Fluffy Japanese soufflé pancakes without an electric mixer in sight! These beautifully soft and custardy pancakes are made easy by using one super simple trick – icing sugar. Perfect for pancake day or a lazy Sunday morning brunch.
I was always put off trying to make Japanese soufflé pancakes because most recipes out there recommend using an electric mixer. So if you feel the same, I understand!
It wasn’t until I watched this video by Cozy Kitchen who whipped up a meringue, by hand, in real time and it made me believe in myself to give this recipe a chance.
This recipe was quite a fun to make and I hope it inspires others to have a go! It’s funny though, after I finished this recipe I opened a cupboard and found an electric whisk I didn’t know about…
4 Tips for Making Japanese Soufflé Pancakes
- Use a weighing scale. Although the recipe includes cups and spoons, using a weighing scale is more accurate and will better the chances of achieving a fluffy pancake.
- Mix meringue first, then the egg yolk mixture after. Especially if you’re hand-whisking as the baking powder will start to react as soon as it is combined with the wet ingredients.
- Vanilla Essence. I made these pancakes without vanilla essence and it tasted like scrambled egg. If that’s what you like, go for it, but if you prefer cake-ier tasting pancakes I would highly recommend adding this ingredient.
- Experiment. Though I have tried to be as accurate with the recipe, there are variables between kitchen-to-kitchen. It might take a couple tries but practice makes perfect!
Ingredients
- 60 millilitres Double Cream (1/4 cup)
- 5 grams Icing Sugar (1/2 tablespoon – for whipped cream)
- Fruits of choice (e.g. Blueberries, Strawberries, Rasperries)
- 2 Medium Eggs (Yolks and whites separated)
- 20 millilitres Whole Milk
- 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
- 30 grams Plain Flour (approx 2 tablespoons)
- 3 grams Baking Powder (approx 1/2 teaspoon)
- 30 grams Icing/powdered Sugar (approx 2.5 tablespoons)
- Neutral Oil
How to Make Japanese Soufflé Pancakes (with Pictures)
Step by step instructions for making Japanese Soufflé Pancakes.
- Prepare toppings.
Start by measuring out 60 millilitres of double cream and sift in 1/2 a tablespoon of icing sugar. Take a whisk and mix until it is smooth and silky, or to your desired thickness. Wash and prepare the fruit toppings and set aside.
- Egg yolk, milk and vanilla essence.
Separate the egg yolks and whites of two medium sized eggs. To your egg yolks, add in 20 millilitres whole milk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence. Set aside.
- Flour and baking powder.
Measure out 30 grams plain flour and 3 grams of baking powder (approx 1/2 teaspoon). Set aside.
- Icing Sugar.
Measure out 30 grams of icing sugar (powdered sugar). Set aside.
- Start on the meringue.
Slowly start whisking the egg whites until they are foamy and have doubled in size. Sift in about a third of the icing sugar and keep whisking. Gradually add in the rest of the icing sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Stiff peaks.
This is what your meringue should look like.
- Egg yolk mixture and dry ingredients.
Take the egg yolk, milk and vanilla essence and beat until foamy. Sift in the flour and baking powder.
- Meringue and batter (part 1).
Take a third of the meringue mixture and add it to the batter. At this stage, don’t worry about being gentle. Make sure it is well combined.
- Meringue and batter (part 2).
Add in half the remaining meringue mixture and gently fold into the batter. Repeat for rest of the meringue and the final mixture should look something like this.
- Oil the pan.
Add a thin layer of neutral oil to the pan. A piece of kitchen towel is useful for this step. Start heating the pan on a very low heat.
- Form the pancakes.
Use two pans if you only have a medium pan to avoid overcrowding. Gently add in the base layer for each pancake, then rotate around them all again and add two more scoops. Make sure to save 3 more scoops worth of batter. Add a couple drops of water into the pan, being careful not to touch the pancakes.
- Cook.
Put a lid on the pan and steam/cook for about 5 minutes on a very low heat.
- Add remaining batter.
After five minutes, scoop one last spoonful of batter onto each pancake then add in a couple more drops of water.
- Cover and cook.
Cover and cook for another two minutes. The pancakes should start smelling sweet and toasty.
- Flip the pancakes.
Take a spatula and gently tease the pancakes off the pan. To flip, try and gently roll the pancakes onto the uncooked side.
- Cover and cook.
Cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until they smell toasty.
- Plate up and enjoy.
For optional garnish, sift on a little bit of icing sugar then top with the toppings you prepared earlier. Time to tuck in!
Leave a Review
I always love to know how people get on with my recipes so all feedback is welcome. You can either leave a comment a bit further down the page or contact me directly and I’ll get back you as soon as possible!
Japanese Soufflé Pancakes (No Mixer!)
Equipment
- 2 Mixing Bowls (for egg white and egg yolk)
- 1 Small bowl (for dry ingredients)
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Large pan with a lid (or two medium pans)
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
Toppings
- 60 millilitres Double Cream (1/4 cup)
- 5 grams Icing Sugar (1/2 tablespoon – for whipped cream)
- Fruits of choice (e.g. Blueberries, Strawberries, Rasperries)
Batter
- 2 Medium Eggs (Yolks and whites separated)
- 20 millilitres Whole Milk
- 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
- 30 grams Plain Flour (approx 2 tablespoons)
- 3 grams Baking Powder (approx 1/2 teaspoon)
- 30 grams Icing/powdered Sugar (approx 2.5 tablespoons)
Instructions
- A note on measurements – though I have included spoon measurements, using an electric scale is highly recommended for this recipe.
- First get the toppings ready. Start by whipping 60 millilitres of double cream with 1/2 tablespoon of icing sugar until thick and silky. Prepare the fruit and set aside.
- Starting with two medium eggs, separate the whites and the yolks into two mixing bowls. To the bowl with the yolks, add in 20 millilitres of whole milk and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla essence and set aside.
- For the dry ingredients, add 30 grams of plain flour and 3 grams of baking powder into a small bowl and set aside. For the meringue, measure out 30 grams of icing sugar into a bowl.
- Start by slowly beating the egg whites, then gradually speed up. When they are foamy and have doubled in size, sift in a third of the icing sugar. Keep beating and gradually sift in the icing sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Beat the egg yolk, milk and vanilla extract until foamy. Sift in the flour and baking powder, combine well.
- Take about a third of the meringue and add into the egg yolk mixture, make sure it is well combined. Then, add in half of the egg whites and gently fold to combine. Repeat until there is no more meringue mixture.
- Heat the pan on a very low heat and add in a thin layer of neutral oil, use a paper towel remove excess oil. If you don't have a large pan, use two pans to avoid overcrowding.
- To cook the pancake layer in one scoop of batter at a time and rotate around all three pancakes, leaving enough batter for one last scoop for each pancake. Add in a half teaspoon of water and put the lid on then cook for 5 minutes on a low heat.
- After five minutes, take off the lid and add one last scoop of batter to each pancake. Add another half teaspoon of water and close the lid and cook for 2 more minutes, or until the top has just about set.
- Take a spatula and gently tease the pancake off the pan and roll the pancake to flip. Try not to drop the pancake to flip as that will pop the air bubbles.
- Add another half teaspoon of water, cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
- Once the pancakes are done, transfer them to a plate and serve with a sprinkle of icing sugar, whipped cream and fresh berries.
