Sharon Hsu
The first time I tried Japanese pancakes, I was so impressed with how light and airy they were. It felt like I was biting into a fluffy cloud! There’s something just so magically fun about how they jiggle and melt in my mouth. Not too sweet and a fun, fancy treat to make, I love to add this to my rotation of breakfast recipes (or desserts!) to make for my husband. The fluffiest pancake you’ll ever make, these are definitely a treat you’ll want to make to impress someone with your pancake skills! The texture is similar to a chiffon cake and once you get the technique down for making them, regular pancakes just won’t cut it anymore. xoxoxo- SharonA note from Kat: These pancakes are notoriously difficult to perfect at home, so don't despair if they fail at first. There are a few things to note, the stovetop heat needs to be low, like the lowest setting. And you need to be patient. For example, opening the lid too much can deflate the pancakes. Flipping the pancakes before they cook through can immediately cause them to collapse. But once you perfect these pancakes, you'll impress all the cuties in your life!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- salt
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or ½ teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Instructions
- 1
Grease a large frying pan lightly with melted butter or neutral oil. (You can wipe the pan gently with a clean paper towel if you had added too much oil or butter.)
- 2
Whisk all the pancake batter ingredients together in a mixing bowl until combined and smooth, then set aside.
- 3
Make the meringue in a medium separate bowl. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar or white vinegar until frothy. Then whip in the sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form, at least 10 minutes by hand, and about 6 to 8 minutes using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- 4
Heat the pan on low heat as you assemble the pancake batter.
- 5
Add a third of the meringue to the pancake batter and gently fold, using a rubber spatula, until combined. Fold in the rest of the meringue into the batter. The final batter should be fluffy, airy, and smooth, like melted ice cream.
- 6
Keep the pan on low to medium-low heat. Transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. (Tip: Instead of a piping bag, you can use a cookie scoop or large spoon to scoop the batter onto the pan. Using a 3-inch greased circular cookie cutter helps to keep a neat shape.)
- 7
Pipe three even pancakes, about 3-inches each in diameter and pipe the batter high but lower than your pan lid. Space them apart as they’ll spread when cooking. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of water onto the pan, surrounding the pancakes to steam. Cover the pan with a high top lid and cook for five to seven minutes. The pancakes are ready to flip when the bottom edges are less glossy and bottoms are slightly browned.
- 8
Remove the lid slowly and carefully but quickly flip the pancakes. Using a thin spatula is key! Drizzle the rest of the water around the pancakes and cook for another five to seven minutes until both sides are golden brown.
- 9
Remove pancakes from the pan. Plate and garnish with your favorite toppings. They will deflate a little bit but should still have most of their height. I love topping with powdered sugar, a little butter, and kokuto (Japanese black sugar) syrup!