Fluffy Japanese Soufflé Pancakes For A Unique Spin On The Breakfast Fave

You might have seen these sky-high, fluffy Japanese pancakes all over social media and wondered just how these incredible looking pancakes are made. While they are a bit more involved than flat pancakes, these soufflé pancakes are achievable with patience and care. Best of all, your hard work will come with a delicious final product.

What You Need

2 large egg yolks

3 large egg whites

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 zested lemon

1/4 cup AP flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

3 1/2 teaspoons powdered sugar

neutral-tasting oil

2 tablespoons water

softened butter

maple syrup

What To Do

In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks, milk, almond extract, and lemon zest together. Once combined, add in the flour and salt and continue whisking until the mixture is smooth. Set aside for now.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites and lemon juice and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is frothy. Add in the cream of tartar without stopping the mixer. Once the egg whites have become more frothy than liquid, stop the mixer and then scrape down the sides, making sure the cream of tartar has all been mixed in.

Start the mixer again on medium high speed and then slowly add in the powdered sugar until the meringue has reached stiff peaks, which should take about 10 minutes or so. You have to be very patient at this point, and you can tell the meringue is finished when it looks like it has a marshmallow consistency.

Add the meringue is whipping, set up 4 ring molds by wiping the insides with oil. Put the rings in a large skillet over low heat. Grease the pan but make sure to wipe away any excess oil. The pan needs to be warm enough to set the pancakes but not too hot to evaporate water.

Add in about 1/3 of the meringue into the egg yolk mixture and gently fold until incorporated. Add the rest of the meringue in and fold gently until everything is just combined and you don’t see any more streaks.

When the pan is warm, add batter into the ring molds. Make sure the batter is near the top but not overly filled since it will expand.

Add a tablespoon of water around the pan and then cover it with a lid. The pancakes should cook undisturbed for about 8 minutes or until the water has evaporated and the bottom of the pancake has become light golden brown.

Carefully flip the pancake in the ring and add a second tablespoon of water to the pan. Cover and cook the pancakes for an addition 5-6 minutes. After they have finished fully cooking, remove them gently from the ring molds using silicone tongs to help you.

If they don’t release immediately, you can run a butter knife around the mold and jiggle it out. Trim any extra of the pancakes with the butter knife and serve immediately with softened butter and maple syrup.