Ok, so I know over the past couple months you’ve seen these ultra fluffy pancakes all around social media — or at least I have — and ever since I’ve been thinking that I needed to take a stab at making them, so that’s what we’re talking about today! Japanese soufflé Pancakes with a pumpkin twist!
Now at first I thought that maybe these pancake recipes were just using some extra leavening power (like baking powder) but then after doing a bit of research, I discovered that a lot of the recipe called for whipped egg whites to provide the lift. *ding-ding* Pancake Soufflés? Yes please.
I mean it makes sense right? The word soufflé in French is a derivative of the word souffler which means “to breathe” or “to puff” which is exactly what these little babies do. Now, the trickiest part about making soufflés — or these puffy pancakes is not necessarily the beating and folding of the egg whites into the batter (though that can be challenging) its the baking/cooking in little rings that can pose a challenge.
Basically you want to grease your baking rings very well and then allow the batter to “set” in the ring before you flip the pancake….while it’s still inside the ring.
Step by step how-to:
- Prep your cooking surface and rings (pictured above) with non-stick spray
- Place ring on cooking surface and fill with 1/4 cup of pancake batter
- Cook for 2 minutes, or until the pancake is puffed and the bottom is set
- Flip the pancake by sliding your spatula under *both* the ring and the pancake.
- Allow the base of the pancake to set (about 30 seconds) then carefully remove the baking ring (it should just slide up and off) and set aside.
- Finish cooking your pancake and store in a warm oven until ready to eat.
Boom! Super easy when you break it down like that right? Honestly, if you don’t have baking rings, you can always make these pancakes with out it. They will still have some height, they just wont be able to “puff” as much during cooking. Still taste delicious though.
So I hope you have fun giving these Japanese soufflé Pancakes a go in your own kitchen! #souffleallday!
Happy Baking!
XO,
Danielle
Fluffy Pumpkin Pie Pancakes (Japanese Style Pancakes)
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 Greek Yogurt
- 1/3 Cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 3 large egg yolks room temperature
- 3 large egg whites room temperature
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
Directions:
- Separate your egg whites from the egg yolks. Set the whites aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder
- In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, yogurt, pumpkin, vanilla, and egg yolks just until smooth. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with a hand mixer or a stand mixer on medium speed. Once the egg whites are beginning to thicken, slowly stream the sugar into the egg whites with the mixer still running. Beat the egg whites to almost stiff peaks. Note: The egg whites MUST be holding stiff peaks, i.e. the whites stand up on the beaters — if not, whip them some more.
- Add about one quarter of the egg white mixture into the pancake batter and stir it in completely using a rubber spatula. This will lighten the batter and make it easier to fold in the rest of the whites. Add half of the remaining egg whites into the batter and gently fold the whites in, using the rubber spatula, being careful not to deflate the air out of them. Add the remaining egg whites and fold in again gently until there are no visible white streaks.
- Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Liberally grease the skillet and your baking rings with no stick spray. Pour about 1/4-1/3 cup batter per cake into each ring and gently spread the batter out to a circle with the back of a spoon or measuring cup. Cook for about 2 minutes. Flip the cakes once and cook until lightly browned on the other side. Keep warm in a 200F oven if not serving immediately.
- Serve with all your favorite toppings: pumpkin pie granola, maple syrup, honey, whatever you want! and enjoy.
These look fantastic, but with my herd I need to make a ton- can you keep and reheat them if I make too many?
Hi Jennifer! If you’re feed a crowd, you can certainly keep them warm in the oven (about 200 def F) for around 30 minutes without too much loss in “puff”. They can also be refrigerated for a few days and re-warmed. They may lose some of the puff, but not too much. I hope that helps!
Thank you! They were a big hit
Thank you Jennifer! I’m so glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Can the pumpkin pancakes be frozen?
Hi Judy — I think that these pancakes would lose a lot of texture if they were frozen. They are best the day that they are made. I hope that helps!