Zserbo Szelet A Hungarian Dessert
I found this old Zserbo Szelet Recipe in one of the vintage recipe binders I own. This traditional Hungarian dessert recipe was written on a lovely piece of parchment paper.
The name of the recipe was not written in English (and I doubt there is an English translation for it because I never came across one) but I am sure if you or your grandmother are from Hungary you know this recipe very well.
Traditional Hungarian Cake recipes
At the time I made and shared this Zsbero Szelet recipe in 2011 I searched high and low for another recipe like it.
I could not find anything resembling this Hungarian dessert. But today with a quick search on Google I see it is also called Gerbeaud Cake named after Emil Gerbeaud a Swiss-born Hungarian confectioner who is famous for creating several traditional Hungarian cakes.
Check out all the lovely comments from readers who have enjoyed Zserbo Szelet baked by their grandmothers.
Sad as it makes me English is the only language I speak. I wish I knew how to speak German like my ancestors did but I grew up in a home where only English was spoken.
I often wonder why if my grandmother's parents immigrated from Germany to the US and German was the language they spoke why didn't they teach it to my grandmother. I wish she was still around so I could ask her.
After searching the internet so I could figure out what this vinatge recipe was all about I found out that it is a Hungarian dessert recipe.
I am not sure if it would be considered a cookie or a cake like confection. Maybe one of you will have my answer.
Updating old family recipes
There was a bit of confusion on my part since the handwritten recipe called for what looks like 1 ¼ cubes of butter. Again as I researched the recipe I paid attention to the amounts listed in the recipes I found.
Some Zserbo Szelet recipes included sour cream. Others didn't. Some recipes called for baking soda and no yeast.
Others called for baking powder and yeast. Some called for eggs and egg yolk. Others did not list egg as an ingredient.
I used this vintage recipe as my inspiration but I made some slight changes. The vintage recipe used a much smaller amount of flour for a smaller batch compared to the ones I found online.
Most of the recipes made a huge batch which contained 3 or 4 cups of flour.
I would have ended up with tons of this confection so I made my changes based partly on the vintage recipe I had and partly on the recipes I found on the internet.
I also watched a video on youtube of a Hungarian Grandmother making a batch. Since I couldn't understand a word she said or read the recipe that flashed on the video I am not sure if this dessert is supposed to be cake like or cookie like.
Mine turned out cookie like and I am very happy with it. Matter of fact I couldn't stop eating the Zserbo Szelet while I was taking my photos. So if you see a smudge of chocolate where it isn't supposed to accept my apology for being messy.
It also reinforces my thoughts that vintage recipes our grandmothers made were simple but always delicious.
Zserbo Szelet Recipe
- 1 ½ cups of walnuts
- ½ cup sugar
- Apricot Jam or any jam of your choosing (Apricot jam is the traditional filling for Zserbo Szelet .
- ¼ cup of warm milk
- 1 tsp yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened and cut into little pieces plus 1 tablespoon to grease the baking pan.
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 12 oz bag of bittersweet chocolate chips.
- Grind 1 ½ cup of walnuts in a food processor until they have the consistency of a nut meal.
- Put the walnut nut meal into a bowl and mix with ½ a cup sugar, set aside for the filling.
- In a small bowl mix the warmed milk and yeast. Stir and set aside until needed.
-  In a separate large bowl sift the all purpose flour, ¼ cup of sugar, baking soda and salt together.
- Â Â Stir the softened butter pieces into the flour mixture. Use your hands or a pastry cutter to work the softened butter into the dry ingredients until small crumbs have formed.
-  Pour the yeast and warm milk into the bowl with the flour crumbs. Add the ¼ cup of sour cream to the bowl mixing with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together and you can form a ball.
- Turn the dough ball out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.
-  Separate the dough into 3 equal sized pieces by cutting it into thirds.
-  Butter the bottom of an 8 ½ by 13-inch baking sheet pan with one tablespoon of butter.
- Â Roll out one piece of dough at a time until the piece of dough is large enough to fit into the bottom of your sheet pan.
-  Stretching and adjusting the dough as needed so it completely covers the bottom.
- Â Spread a generous layer of Apricot jam all over the top of the first layer of the dough.
