Japanese pancakes or souffle pancakes as they are also known, are wonderful. You may have seen them on social media for sure. They became really famous because they are thick and fluffy. Thicker than the usual pancake or hot cake, we, are used to. They have that really soft texture, and they feel almost like jello. If you ask me, they seem really similar to the castella cake. Which you have to go check out.

Moreover, these type of pancakes are, from what we know, a famous pastry or dessert in Japan. They are sold as street food there, and are very traditional. And now, they have suddenly become famous all over the internet, on all social platforms, because they look so good, fluffy and fun. Their texture is really soft, and airy, and have a neutral flavor to them, which makes them great to eat with jams, honey, fruit and any other toppings you like.

So, if you like you pancakes to be fluffy, or you find our castella cake good, then you have to give these a try. You will for sure love them then!

Some other toppings I think would go great with these pancakes are: butter, honey, maple syrup, whipped cream, all types of fruits, condensed milk, chocolate syrup, cream cheese, peanut butter, dulce de leche, and some pieces of cookies even!

I would say, the hardest part about making these pancakes is cooking them. They are delicate and you have to get used to they way they are made. It is worth it however.

Most people use a big round cookie cutter to make these pancakes, using the cutter as a mold. This way it is much easier to have them all look pretty and be the same size and have the same look.

We usually make them without the round cookie cutter and that’s why they are irregular and imperfect, but that is also charming. It somehow makes them look more appetizing, at least that’s our take.

If you like this recipe, you have to go see our classic hot cakes.

Japanese pancakes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

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For the batter:

• 4 eggs, big
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) whole milk
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract
• 1/2 C (65 gr) flour (preferably specialized flour for cakes or pastries)
• 1 tsp (7 gr) baking powder
• 4 tbsp (60 gr) granulated white sugar
• 1 pinch salt

To finish:

• 2 tbsp (30 gr) unsalted butter, to cook
• 4 tbsp (60 ml) water, to create vapor in the pan
• whipped cream, berries, honey, etc. for decorating

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Method

 

1. Separate the eggs and placce the egg whites in a medium size clean bowl, and the egg yolks in another medium bowl. Cover the egg whites bowl with some kitchen plastic wrap and put them in the freezer for 15 minutes.
2. Add in the milk and vanilla into the egg yolks bowl, and mix using a hand whisk for 1 minute until it turns fluffier and it is all well integrated.
3. Sift together the flour and baking powder in the same egg whites bowl, and beat for 30 minutes with a hand whisk to combine.
4. Take the egg whites out of the freezer and beat them with an electric mixer for 1 minute until they start to get fluffier.
5. Add in the sugar and salt to the egg whites little by little and mix until they start forming soft peaks for about 2 more minutes.
6. Place a big pan on the stove with a lid over medium heat so it starts to heat up. Plus, add in a third of the beaten egg whites to the egg yolks mixture and integrate using a rubber spatula.
7. Repeat this process twice more until all the egg whites are combined with the egg yolks. This process has to be made really carefully for the mixture not to deflate.
8. To cook the pancakes you will first cook half of the batter, meaning three pancakes, and each one will take about 4 tbsp in total.
9. Put about half of the butter on the pan to grease and then 3 tbsp of the mixture separately (for the three pancakes). Almost inmediately add another tbsp of batter to each pancake, trying to make them tall.
10. By nowm the surface of the pancakes will look a little dry, and this is the moment to add another tbsp of batter to each pancake. Add one water tbsp into the pan (on the empty space) to keep the pancakes moist, put the lid on and let them cook for 6-7 minutes.
11. When 2 minutes of cooking have passed, take off the lid and add another tbsp of batter trying to make tall pancakes rather than bigger on the sides. If the water has evaporated, add some more and put the lid back on again to complete the cooking time.
12. After the 6-7 minutes, carefully flip the panackes. If it feels like it is stuck wait a bit more until they feel firmer. Add another spoonful of water, cover with the lid and cook for 4-5 minutes at low temperature this time.
13. Once the pancakes are golden brown, take them off the heat and repeat this process with the remaining pancakes.
14. Serve the pancakes with some whipped cream, berries, honey or however you like them.

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