European Cakes

Traditional European Cakes & Pastries

Discover our carefully selected range of traditional European cakes, pastries and desserts, bringing together some of the most distinctive baking traditions of Central and Eastern Europe.

From Viennese Sachertorte and Austrian Ischler to Hungarian zserbó and bejgli, Polish makowiec, Slovak makovnik and Czech-made Marlenka honey cake, the collection reflects a part of Europe where culinary traditions have crossed modern national borders for centuries.

Many of these cakes share familiar ingredients such as poppy seeds, walnuts, apricot preserves, honey, chocolate and dried fruit, yet each country has developed its own names, customs and favourite ways of serving them.

A Shared Central European Baking Tradition

The borders of Central Europe have changed repeatedly over the centuries, but recipes have always travelled more freely. The Habsburg and Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, in particular, connected Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Bratislava, Zagreb, and many other cities within a shared cultural and culinary world.

This helps explain why closely related cakes and pastries can appear in Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Romania, Poland and Germany under different names and with small regional variations.

Our European cakes collection celebrates both their individual identities and the culinary connections between them.

Austrian Cakes & Viennese Patisserie

Austria has one of Europe’s best-known coffee-house and cake traditions, with Vienna particularly associated with rich chocolate cakes, fruit preserves, biscuits and elegant pastries.

Our range includes Sachertorte, the famous Viennese chocolate and apricot cake, alongside Ischler and Linzer.

The collection also includes Mohnstrudel, a poppy seed-filled roll familiar across Austria and the German-speaking regions of Central Europe.

Explore these traditions in more detail in our Austrian cakes collection.

Hungarian Cakes & Patisserie

Hungarian patisserie developed within this same Central European world while developing unmistakable traditions of its own.

Zserbó combines layers of pastry with ground walnuts and apricot preserve beneath a dark chocolate topping, while the collection also includes an assorted Hungarian Cake Selection Box featuring traditional miniature cakes and biscuits.

Many of our Hungarian cakes are made by Nándori Cukrászda, a long-established artisan Budapest patisserie that Best of Hungary founder Monika Gyenes selected after tasting cakes and pastries from several Hungarian confectioneries.

Explore the wider selection in our Hungarian cakes and pastries collection.

Bejgli – Hungary’s Famous Festive Roll

Perhaps no Hungarian pastry is more closely associated with Christmas than bejgli, the distinctive rolled pastry traditionally filled with either poppy seed or walnut.

Our classic Mákos Bejgli is generously filled with ground poppy seeds, while Diós Bejgli combines ground walnuts with golden raisins and candied citrus peel.

Nándori also produces a distinctive Plum Bejgli, filled with plum preserve and pieces of dried plum soaked in Zwack Unicum, as well as its own contemporary Bejgli Cake.

Explore the history, varieties and festive traditions behind them in our dedicated bejgli collection.

Great Taste Award-Winning Cakes

Our Bejgli Cake received 1 Star at the 2026 Great Taste Awards, providing independent recognition of its flavour and overall quality.

View Best of Hungary’s Great Taste-recognised products in the official Guild of Fine Food directory.

Poppy Seed Rolls Across Europe

Few pastries illustrate Europe’s shared culinary heritage better than the poppy seed roll.

Richly filled rolls of soft pastry and ground poppy seeds are traditional across much of Central and Eastern Europe, but their names vary by country.

• Mákos Bejgli – the traditional Hungarian poppy seed roll.
• Makowiec – the familiar Polish poppy seed cake or roll.
• Mohnstrudel – the German and Austrian poppy seed strudel.
• Makovnik – a traditional Slovak poppy seed roll.
• Baigli cu Mac – a Romanian name for a poppy seed-filled festive roll.
• Makový Závin – the traditional Czech poppy seed roll.
• Makovnjača – a Croatian poppy seed pastry also known as štrudla sa makom.

The similarities are no accident. Poppy seeds have been used throughout the region for generations, particularly in festive baking, and variations of the filled roll travelled readily between neighbouring communities.

Offering these regional names also allows customers from different Central and Eastern European backgrounds to find a pastry they recognise from their own family traditions.

Chocolate Babka

The collection extends further east with Chocolate Babka, a soft braided sweet bread associated particularly with Eastern European baking traditions.

Its rich chocolate and hazelnut filling and distinctive twisted form set it apart from rolled poppy seed pastries, while its popularity in modern Central European café culture makes it a natural addition to the collection.

Marlenka – Armenian Heritage, Made in the Czech Republic

European baking is not only a story of national recipes; it has also been shaped by families bringing their culinary traditions with them across borders. Marlenka is a particularly good example.

Marlenka is based on an old Armenian family honey cake recipe and has been produced in the Czech Republic since the early 2000s. Gevorg Avetisjan founded the business and brought his family’s cake to his new home in the Czech Republic.

The result has become a modern Central European favourite, built around multiple soft layers of honey cake and creamy filling.

Our selection includes Marlenka Honey Cake, Marlenka Cocoa Cake and Marlenka Honey Nuggets, which turn the characteristic honey, walnut and cream flavours into convenient bite-sized treats.

Explore the story and complete range in our dedicated Marlenka collection.

Personally Selected for Best of Hungary

Our European cake range has grown naturally from our original focus on Hungarian food.

Founder Monika Gyenes began by selecting traditional Hungarian cakes from Nándori Cukrászda after tasting products from several patisseries across Hungary. From there, the range expanded into Austrian classics and neighbouring Central European pastries that share much of the same culinary history.

We added marlenka as another established Central European favourite, bringing a different family tradition and Czech connection to the collection.

Made to Travel Well

Not every delicate European patisserie product is suitable for nationwide delivery, so transport suitability is an important part of our selection process.

We favour cakes and pastries that can be packed securely and retain their flavour, texture and presentation well after leaving the bakery, giving customers time to enjoy them at home or share them with family and friends.

Carefully Packed for UK Delivery

Our experienced team packs our cakes and pastries by hand at our Aberystwyth warehouse, led by Abe and Chris, with particular attention to protecting delicate bakery products during transit.

We send orders via Royal Mail Tracked 24, so you can track your parcel after dispatch.

During warmer weather, including summer heatwaves, we use refrigerated cold packs and thermally insulated packaging where necessary to help protect chocolate-covered and temperature-sensitive products during delivery.

Read more about our UK delivery and protective packaging.

Explore Hungarian & European Desserts

If you would like to explore beyond cakes and pastries, our Hungarian desserts collection brings together a wider selection of chocolates, confectionery and sweet specialities alongside traditional cakes.

Buy European Cakes Online in the UK

Explore our range of European cakes and traditional pastries.

Whether you are looking for a familiar cake from home, discovering the shared baking traditions of Central Europe or choosing something distinctive for afternoon tea, Christmas or a gift, our collection brings some of Europe’s most characteristic cakes and pastries directly to your table.