- Sprinkle half the walnut and sugar mixture over the jam. Use a spatula or back of a spoon to spread the filling into all corners with the pan.
- Roll out the second piece of dough and repeat step by layering the fillings over the top of the dough piece.
- Roll out the third piece of dough and carefully lay it on top of the second filling layer.
- Stretch the dough if needed so it covers the second layer completely.
- Cover the pan with a clean dish towel and let it rise for one hour in a warm spot. After 30 minutes preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees then increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 10 minutes or until the top is golden.
- Remove the baking pan from the oven and immediately scatter the 12-ounce bag of bittersweet chocolate chips over the hot top.
- Once the chocolate chips begin to melt after about 8 minutes use a spatula to spread the chocolate over the top.
- Allow to cool completely and for the chocolate to harden before cutting into squares with a sharp knife.
- You can refrigerate to speed up the cooling process.
- Makes about 36 one and a half inch pieces.
Helpful Tip for the Zserbo Szelet Recipe
- ¾ of the bag of chips would probably have been enough.
- Allow to cool completely before cutting so the chocolate and the filling can set up or the squares will crush while cutting.
- I put mine in the fridge overnight because the chocolate just wasn't getting hard quick enough.
- Once the chocolate is hard you can cut it into 1 ½ or 2-inch square pieces.
I wasn't sure whether this dessert is supposed to be cake like or cookie like but I have to tell you the recipe turned out cookie like and it tastes so good!
I can't get enough of it really. I am going to have to share it with family and neighbors because I will eat the entire tray if it stays in my house.
Let me know if you try it out this Zserbo Szelet recipe and what flavor of jam you used for the filling.
This would be a great dessert to make for any family get together, baby shower or birthday party you might be going to. This recipe makes a bunch.
I, of course, ate a bunch but I measured my tray and I figure I cut at least 36 or more 1 ½ to 2-inch square pieces.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed the second recipe in my new Vintage Recipe Project.
Zserbo Szelet Recipe A Hungarian Dessert
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 ½ cups walnuts
- ½ cup sugar
- Apricot jam or any jam of your choosing (Apricot jam is the traditional filling for Zserbo Szelet)
Dough
- ¼ cup warm milk
- 1 tsp yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter (softened and cut into little pieces plus 1 tablespoon to grease the baking pan.)
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 12 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Grind 1 ½ cup of walnuts in a food processor until they have the consistency of a nut meal.
- Put the walnut nut meal into a bowl and mix with ½ a cup sugar, set aside for the filling.
- In a small bowl mix the warmed milk and yeast. Stir and set aside until needed.
- In a separate large bowl sift the all purpose flour, ¼ cup of sugar, baking soda and salt together.
- Stir the softened butter pieces into the flour mixture. Use your hands or a pastry cutter to work the softened butter into the dry ingredients until small crumbs have formed.
- Pour the yeast and warm milk into the bowl with the flour crumbs. Add the ¼ cup of sour cream to the bowl mixing with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together and you can form a ball.
- Turn the dough ball out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.
-  Separate the dough into 3 equal sized pieces by cutting it into thirds.
- Butter the bottom of an 8 ½ by 13-inch baking sheet pan with one tablespoon of butter.
- Roll out one piece of dough at a time until the piece of dough is large enough to fit into the bottom of your sheet pan.
- Stretching and adjusting the dough as needed so it completely covers the bottom.
- Spread a generous layer of Apricot jam all over the top of the first layer of the dough.
- Sprinkle half the walnut and sugar mixture over the jam. Use a spatula or back of a spoon to spread the filling into all corners with the pan.
- Roll out the second piece of dough and repeat step by layering the fillings over the top of the dough piece.
- Roll out the third piece of dough and carefully lay it on top of the second filling layer.
- Stretch the dough if needed so it covers the second layer completely.
- Cover the pan with a clean dish towel and let it rise for one hour in a warm spot. After 30 minutes preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees then increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 10 minutes or until the top is golden.
- Remove the baking pan from the oven and immediately scatter the 12-ounce bag of bittersweet chocolate chips over the hot top.
- Once the chocolate chips begin to melt after about 8 minutes use a spatula to spread the chocolate over the top.
- Allow to cool completely and for the chocolate to harden before cutting into squares with a sharp knife. You can refrigerate to speed up the cooling process.
