Hungarian Gerbeaud Pie with Nut-Apricot Filling & Chocolate Glaze

Delicious pie with nut-apricot filling and chocolate icing! The recipe for this pie was invented by the famous Hungarian pastry chef Emil Gerbaud back in the 18th century. It has survived to this day in different versions. But the filling should always contain nuts and apricot jam (or jam), and the glaze should contain chocolate and cream. The dough in this pie is unusual. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that both yeast and baking powder are used. Reminiscent of shortbread, but very tender and airy, like yeast. Doesnʼt get stale at all. The process of making the pie is also interesting. And the taste is simply unforgettable!
cook time: 2h 30 min
Isla Thatcher
Hungarian Gerbeaud Pie with Nut-Apricot Filling & Chocolate Glaze

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

398
Calories
21g
Fat
43g
Carbs
6g
Protein

Ingredients (15 portions)

For dough:

Margarine 250 g
Wheat flour 500 g
Dry yeast 4 g
Sugar 100 g
Baking powder 4 g
Chicken eggs 1 pc
Milk 100 g

For filling:

Dried apricots 200 g
Walnuts 250 g
Jam 400 g
Wheat flour 50 g

For the glaze:

Dark chocolate 200 g
Cream 80 ml
Cognac 1 tbsp

Recipe instructions

Step 1

Step 1
Ingredients for making dough: flour, sugar, margarine, egg, dry yeast, baking powder. Margarine should be soft.

Step 2

Step 2
In 100 ml. We dilute 4 grams of warm milk. dry yeast. We leave it aside for a while.

Step 3

Step 3
Sift 500 gr. flour. Mix with sugar (100 g) and baking powder (4 g).

Step 4

Step 4
250 gr. Cut margarine into pieces and place in a bowl with flour.

Step 5

Step 5
Grind into crumbs. This is done very easily with a fork.

Step 6

Step 6
Add an egg. Mix.

Step 7

Step 7
Pour in the yeast and milk and knead into a soft dough.

Step 8

Step 8
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts (it’s better to do this using a scale), put each bun in a plastic bag and put it in a warm place for 1 hour.

Step 9

Step 9
While the dough is resting, letʼs make the filling. For it we need: walnuts, dried apricots, apricot jam or jam, flour and sugar (if the jam is sour). I didnʼt add sugar. Some recipes use raisins instead of dried apricots. But the taste will be completely different. It’s still better to take dried apricots. The jam is apricot.

Step 10

Step 10
200 gr. Wash dried apricots and pour boiling water for 15-20 minutes.

Step 11

Step 11
250 gr. Lightly fry the peeled walnut kernels in a dry frying pan, stirring constantly. Let it cool.

Step 12

Step 12
50 gr. fry flour in another frying pan until beige.

Step 13

Step 13
Now you can drain the water from the bowl with dried apricots and place it on a paper towel.

Step 14

Step 14
If possible, separate the nuts from the husk by rubbing them with your hands. Sometimes the husk produces bitterness in baked goods. Grind, but not finely.

Step 15

Step 15
Combine chopped nuts and fried flour. Mix and crush with a wooden pestle. It is necessary for the nuts to release oil and for the flour to absorb it. The process is very desirable. But, to be honest, I forgot to do this, and in some places in the pie I felt a little flour in the filling. So I advise you not to neglect this step.

Step 16

Step 16
Cut dried apricots into pieces.

Step 17

Step 17
Now we take a ball of dough and roll it into a rectangular layer measuring 20x30 cm. Place it on a baking sheet lined with baking paper or on a silicone mat.

Step 18

Step 18
Grease with 1/3 of the marmalade or jam. I had apricot jam and some very thick homemade jam. I mixed it all and got the right consistency. It shouldnʼt be liquid!

Step 19

Step 19
Place 1/3 of the chopped dried apricots on top.

Step 20

Step 20
Sprinkle with 1/3 of the nut mixture. In some versions of the recipe, all the filling ingredients are mixed. Then the filling is divided into parts. But in this case, the nuts and dried apricots are distributed unevenly. I chose this option. Roll out the second dough ball, place it on the filling and repeat the process.

Step 21

Step 21
There is no need to grease the top layer of dough. Prick it with a fork to prevent it from puffing up during baking and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Step 22

Step 22
Heat the oven to 180 degrees. The pie rose slightly. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Until golden brown.

Step 23

Step 23
Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool slightly on the baking sheet.

Step 24

Step 24
Making the glaze. For this we need: dark chocolate, cream and cognac. It is advisable to take heavy cream (from 30%). But I had 10%. The thickness of the glaze and the amount of time it takes to harden depend on the fat content of the cream.

Step 25

Step 25
200 gr. Break the chocolate into pieces, pour in hot cream (80 ml.) Stir until smooth.

Step 26

Step 26
Add 1 tbsp. cognac and mix well again. The result is a shiny thick mass.

Step 27

Step 27
Cover the still warm cake with hot glaze. There is no need to coat the sides. We will trim them. Once the glaze has cooled on the cake, you can apply a wave-like design. I’m somehow not good at decorating dishes, so I didn’t do it.

Step 28

Step 28
Allow the cake to cool completely and the glaze to set. I hurried and began cutting into the cake when the icing “set.” You need to let the cake sit overnight. Then the glaze will not be in the form of a thick mass, but will harden slightly. Some authors advise putting the pie in the refrigerator. I didnʼt do this. On the table overnight, the glaze hardens a little and becomes matte. Transfer the pie to a cutting board. Trim the edges.

Step 29

Step 29
Cut into pieces. I got 15 of them.

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