Ingredients you will need
- Eggs – The main ingredient give our Japanese soufflé pancakes their fluffiness. The eggs will be separated into whites (for the meringue) and yolks (for the rest of the batter).
- Milk – We recommend whole milk for best flavor.
- All-purpose flour – To give our pancakes a little bit of chew for a balanced texture.
- Baking powder – Just a small amount to help the pancakes rise a little higher.
- Vanilla extract – A recommended flavoring extract, but who doesn’t like vanilla pancakes?!
- Sugar – To sweeten the pancakes, but also make the egg white meringue stronger and to keep it stable a little longer. Make sure to use regular granulated sugar or caster sugar so that the sugar dissolved properly.
- Vinegar – A small amount of acid helps to stabilize the egg whites when making meringue. You could also substitute white vinegar with equal amounts of fresh lemon juice or a small amount of Cream of tartar.
How to make these jiggly Japanese soufflé pancakes
Make the soufflé pancake batter:
1. Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into separate mixing bowl. Make sure to not break the yolk!
2. Into the egg yolks, add the milk and vanilla and whisk briefly until combined. Then, sift in the flour and baking powder. Whisk until no more dry flour is visible and everything is well combined. Set aside until needed.
3. Into the egg whites, add the vinegar or lemon juice. With a hand mixer, beat on medium speed until completely frothy. Then, add the sugar a little at a time while mixing.
4. Once all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to medium high and beat the egg white until it reaches stiff peak.
5. Add ⅓ of the stiff peak meringue into the egg yolk batter. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the meringue into the batter until evenly combined and no more streaks are visible.
Cook the pancakes:
1. Heat a large nonstick pan over low heat and lightly grease the pan with oil.
🌟 Pro tip: Pick a good nonstick that has tall walls with a lid or a pan like a nonstick crepe pan with a heatproof bowl that can cover it completely. If the pan isn’t tall enough, the pancakes will rise and touch the lid when they cook. Also, use a paper towel to wipe and evenly spread the oil to prevent the pancake from getting oil blotches.
2. Portion the batter into the pan to make two to 3 pancakes by either scooping the batter with the spoon or cookie scoop or pipping the batter into a mound with the pipping bag. Read more below under the “best tool to use for shaping soufflé pancakes” topic.
3. Cover the pan with a lid or heatproof bowl and let the pancakes cook for about 7 to 8 minutes, until the bottom side is golden brown. Gently flip the pancakes and recover the lid. Let the pancakes cook for another 5 to 6 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
🚨 Caution: If using a bowl, make sure it is heatproof and make sure to use kitchen mitts to uncover! The bowl will be super hot!
4. Serve the pancakes immediately with sweetened whipped cream, assorted fruits, powdered sugar, and/or maple syrup.
Recipe tips
- Don’t over mix the meringue. Over mixing the meringue will deflate the batter and give you flat, deflated pancakes.
- Measure the flour properly. The ratio of liquid to flour is important so that the right batter consistency can be achieved. So when measuring flour, use a scale for the best accuracy, or fluff up the flour, spoon it into the dry measuring cup, and level the flour with a flat edge. Don’t tap or shake the flour.
- Cook in a good nonstick pan on low heat. You want a nonstick pan so the pancakes don’t stick and cook on low so the pancakes don’t get too dark. The ideal temperature to cook on is between 285°F and 320°F (140°C to 160°C).
- Be gentle when flipping the pancakes. The pancakes are quite fragile and can tear easily. It will not completely deflate the pancakes if there is a tear, but it will shrink them a little.
