Make fluffy Japanese soufflé pancakes from scratch, with or without a pancake mold!
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (35g) plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- ¼ cup (55g) caster sugar
- Vegetable oil for greasing
- Water for steaming
- Icing sugar, maple syrup and berries, to serve
Method
- Separate eggs and place egg whites into a large mixing bowl. Chill in refrigerator for as long as possible
- Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks, milk and vanilla together until thick and frothy. Sift in flour and baking powder and whisk until it forms a thick batter. Set aside
- Place egg whites and cream of tartar into the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on medium speed until frothy and eggs turn a pale colour
- Gradually add sugar, a little at a time until egg whites become firm, glossy and forms stiff peaks
- Whisk ⅓ of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and mix well to loosen batter. Add remaining egg white in two batches, whisking gently to avoid over beating. Batter should be thick and airy
- Heat frying pan on the smallest hob over low heat for 10 minutes. This is to saturate the frying pan with even heat
- RING METHOD: Brush pan and the inside of three (7cm diameter x 5cm high) metal rings with vegetable oil. Rub off excess with paper towel
- Cooking with 2 or 3 rings at a time, spoon approx. ⅓ cup of batter into each ring. Cover with lid and set timer to 2 minutes. Uncover and add 2 tsp of water into the empty spaces of the pan. Recover and cook for a further 3 minutes or until bubbles start to appear on the top
- Using an offset spatula or egg flip, turn pancakes over and add another 2 tsp of water to pan. Cover again and cook a further 2-3 minutes, until mixture just starts pulling away from the side of ring. Remove and transfer to serving plate and remove rings. Repeat with remaining batter
- ICE CREAM SCOOP METHOD: Brush heated pan with oil and wipe off excess with paper towel. Spoon a large ice cream scoop of batter into pan. Flatten top. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add another smaller scoop on top. Cover again and cook for 2 minutes. Turn over and cover to finish cooking, approx. 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter
- Serve immediately dusted with icing sugar, maple syrup and berries
