Trdelník (Chimney Cake) — Oven-Baked, Step-by-Step

What it is. Trdelník is a yeasted, coiled “spit cake”: dough is wrapped around a cylinder, brushed with egg or butter, then rolled in a cinnamon–sugar (or nut) coating. Traditionally it’s baked over coals; at home we do it in the oven with great results.

Also known as. You’ll meet it across Europe under different names and slight recipe tweaks: Hungary – Kürtőskalács; Austria – Prügelkrapfen/Prügeltorte; Czechia – trdelník; Germany – Baumstriezel; Luxembourg – Baamkuch; Poland – Sękacz; Lithuania – Šakotis; Sweden – Spettekaka; Romania – Colac secuiesc; Slovakia – Skalický trdelník; Turkey – Makara; Israel – Kyortush; South Africa – Stokbrood.

Note (PGI): In some regions (e.g., Skalický trdelník) the product is protected (PGI). The recipe below is a home, oven-baked version and does not claim to be the protected original.

Equipment

• Rolling pin or metal tube (e.g., cannoli/cream-horn molds)

• Aluminum foil (to wrap the pin/tubes)

• A little oil or melted butter for greasing the molds

• Rimmed baking tray (so the pin’s handles can rest on the rim and the dough doesn’t touch the base) or a stand so the molds bake upright

• Pastry brush

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 g all-purpose flour (Type 400) (~4 cups)

• 150 g warm milk (~150 ml / ⅔ cup)

• 85 g butter (~6 Tbsp)

• 2 eggs

• 1 sachet instant dry yeast (7 g / 2¼ tsp)

• 40 g sugar (~3 Tbsp)

Coating (my 2018 twist)

• 1 cup desiccated coconut

• 5 Tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp ground orange peel (or finely grated fresh zest)

Plus

• 1 egg for brushing or ~50 g melted butter

• A little olive oil for greasing molds

Method

1) Yeast mix & butter base

Stir the yeast into warm milk to dissolve.
Melt butter with sugar, remove from heat. Pour in the milk–yeast mixture, stir and let stand 5 minutes.

2) Make the dough

Combine flour, eggs, and the yeast mixture. Knead into a smooth, elastic dough. Shape a ball, cover, and proof at room temperature for ~1 hour.

3) Prep the molds

Wrap your rolling pin (or tubes) tightly in foil and grease.
If using a pin, rest the handles on the tray rims so the dough doesn’t touch the base.

4) Roll & wrap

Roll the dough to ~0.5 cm / ¼ in thick. Cut ~2 cm / ¾ in wide strips.
Wrap strips snugly with a slight overlap. If you start a new strip, dab the joint with egg to seal.

5) Brush & coat

Brush the wrapped dough with beaten egg (shinier finish) or melted butter (more caramelized).
Roll thoroughly in the coconut–brown sugar–cinnamon–orange mix.

6) Bake

Preheat to 182 °C / 360 °F. Bake upright molds or on a rolling pin resting on the tray rims for ~30 minutes, turning as needed for even color.

7) Cool & serve

Let the “chimneys” cool a few minutes, then slide off the molds. Serve plain or fill with:

• Mascarpone–vanilla cream (mascarpone + a little sugar + vanilla), or

• Mascarpone + hazelnut spread.
  Dust with extra cinnamon, coconut, or ground nuts if you like.

Tips

• Butter vs egg: butter = deeper caramel crunch; egg = glossy finish.

• Strip thickness affects bake time: thinner strips bake quicker and more evenly.

• If using a rolling pin, make sure it really “floats”—the dough should not touch the tray base.

• Love citrus? Add a little vanilla sugar or fresh orange zest to the coating.

Time, Difficulty, Allergens

• Total time: ~110 minutes

• Difficulty: Medium

• Allergens: gluten, eggs, dairy (plus nuts if used in the coating/fillings)

Yield: about 8–10 mini chimney cakes. Enjoy!