In the late 1800s, at the height of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Budapest, Hungary’s capital city, enjoyed a coffee-house culture of delicious fancy tortes and great coffee. Philosophers, artists, musicians, and politicians gathered in coffeehouses throughout the city to share ideas and camaraderie while eating cake! In this hands-on class, we’ll teach you to make one of Hungary’s classic coffee-house tortes. Together, we’ll make Esterházy Torta, an elegant dessert that could end up being your hallmark. It’s made up of thin, soft layers of toasted walnut cake, filled with luscious vanilla and toasted walnut pastry cream, and topped with a distinctive design resembling the traditional French Napoleon pastry. The torta is a classic sold at all traditional Hungarian bakeries and coffeehouses. Join us for some time-honored Hungarian flavor! You’ll leave the BAKE! class with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, and the Esterházy Torta you made in class. This workshop is part of our online series exploring our Finno-Ugric cultural connections as we close out 2026, Hancock’s year as the Finno-Ugric Cultural Capital. Other workshops in this series include Estonian Roosimine Knitting and Finnish Language.
