Now that Thanksgiving has passed, it is time for the sweet stuff. How does an ice cream stuffed pastry sound? We discovered a local place that serves Hungarian inspired treats with a twist. We got the inside scoop on the treats in Dearborn that are ready for takeout.
Ali Abdallah, owner of House of Chimney Cakes, joined Jason Carr to talk about the pastry parlor.
Abdallah says the chimney cake is an old Hungarian sweet bread recipe that dates back over 300 years that has a “crispy-crunchy” outside and a “soft-n-fluffy” inside. He said it is best described as a donut, croissant and a churro mixed.
Abdallah said he and his wife are both big fans of Detroit, and big fans dessert, and wanted to bring something unique to the city. He said they were inspired by the chimney cake, a dessert they found in Prague, and after doing some homework they found several variations in the U.S., but nothing like what the House of Chimney Cakes had to offer. Usually, chimney cakes are best known throughout Eastern Europe served as is, he said, buy they took it to the next level and added beautiful ice cream, dole-whip, custard, and mousse.
The chimney cakes stem from the stovepipe cake, Abdallah said, adding that they stick it in the oven which turns like a rotisserie while being baked. He said once the pastry is taken out of the oven and put on the plate to cool off, it steams like a “hot chimney.”
Each chimney cake is custom made and Abdallah said all the ingredients are unique. He said their ice cream is reduced fat, vegan, non-dairy, and has the same texture and taste as the Disney World ice cream. He also said Omar Lara, the master chef in California, put together a bunch of ingredients that come together and taste delicious.
House of Chimney Cakes is located at 22737 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48124.
Watch the video above for the full interview.