Hungarian Beehive Sweet Rolls – Traditional Transylvanian Recipe

A nostalgic grandmother-style cake from my mother-in-law’s recipe notebook. It requires some time and patience, but once or twice a year, especially on a quiet Sunday, it is absolutely worth making. With a bit of self-control, there will even be leftovers for the children’s next-day snack.

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 500 g all-purpose flour (approx. 17.6 oz)
• 30 g fresh yeast (1 oz)
• 30 g sugar (1 oz)
• 50 g butter (1.8 oz)
• 200 ml milk (0.85 cup)
• 3 egg yolks
• a pinch of salt

For the cream:

• 100 g butter (3.5 oz)
• 100 g sugar (3.5 oz)
• 2 tbsp homemade vanilla sugar
• raisins, walnuts, coconut (optional)

For the topping:

• 100 ml milk (0.4 cup)
• 2 tbsp vanilla sugar

More similar sweet rolls:

1. Cinnamon apple rolls
2. Pistachio rolls
3. Raspberry yeast rolls

Instructions

1. Warm the milk slightly, add a bit of sugar and the yeast. Let it activate, then knead into a soft dough with the remaining ingredients. Let rise for about 1.5 hours in a warm place.
2. For the cream, whisk the butter with sugar and vanilla sugar until fluffy.
3. Roll the dough out to about 0.5 cm (0.2 inch) thickness, spread the cream evenly, sprinkle nuts and raisins, then roll tightly.
4. Cut into slices about two finger-widths thick and place them close together in a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
5. Let rise for another 30 minutes, then bake at medium heat.
6. Before finishing baking, pour warm vanilla milk over it and return to the oven for a few minutes to absorb the flavor.