Sarajo Craig
My partner is Hungarian, and every time he is home sick I like to make him a Hungarian Treat. This recipe did not disappoint. Yum yum finom!!!!!
I will save it and make it many times.
Thank you
Arlene Mobley
Sarajo
I hope he is feeling better! I am so happy to hear he enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by to let me know!
Hannah
I'm about to make this recipe right now for my Hungarian Grandma's 103rd birthday tomorrow! Wish me luck 🙂
Arlene Mobley
Hannah wish your grandma a Happy Birthday for me. I hope she enjoys the recipe!
Maggie
My Great-Grandparents and their children came over to the U.S. after WWI.
My Grandmother used to make this cake and she called it "Mrs. Kedikesh's(sp) Cake". Mrs. Kedikesh came over from Hungary after my Great-Grandparents arrived and lived with them as sponsors for the designated time. The cake was one she always made for their family, and she passed on the recipe to my Grandmother who passed it onto us by helping her bake it. It's been a family favorite. Recently my cousins asked if I recalled this cake. I had to sift through the handwritten, broken English scribbling that my Grandmother considered her recipe cards. She was never really precise in measurements. She'd use a coffee cup for a measuring cup, a teaspoon for a measuring teaspoon (anything smaller she gauged by pinching with her finger and thumb), and a soup spoon for a tablespoon. When I was little she would make her own chocolate frosting for this. However, as time ticked by she discovered the canned frosting and switched to that instead.
Thank you for sharing this. For years the family just thought it was something Mrs. Kedikesh had whipped up!
Arlene Mobley
Maggie
Thanks for sharing your family recipe story. I love it! That is exactly why I love sharing old recipes like this. The stories are so special!
sean
Bread with wallnut is an amazing combination.Thanks for sharing.
Arlene Mobley
Sean I happen to agree!
mitchell
it looks out of the world.Thanks for sharing such beautiful recipes.
Arlene Mobley
Michell
Thank you so much!
Eniko
My grandma used to make this all the time when I lived in Hungary! It's supposed to be more cookie like texture so you nailed it (:
Arlene Mobley
Emiko
Thanks! This is exactly why I love sharing old vintage recipes.
Friendship Status
I am sure this will taste really good. I will try to make this at home and share the recipe with my friends as well.
Arlene Mobley
I hope enjoy the recipe!
Fun Foody
So simple it is. I thought It would require a lot of ingredients which I'll not get in the shop near to my house. But i was wrong. The recipe is easy to make. I will surely try this at home.
Arlene Mobley
I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Stefanie
I'm going to be making this for my mums birthday this Thursday. She is Hungarian and requested this for her birthday from me...
I'm not sure what content of butter I need to use. Woukd you be able to translate it to grams for me please.
Thank you
Stef
Arlene Mobley
Stefanie
1 stick of butter is equal to 113 grams. I hope your Mom enjoys the recipe! Tell her Happy Birthday for me!
Kati
Hi, I'm first generation Hungarian and my mother used to make this since I was a child. Since she passed, I've made it many times - but I translated it from an old Hungarian cookbook with metric measures to English and American measures, and simplified the recipe a little.
Looking at your portions, yours is a single recipe, whereas I doubled mine to get the volume out of it since it is so work-intensive. It generously fills a large cooking sheet and looks the same. "Kiados" as my Mom would say it.
It is considered a "pastry." Apricots and walnuts grew abundantly in Hungary, that's why they're used, however, you can sub anything else to your liking. You won't be disappointed.
I have looked at several sites and came to the conclusion that there is a certain margin of error for safely "tweaking" the recipe, for example: I just made four double batches using whole-wheat pastry flour and it came out heavenly. I also used apricot jelly on the first two, then berry on the second two. In addition, I substituted carob rather than chocolate icing for those of us who are sensitive to chocolate. My recipe called for yeast only, no baking soda, letting it rise once only after it's all assembled.
It was a lovely surprise to find your site. Congratulations on your success with this wonderful traditional dessert!
Arlene Mobley
Kat
Thank you so much for you stopping by and commenting. I am so happy that I shared this Zserbo Szelet recipe and it has been confirmed by so many Hungarian readers/commenters to be the real deal. Thank you for your comments with the story of this traditional Hungarian pastry recipe! I love to hear about family recipes that are still being enjoyed!
