
** Skip rum for a non-alcoholic version