MUSIC AND DANCE EVENINGS ARE BACK AT GUNDEL!
Gundel Garden | August 26, 2026
For more information click here!
“A Hungarian classic that became world-famous in Brussels.”
The Rákóczi túrós is one of the most famous and authentic desserts in Hungarian pastry-making, which many people mistakenly associate with Ferenc Rákóczi II. In fact, the dessert was created by master pastry chef János Rákóczi, who worked in the kitchen of Károly Gundel’s restaurant in the 1930s.
What makes this dessert special is that all of its ingredients come from Hungarian cuisine: the cottage cheese, eggs, flour, and fruits come together in perfect harmony. It is no coincidence that it is often referred to as “one of the most Hungarian desserts.”
The recipe first appeared in 1937 in the trade journal *Magyar Szakács* and quickly became a signature dish of Hungarian pastry-making. It gained international recognition at the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels, where the dessert was awarded a gold medal.
At Gundel, we continue this tradition to this day: a dessert that embodies both the purity of Hungarian ingredients and the sophistication of classic pastry-making.
One of Hungary's most authentic desserts—try it at Gundel.
A Hungarian dessert made with cottage cheese.
János Rákóczi, master confectioner.
He won a gold medal in Brussels in 1958.
All of its ingredients are sourced in Hungary.
At Gundel.
The base of the cake is a soft, buttery, crumbly pastry. It is topped with a peach jam made with our own recipe, with carefully selected peaches. The filling is a mousse made from an artisan farmer's clotted curd, with lots of vanilla. Egg mousse domes are baked on top, and the peach jam is poured between them. The sour cream ice cream spooned on top of the crumb topping brings out the sweetness with its deep, lactic flavours.
Even today, many people believe that the dessert is named after Prince Ferenc Rákóczi II. But it is a Gundel recipe. János Rákóczi, pastry chef and master chef, worked at the Gellért Hotel at the time when it was run by Károly Gundel. The two of them worked together to create the combination of cottage cheese, apricot jam and vanilla that resulted in the ‘Rákóczi’ cottage cheese cake. The dessert was presented to the world at the 1958 World Exhibition in Brussels, where János Rákóczi was the head chef of the Hungarian pavilion. The dessert was awarded a gold medal.
Its inventor named it "the most Hungarian of Hungarian desserts", as all its ingredients can be found in Hungary. Cottage cheese is a traditional material of Hungarian cuisine, but interestingly it is only widespread in the Carpathian Basin. Now it has gained recognition across Europe by being protected by the EU. Apricot jam is a Hungaricum, the queen of jams, made by Hungarians for centuries.
