Souffle Pancakes are a popular trend in Japan, but you can recreate them in your own home. These do take more effort than your regular classic buttermilk pancakes, but they are a fun treat. The pancakes are cooked in a skillet just like regular pancakes but the batter involves a meringue, which is what makes these so much lighter.

Thick, fluffy, sweet and full of pasty softness, these are not the type of breakfasts you’ll get from your average pancake recipes. But these souffle pancakes take the word fluffy to another level. Whether they’re covered in sparks or dripping with sticky syrup, these souffle pancakes is a must try.

Ingredients:

  • 6 tbsp cake flour
  • 2 1/2 tbsp skim milk
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tbsp full fat mayonnaise or kewpie mayonnaise this is the Japanese mayonnaise
  • 3 tbsp granulated white sugar
  • 2 large eggs egg whites and egg yolks separated

Instructions;

  1. In a medium bowl, add milk, baking powder, vanilla, mayonnaise and egg yolks. Sift in cake flour using a flour sifter or fine mesh strainer.
  2. Mix with a whisk until batter is smooth and the mixture is a pale yellow.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add chilled egg whites and sugar. Make sure your mixing bowl and whisk attachment are completely clean and dry. If there is any oil, your egg whites won’t turn into a meringue.
  4. Whip on the highest speed your mixer allows, until stiff peaks form. (About 2-3 minutes.) Your meringue should be able to hold its form and if you turn the mixing bowl upside down, the meringue will not slide out.
  5. Using a spatula, scoop out one-third of the meringue and add to your egg yolk batter. Gently fold the meringue into the batter until there are no more white streaks.
  6. Make sure you start your folds from the bottom so that the batter at the bottom of the bowl doesn’t go unmixed.
  7. You need to be gentle when folding. If you mix too hard, the meringue will lose its structure. Once the meringue has been incorporated, add in another third.
  8. Fold in. And then the final third. At the end, you batter should be very light and airy, with the meringue only just incorporated to the point where there are not visible white streaks.
  9. Bring your skillet to low heat. It may take a test one to figure out where exactly you want your heat setting. For me, I turned my dial to heat setting 4 (with 10 being the highest) on my gas stove top.
  10. Once the oil and pan are hot, fill each ring mold between 1/2 to 2/3 full with batter, allowing some room for them to rise. Add 1/2 tbsp of water to each side of the pan (preferably not touching the pancakes). Close the lid and allow to cook about 3-4 minutes.
  11. Your pancakes are ready to flip when the tops look almost completely cooked and you can move the bottom of the pancakes without batter spilling out. Use a spatula or turner to flip the pancakes.
  12. Cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes until pancakes are completely cooked and golden brown on both top and bottom. Place pancakes onto a plate.
  13. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm with syrup, powdered sugar, whipped cream, fruit, or other toppings of your choice.