Maya
Hello, I've heard about this cake from my Hungarian-American boyfriend for 4 years, and never had the pleasure of tasting it myselfI decided to look for a recipe and my boyfriend's dad came across yours, and thought that it was the most authentic one out there. I baked it today and LOVED its sweet- tangy flavors! My boyfriend says that it really tastes like the yummy Zserbo that he used to love years ago...
THANK YOU!
Arlene Mobley
Maya
You are welcome! I am so happy you all enjoyed the recipe.
Robin
I know this recipe well. It is made with semi sweet dark chocolate that takes on a shiny finish and cut into diamond shapes. It is delicious. The jam always is an apricot jam. Your's looks almost completely authentic! Thank you so much!!
Arlene Mobley
Hi Robin
Thank you so much!
Enci
Hi 🙂
I'm a hungarian , I even like here. I found your page when I was searching hungarian desserts in hungarian because I wanted to share it with some german friends. Regarding your pictures I can say that you did it perfectly. 🙂 It's a really widespread recipe here. I think quite everybody likes it, even if they don't like walnuts. You can find it at every occasion, for ex. at a wedding 🙂
I'm really proud to see it here, and I'm glad to find this website 🙂
Good luck with this blog 🙂
Ahh and Andi is right. It's a sütemény, nor a cake and nor a cookie 🙂
Arlene Mobley
Enci
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. It warms my heart to know that I made this recipe exactly as it should be made.
Roxanne
Thank you so much for doing the legwork on this recipe! I've been looking for years for something that translated Hun measurements and baking temps into good old US versions. Made these last year using your recipe for the first time and it was so much easier than trying to convert everything. Needless to say it was a hit, to the point where this year I've had to triple-batch it due to 'popular demand'. If you liked using walnuts in this recipe another pretty yummy cookie to try is 'vanilias kifli', a crescent-shaped and decadent buttery concoction with powdered sugar on top. These two are our family's Xmas go-tos. Kellemes karacsonyt kivanok!
Flour On My Face
Roxanne
Thank you for stopping by and telling you how much you enjoyed the recipe! It warms my heart to hear how you have been looking for this recipe using US measurements. This is exactly why I love to share old vintage family recipes.
Julian Halasz
This Recipe is indeed Hungarian. Very Popular for the Holidays. I learned it From My Grandmother as a kid back in Budapest, Whenever I make it here in the US those I share it with Always delighted. This is not a simple recipe and is not quick to make, but well worth the efforts.
Horanyi
I really like the style of cursive the original recipe was written in. I am from Hungary and I learned to write there. Based on my experience, I am almost positive that the hand written recipe was actually written by a Hungarian person who spoke English. Therefore I am sure that this recipe will satisfy my hankering for some old country flavor.
Viki
Fabulous recipe!!! First time I made it with apricot jam--delicious! This time I am making it with raspberry jam and I am going to top it with dark chocolate. Thanks for posting this recipe. It is now one of my favorites.
Flour On My Face
Viki
Raspberry jam and dark chocolate sounds divine. Let me know how it turns out!
Cati
I'm first generation American - my family is from Hungary. I have a lot of recipes from my grand mother, her sisters, and my great-grand mother. I can read a little Hungarian and I have her original recipe for zserbo szelet. I believe these pastries are traditionally cut in small rectangles instead of the more American brownie-square fashion. The layers look great though! I've always made these with a chocolate topping that glazes to a shiny smooth finish -but any semi-sweet chocolate will complete the flavor you are going for.
Flour On My Face
Cati
Thank you fro stopping by and leaving a comment! I love when someone finds the recipe and comments. I found this recipe and couldn't wait to make it at the time.
Kitty
I just wanted to add that this wonderful dessert originates from a very famous Hungarian pastry maker, Gerbeaud -est. 1858-. This was their trademark pastry and the spelling zserbo is simply phonetic Hungarian for Gerbeaud. They are still around: https://www.gerbeaud.hu/
Flour On My Face
Kitty
Thank you so much for the info on this recipe. hat a great history this recipe has!
