Custard Cake (Hungarian Krémes)

hungarian-kremes The Hungarian version of the famous cremeschnitte goes under the name krémes, meaning creamy. It combines two layers of puff pastry held together with a generous amount of smooth pastry cream. Though the recipe has been slightly modernized, the classic krémes pastry cream should be light and airy, while the top is usually dusted with powdered sugar. Traditionally served cut into large, rectangular slices, the dessert is a Hungarian classic and a staple at numerous pastry shops throughout the country.

Vanilla-Infused Milk:
2 cups milk
1 vanilla bean

Flaky Pastry:
1½ cup flour + 1 Tbsp.
¾ cup butter
1 pinch kosher salt
4 Tbsp. cold water
4 tsp. vinegar

Custard:
8 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 pkgs (2 Tbsp.) vanilla sugar
3 pkgs gelatine (21 g)
¼ cup unsalted butter
8 egg whites
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Garnish:
¼ cup confectioners' sugar

Start by making the vanilla-infused milk. Place the milk in a small saucepan and heat it over low to medium heat. Take the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds into the milk, and toss the bean pod into the milk as well. Cover the saucepan, remove it from heat, and leave for 1 hour.

The next step is to prepare the flaky pastry. Place chilled margarine and flour into a large bowl and combine them into fine crumbs. Add salt, water, and vinegar, and knead into a firm dough.

Flour the working surface generously and roll out the dough into a thin rectangle. Divide it into 4 parts, then roll out each part and stack them on top of one another. Place in a refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C/184°C fan, Gas Mark 6).

Cut the chilled dough in half. Take the first half and roll it out very thinly - this will be the top of your krémes. Now, fold the dough in half and transfer it into a 9x13" baking pan. Unfold the dough and arrange it, so it goes halfway up the sides of a baking dish and so that it has deep folds at the bottom. This is done because the dough shrinks during baking.

Bake for 14-18 minutes, until the dough turns golden, but be careful not to burn it. Cut into 12 equal pieces immediately, and set them aside, making sure you arrange them as they were in the baking pan.

Repeat the procedure with the second half of the dough, which will make the bottom of your krémes.

Now, make the custard. Beat the egg yolks with ½ cup sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy - for approximately 8 minutes.

Combine flour, gelatin and vanilla sugar in a separate bowl. Add them to the egg yolk mixture gradually and mix until smooth.

Take the vanilla pods out of the vanilla-infused milk, and slowly pour the milk into the bowl with the custard mixture.

Transfer the custard mixture into a medium-sized saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir constantly until the temperature reaches 176°F (80°C). Use a cooking thermometer to determine the temperature. Remove the custard from heat, add butter, and set it aside.

In the meantime, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add lemon juice and sugar and continue mixing until stiff and shiny. Gently fold the custard into the egg white snow.

Pour the custard over the bottom layer of flaky pastry and place the baking dish into the fridge. When the custard begins to set, arrange the pastry squares over the top. Allow the krémes to cool completely.

Right before serving the krémes, cut them into individual pieces and dust generously with powdered sugar.

Makes 12 servings.

Cooking Notes:

Dough: Although many krémes recipes suggest using pre-made puff pastry or flaky pastry, you can easily make your own by combining flour, margarine, salt, water or sour cream, and sometimes egg yolk. Do not make the dough too smooth - small bits of margarine will melt during baking and give it its flaky texture. Leaving the dough in a refrigerator overnight or for at least a few hours will make it more manageable.
Baking the Dough: Before being baked, the dough needs to be rolled out as thinly as possible, cut in half, and pricked with a fork. The dough is usually baked in an oven preheated to 180˚C until it becomes golden. The half which will end up on top of the krémes should be cut into equal-sized squares before being placed on the custard, which will make cutting significantly easier.
Vanilla: When it comes to custard, using a real vanilla bean instead of pure vanilla extract is what differentiates excellent krémes from the regular ones. Small black spots in the vanilla custard indicate that the krémes were made with vanilla beans. When choosing a vanilla bean, make sure it is plump, pliable, and that it has a strong vanilla scent. Best vanilla beans usually come from Madagascar, Mexico, and Indonesia, and should be stored in air-tight containers or zip-lock bags.
Eggs: The classic approach for making the krémes custard is to separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. The egg whites are then whipped with sugar into a firm snow, which is gently folded into the custard.
Thickening Agents: Flour and gelatin are the most common thickening agents for the custard. The flour will make the custard slightly denser and heavier, while the use of gelatin will make the custard wobblier and lighter.
Serving: Most commonly, krémes are dusted generously with powdered sugar before being served. Modern versions suggest glazing krémes with chocolate or placing a layer of whipped cream on top of the custard. Make sure you serve krémes cold, right out of the refrigerator.

Variations:

Ruszwurm-inspired Krémes:
This recipe was inspired by the most famous Hungarian krémes which are made at the Ruszwurm pastry shop in Budapest. Their secret is to make the custard with whipped cream instead of egg white snow, which gives these krémes a rich, milky taste and a firmer texture.

1 pkg pre-made flaky pastry dough (500 g)
10 egg yolks
sugar (350 g)
all-purpose flour, unbleached (120 g)
milk (1 L)
sugar-free whipping cream (7 dL)
1-2 vanilla pods

Start with preparing the flaky pastry. Roll the dough out as thinly as possible and cut it in half. Bake each half of the dough in an oven preheated to 200°C until it becomes golden brown. Remove it from the baking tray carefully and leave to cool. Cut the part which will go on top into 12 portion-sized squares.

Now, prepare the custard. Mix the egg yolks with sugar until they become pale yellow and fluffy.

Add preheated milk and flour and cook over low heat until the custard thickens. Now, scrape the vanilla pod into the custard mixture and set it aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whip the cream until stiff peaks form and gently fold it into the custard.

Place the flaky pastry on the bottom of a baking dish, pour the custard over it, and top with the pre-cut flaky pastry.

Let cool in a refrigerator for a few hours, dust with icing sugar, and serve.

Makes 12 servings.