Eastern European Chocolate Dessert Recipes

This decadent Hungarian trifle recipe is known as somloi galuska (shom-loh-ee gah-LOOSH-kah), and is made with three different-flavored sponge cakes, pastry cream, raisins, walnuts, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream.

This flourless chocolate cake recipe is perfect anytime but especially for Passover because it contains no flour, which, along with other leavening agents, is forbidden by the Torah during the eight days of Passover.

Hungarian Esterhazy torte is a rich dessert consisting of chocolate buttercream sandwiched between four layers of sponge cake. It is purportedly named after 19th-century Prince Esterhazy of Hungary, whose was related to Austrian royalty (and all their fabulous desserts!).

Eastern Europeans are huge chocolate and coffee fans. And in a show of national pride, they will argue that theirs are far superior to any other country's. This easy, three-ingredient recipe for rich, dark chocolate truffles packs a double kick of caffeine. A couple of these with, perhaps, some chocolate-dipped strawberries and you have a decadent dessert.

Dobosh Torte, also known as drum torte, is a rich Hungarian sponge cake consisting of seven layers filled with rich chocolate buttercream and topped with caramel. It was invented by and named after Hungarian (some say he was Austrian) pastry chef Jozsef C. Dobos in 1884.

This is another example of a cross-cultural dessert that uses Eastern Europe's bounty of almonds. The top can be gussied up with chocolate ganache and chocolate-dipped strawberries.

This is an easy no-cook, no-bake dessert that the kids can help make. This would make a terrific edible gift especially if wrapped in a pretty box.

This traditional recipe for Hungarian Chocolate Mousse Cake has a delightful history. Rigo Jancsi was a famous Hungarian gypsy violinist. In 1896 while in Paris, Jancsi played for Prince Josef and Princess Klara. Fascinated by his swarthy good looks, she fell in love. Klara left her husband and children to follow Jancsi who divorced his wife. The affair didn't last but the cake Rigo created with a confectioner in Klara's honor did.

This chocolate babka recipe was appropriated from the Poles by Eastern European or Ashkenazi Jews. As with most recipes, changes were made over the years. Instead of being baked in a swirly babka pan the Poles use, most Jewish people bake it in a loaf pan and, often, add a streusel topping. It's a delicious, rich version that is most commonly made in chocolate, cinnamon and almond varieties and, in my opinion, surpasses most Polish babkas I've tasted.