This year, the chestnut and apricot chocolate dessert from Cocó7 Chocolate Shop and Workshop has been crowned Budapest’s Dessert of the Year. The winning treat will be available for the public to taste for the first time at the Édes Napok Budapest festival, starting on Friday, 11 October, in front of St. Stephen’s Basilica.
Édes Napok (Sweet Days) is one of Europe’s largest festivals dedicated to chocolate and sweets, with nearly 40 exhibitors showcasing their cakes, chocolates, and other delightful creations in front of the Basilica, according to Csaba Rebrus, president of the Hungarian Chocolate and Confectionery Association (Magyar Csokoládé és Édesség Szövetség, Csésze) and the main organiser of the event, Infostart reports.
Many desserts can be tasted this Friday
Among this year’s highlights are the debut of Balaton Fagyi (Balaton Ice Cream) and Balaton Süti (Balaton Cake), as well as the opportunity to sample Demeter Chocolate Ltd.’s creation, Dubai. Additionally, chocoMe will introduce its new brand, Atelier, which stands out for completing the entire chocolate production process in-house—from sourcing the cocoa beans to roasting and refining them on-site.
The festival not only celebrates sweets but also aims to support Hungarian small and medium-sized confectionery businesses. It serves as a platform for promoting Hungarian artisanal chocolatiers, helping them strengthen their presence in the market, explained Csaba Rebrus.
He also highlighted the challenges currently facing the Hungarian confectionery industry, noting significant price increases for essential ingredients like cocoa beans, coupled with rising energy and labour costs. Despite these hurdles, local chocolatiers continue to achieve international success, even though the industry receives no direct government subsidies. Unfortunately, many pastry shops have seen a decline in business during these challenging times.
The winning creation: Budapest’s Dessert of the Year
This year’s competition, which was invitation-only, was judged by a panel of five experts. Cocó7 Chocolate Shop and Workshop emerged as the winner of Budapest’s Dessert of the Year. According to Bernadett Bretz, the head of Cocó7, the goal was to use only the highest-quality ingredients in their creation. The dessert consists of a brownie-like sponge cake made with chocolate and butter, topped with a creamy dark chocolate layer and a light, rum-flavoured chestnut cream, all set on a crunchy almond base. Inside the dessert is an apricot jelly spiced with vanilla, cloves, and cinnamon for an added twist. The finishing touch is a smooth chocolate coating and a small chestnut ball placed on top.
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