Æbleskiver - Aebleskiver - Apple Slices - American pancakes - pancake cake

Name: Æbleskiver - Aebleskiver - Apple Slices - American pancakes - pancake cake
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min

October 30, 2024

Prep 10 min Total 25 min

Aebleskiver and american pancakes from the same batter. © kvalifood.com

Video Recipe - Classic Nordic food. A round cake baked in a special pan, that all Scandinavians know and love. At least all Danes. Good with both icing sugar, jam or syrup. The same recipe can be used to make the small thick American pancakes you always see eaten on tv and films. You can also use it to make a layer cake with.

Ingredients

240 g flour (4 dl) (Substitute 120 g almond flour + 120 g corn flour for gluten-free)
1/4 tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
4 dl buttermilk
1 tsp grated lemon zest
3 eggs
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vanilla sugar (or a dash of vanilla extract)(can be omitted)
1 tsp lemon juice (can be omitted)

for frying

clarified butter, butter or ghee (not oil)

Directions

Separate the egg whites into a mixing bowl. Put the yolks into another large bowl.

Add the lemon juice and sugar with the whites.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in another bowl and stir well to form a thick uniform dough.

Beat the whites with the sugar and lemon juice until completely stiff.

Fold the whites into the batter.

Fry the æbleskiver at medium heat.

Fill the holes in the pan up to three quarters.

You should use about ½ tsp butter and ½ dl (¼ cup) batter for each æbleskive.

When the edges start firming up, and you can turn them without them breaking, turn them the first time and let the rest of the batter go to the bottom.

When the whole æbleskive has solid a surface, turn them regularly until they are golden and crisp all over.

Aebleskiver with Rose hip jam. © kvalifood.com

Directions: American pancakes

Mix the dough as for æbleskiver.

Fry them on a regular frying pan over medium heat.

The pancakes should be about 5-10 cm (2-4 inches) in width. Use just over ½ dl (¼ cup) (3-4 ttbsp) batter per pancake. The dough is a little thick, so they do not float as much as crepes. It also means that you can just pour the batter into the pan, then they get the right thickness by themselves.

Fry on one side until the bubbles that appears at the edge of the dough sets, and do not disappear again.

Then turn them over and fry them until golden on the other side too.

American pancakes with butter and maple syrup. © kvalifood.com

Directions: “pancake layer cake”

Add 1 cup extra buttermilk extra so it is easier for the dough to flow out and fill up the entire frying pan.
¼ - ½ liter (1-2 cups) jam for between the layers. (You can use whatever you want. Like nutella or other sweet creamy filling you prefer.)
2½ dl (1 cup) heavy whipping cream, or 2 dl (1 cup) icing sugar + 1 tbsp water, for glaze.

Mix the dough as for æbleskiver. However, there is not really any good reason to whip the egg whites separately and fold them in. Just mix the wet stuff first and then add the flour and baking soda in the end.

Fry at medium heat as pancakes which covers the whole frying pan.

Use about 1½-2 dl (½-1 cup) batter per pancake. It provides approximately 6 pancakes with a medium sized frying pan.

Let the pancakes cool.

Stack the pancakes layered with jam or other filling.

Whip the cream and cover the cake. This is my favorite!

or:

Pipe a thick glaze of icing sugar and water and place them on top of the top pancake.

Gluten free

Here is a portion Æbleskiver I made gluten-free. Instead of 240 g wheat flour, I used 120 g almond flour and 120 g corn flour. They were actually a bit better than normal the regular version.

Layer cakes made from pancakes. © kvalifood.com

Notes

Personally, I believe that “American pancakes” were developed by Scandinavians who could not bring an æbleskive pan with them to the United States when they emigrated, and therefore had to use a regular frying pan. In any case it is the exact same type of batter that is used.

Because this batter makes quite airy pancakes it is also the best pancake batter for layer cake pancakes.

It is not absolutely necessary to use buttermilk. Yogurt, sour milk, skyr, etc.. works just as well. Just mix it with a some whole milk so the dough does not get too thick.