Kerri
German is spoken in Austria, but the language spoken in Hungary is Hungarian. I grew up listening to it when my mother and grandmother spoke it. I learned a small amount through my life, unfortunately. Wish I learned more. The recipe's name is definitely of Hungarian origin. Perhaps the video you saw could have been in Hungarian.
Andi
Christmas is Zserbó time in Hungary!!
I was browsing for recipe ideas, and found your project! It's so cool!
On the cake vs cookie part: we, Hungarians have cakes (torta) and cookies (keksz) and we have sütemény, which I think does not have and english name. Zserbó pastry is not crunchy, but not sponge-cake kind either, and it should not be dry. Hope it helps:)
Travis
Fantastic job! This looks amazing and very interested in trying this out. Thanks for sharing.
We invite you to share this post and some of your favorite food posts on Food Frenzy.
Please check out our community at https://blogstew.net/foodfrenzy
Food Frenzy
Tim Vidra
My Hungarian grandmother always made this. Thanks for this post that brought back some fond memories.
E.A.T.
Judy
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I liked reading about your process of transforming the recipe. I know that many "mistakes" turn out to be the best recipes so you had a good chance of coming out with a winner.
Sarah
My hungarian grandma died a few years ago, and I've been craving Zserbo like crazy! I found your blog and I have to say it looks like grandma used to make.
Not sure about the consistency, but I remember it being dense. Can't explain if it was cookie like or cake like. More cake I would think. But good for you, it looks authentic! Thanks for sharing, my mouth is watering. Can't wait to make some.
Susanne Horvath Barnett
Yes, it should be more cake like and the chocolate topping should not be hard.
Flour On My Face
Thanks for the comments!
Ms.Bibi
This is exactly why I started my Vintage recipe project! I am so glad I could help reconnect you to your grandmothers recipe!
thelonelyradish.com
Love this recipe! Thanks for sharing it with us 🙂
Ms Bibi
This is a dessert my grandma used to make when I was little. I grew up in Slovakia and my grandpa was Hungarian.
Thanks for sharing it. I can't wait to make it for my kids. I don't have any of my grandma's recipes. They were all in her head.
Mary Revesz
I don't recall my mother who is HUngarian having ever made this, but then again my mother is 86 so it's been more than 30 years since she may have made it
Arlene Mobley
Mary
Ask your mother if her mother ever made the recipe. I bet she did or another family member made it.
Magdolna Varsanyi
The old handwritten recipe the original. There is no sour cream in it. The walnut have to be " powdered"We have a special grinder.Food processor is good,but you have to do it until it's fine. Apricot jam what you should usest is TOO sweet. The original topping is soo much different, than the choc.chips topping.Use the ssold recipe on the top of the paige .In Hungary you did not have chocolate chips until about 2000
Kita
These look yummy!!
foodblogandthedog
This looks amazing! When I first saw the photos I thought it was Millionaires Shortbread but when I saw the recipe it isn't. Millionaires Shortbread is a layer of shortbread biscuit topped with a layer of caramel topped with a layer of chocolate. It's my favourite thing but I don't make it too often because I eat it all!!
Amy
This looks wonderful! I especially love the walnuts in the filling!
Liz Nagy
I made the recipe. My husband is Hungarian. He had never had it as a child, but friends in Budapest knew quite well what it is. I had no problems with any of it except the frosting. It cracked when cut. I think next time a ganache would be a better choice. I am sharing and getting good reviews . It was a fun time as my daughter was here visiting and we did together. I have been married for 54 years and have been making Kiflie another Hungarian dessert and nut roll ever since. Thanks for bringing this recipe to me.
Arlene Mobley
Liz
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Alice
I am first generation American and I make this dessert all the time from a recipe that was given to me by my mother. What do I do for the chocolate topping is I mix equal portions of bitter sweet chocolate or semi sweet chocolate bits with the same quantity of butter. I mailed them together and use that to spread on the Zserbo. I then put that into the refrigerator until it set and I cut it. It still cracks a bit but not too badly. This is a desert my family insists on every Christmas and would insist on it more frequently but I am now approaching 80 and I’m tired so I don’t make it that often! It was my favorite dessert growing up along with Dobos torte.
Arlene Mobley
Alice
Thanks for sharing your tips. I am sure your family appreciates it when you can make it!