When people think of chimneys, they typically think of a passage for fireplace smoke. They do not typically think of a croissant-like dessert that can be filled with fruit, ice cream and other sweets.
But owner Adam Almasri has brought that dessert to Chimney Cake House, 4110 Central Ave. NE in Columbia Heights, introducing customers to a treat popular in Hungary and other parts of Eastern Europe that takes its name from the household structure.
Almasri said the pastry originated in Hungary before spreading to Georgia and other places. He said the bread, which rotates in the oven on a cylinder, was first conceived as a way to hold hot dogs.
Later, people began turning it into a dessert, coating it with cinnamon and brown sugar and pairing it with toppings such as ice cream, he said.
Once baked, the pastry is coated in brown sugar, which caramelizes and allows flavors such as pistachio, chocolate and coconut to stick to the outside, Almasri said. Sprinkles can be added as well.
Customers can order the pastry with ice cream, fruit and other toppings, or eat it plain.
Flavors sold at the shop include chocolate, hazelnut, coconut, Biscoff, pistachio and caramel, a recent addition.
The pastry gets its name from its hollow center, which resembles a chimney and leaves room for fillings such as ice cream and fruit.
Beyond chimney cakes, the shop sells fresh juices, smoothies, hot drinks, milkshakes and matcha, along with breakfast items such as mini pancakes, waffles and crepes.
It also offers karak tea, a drink popular in the Middle East, especially in Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
“It’s basically just black tea,” Almasri said. “It has more flavors, like bay leaf, cinnamon, sweet condensed milk, evaporated milk, and cardamom.”
Beyond chimney cakes, the shop also sells fresh juices, smoothies, hot drinks, milkshakes, matcha and breakfast items such as mini pancakes, waffles and crepes.
It also offers karak tea, a Middle Eastern drink made with black tea, bay leaf, cinnamon, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and cardamom, along with a cold version Almasri said was the first of its kind in Minnesota.
Other menu items include chocolate, strawberry and vanilla milkshakes, the house specialty Chimney Crunch and Dubai chocolate in several forms.
Almasri said customers are often surprised by how good the pastries taste because they look so different from a typical dessert such as an ice cream cone.