NEW YEAR'S EVE AT GUNDEL
Gundel Palace | 31 December 2026, 6.30 pm
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“An idea turned into a global success.”
Somlói sponge cake is one of the most famous and successful desserts in Hungarian pastry-making; it was created in the late 1950s as a result of a creative process associated with Gundel.
The creation of this dessert began with a collaborative effort: the idea came from Károly Gollerits, the legendary head waiter at Gundel Restaurant, and the recipe was developed by master pastry chef József Béla Szőcs. The goal of this new dessert was to create a complex yet harmonious sweet treat that would serve as a worthy representation of Hungarian pastry-making.
Somlói sponge cake takes its name from Somlyó Hill in Fót, where the master pastry chef lived. The rich combination of layered sponge cake, chocolate, walnuts, and whipped cream quickly elevated this dessert to the status of a special treat.
The real breakthrough came at the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels, where Somlói sponge cake won numerous awards and international acclaim. As a result, this dessert became one of the defining symbols not only of Gundel but of Hungarian gastronomy as a whole.
At Gundel, this legacy lives on today: a dessert that embodies both tradition and world-class quality.
The crown jewel of Hungarian desserts—try it at Gundel.
A layered Hungarian dessert with chocolate and whipped cream.
József Béla Szőcs, in collaboration with Gundel.
It won an award at a world's fair.
Sponge cake, walnuts, chocolate, and creams.
At Gundel.
We follow the original, classic recipe. We bake three types of sponge cake, vanilla, walnut and cocoa, as the base for the dessert. We drizzle them with flavoured sugar syrup to make them succulent and then pour a soft vanilla custard between the layers. We cut the dough into balls, sprinkle with roasted and chopped walnuts and rum-soaked raisins. Real chocolate is used to make a thick, deep-flavoured dressing. Top the dessert with soft whipped cream from an artisan dairy.
One of the Hungarians’ favourite pastries was invented by master pastry chef József Béla Szőcs; the idea for this delicacy came from Károly Gollerits, the head waiter at the Gundel restaurant. This distinctive Hungarian dessert takes its name from Somlyó, a 288-meter-high hill in Fót, because the pastry chef lived there. The new dessert made its debut at the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels in the Hungarian pavilion and immediately earned numerous accolades and awards.
The dessert, which originated in the middle of the last century, quickly became popular with families and restaurants. Its complex taste experience will sweep anyone off their feet. It's so good that it can even be a pleasure to prepare to a mediocre standard. Experience the pleasure of a ‘Somló’ sponge cake made from quality ingredients, using the original recipe!
