Hungarian Sweet Pancakes (Palacsinta)

By
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/15/21
Hungarian Sweet Pancakes
Pannonia / Getty Images
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Yield: 16 crepes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
80 Calories
3g Fat
10g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 80
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 4%
Saturated Fat 2g 8%
Cholesterol 40mg 13%
Sodium 98mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 10g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 3mg 13%
Calcium 26mg 2%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 55mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Hungarian palascinta are paper-thin pancakes served rolled or folded into triangles with fruit fillings, ground nuts, or whipped cream. When they are stacked to form a cake, it is called rakott palacsinta.

Palacsinta are similar to French crepes, Polish naleśniki, and Croatian/Serbian palacinke, among others. This recipe is for sweet fillings. Palacsinta recipes can also be made savory. They're not meant to be eaten for breakfast, and they're so thin that they're nothing like traditional American pancakes. Instead, it's more common to eat palacsinta for dessert, late at night, or as a snack.

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs, beaten

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • 1/3 cup club soda

  • 1/3 cup orange juice

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

  • Confectioners' sugar, optional, for dusting

Steps to Make It

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, club soda, and orange juice. Stir in flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract to form a smooth batter.

  2. Heat 1 teaspoon butter in an 8-inch skillet. Use a small ladle to add enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan in a thin, even layer, rotating pan as needed to cover.

  3. Cook for 2 minutes on the first side and 1 1/2 minutes on the second side or until the pancake is lightly browned. Remove and keep warm while cooking the rest of the pancakes with the remainder of the butter and batter.

  4. Fill with any combination of fruit preserves, sugared ground nuts, whipped cream and fresh fruit, pie filling, etc., and roll or fold into triangles. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve with a dollop of whipped cream, a grating of chocolate, or a fruit, custard, or chocolate sauce, if desired.

  5. Enjoy.

Variations

This palacsinta recipe can be made in a multitude of ways. Some sweet options include apricot, strawberry or blueberry jam. You could also try applesauce with cinnamon, along with ground walnuts or cocoa powder. Sometimes these pancakes are served filled with cottage cheese, some lemon zest, and dusted with confectioners' sugar.


For a savory approach, sometimes these are filled with minced veal in a paprika sauce with sour cream, scrambled eggs and mushrooms, seafood, and vegetables.

How to Store Hungarian Palacsinta

These are best eaten as soon as they are made, but if you do have a few left over, lay them flat in between waxed paper and then place them in a zip-close bag in the refrigerator. Reheat over medium-low in a skillet, quickly but carefully flipping them to avoid burning.