Hungarian Cream Puffs recipe (Képviselőfánk)
Hungarian cream puffs (in Hungarian: “Képviselőfánk” – “Representative doughnut”) are French-style pastries made from baked dough and filled with English cream and, in some cases, whipped cream.
The history of the Hungarian cream puffs
The origin of Hungarian cream puffs is unknown; József Vinkó, the Hungarian gastronomy journalist, classifies it among food names of unknown origin. There is a widespread legend that in the 1800s, in Parliament, it was available in the buffet as a quick snack during the breaks between meetings. It is also possible, however, that the source of these stories about the parliamentary buffet is the “Laughing Dictionary” (2004), edited by János Juhani Nagy. In it, we can read: “REPRESENTATIVE DONUTS: parliamentary sweets available in the Parliament buffet”.
Gyula Krúdy, the famous Hungarian writer, already mentions the representative donut in his work entitled “Happy My Lord”, published in 1929, and the recipe is included in the cookbook of the connoisseur, written by Magyar Elek in 1932.
Ingredients of cream puffs recipe:
Dough:
- 150 ml water
- 150 ml cooking oil
- 150 g plain flour
- a pinch of salt
- 8 g vanilla sugar
- 4 medium size eggs
Pastry cream:
- 6 eggs
- 16 g vanilla sugar
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 400 ml milk
Whipped cream:
- 400 ml whipping cream
- 10 g whipped cream stabilizer
Steps:
- Boil the oil with water, salt, and vanilla sugar. Remove from the heat and whisk in the triple-sifted flour. Stir well and return to the stove. Cook, stirring constantly, until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pot. Allow to cool while stirring occasionally.
- Start adding the eggs to the dough one at a time, beating continuously with a whip until smooth after each egg. After the fourth egg, you get a soft dough.
- Fill a pastry bag with the dough and squeeze medium-sized piles onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and bake for 25 minutes. Allow them to cool.
- Make the pastry cream: whip the egg whites with 3 tbsp sugar over steam (boiling water) until they form a hard foam. Allow it to cool. Combine the yolks, 3 tbsp sugar, vanilla sugar, 50 mL milk, and the flour. Pour in the remaining milk and whisk until the mixture is lump-free. Cook the mass over low heat until it thickens. Cover with cling film on surface and set aside to cool. MIx gently the white and yellow cream.
- Cut into halves puffs. Fill first with pastry cream, then fixed whipping cream. Put on top of the puffs. Served with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Watch our video about cream puffs recipe: