Japanese Soufflé Pancakes

Japanese soufflé pancakes are a cross between fluffy soufflés and flat, sweet American-style pancakes — they require the same ingredients of flour, eggs, sugar, milk, and baking powder, just a lot less of them. Plentiful billowing meringue, whipped egg whites stabilized with sugar and cream of tartar are folded into the pancake batter, making it incredibly fluffy.

These stunning pancakes are a labor of love. They take some practice to perfect and need to be cooked and served right away. You can only cook two or three at a time as they require space in the pan to turn. Make a note of these if you have time for a leisurely brunch or want to impress someone.

Despite their name, Japanese soufflé pancakes originated in Hawaii. According to the story, the pancakes were created by a chef at Cream Pot, a restaurant in Waikīkī. Chef Nathan Tran wasn’t a fan of pancakes, but he did like soufflés.

To placate Japanese tourists who craved American-style pancakes, he invented these soufflé pancakes, which were then brought to Japan, where they became very popular. They made their way across Asia and back to the US via chain restaurants and independent cafes.

Practice makes perfect, plus tips!

i won’t lie These pancakes are tricky and take practice to do well – they can deflate and it’s a little hard to tell when they’re done and ready to flip. I felt a real sense of accomplishment when they came out nice and big. Rest assured that the pancakes will still taste good even if they aren’t pretty.

Here are some tips to help you:

• Use a clean metal or glass bowl to beat the egg whites. Plastic bowls can still retain fat, preventing protein from reaching its full potential.
• The egg whites should be cold before whipping. You can even refrigerate the bowl.
• Be very careful when folding the meringue into the batter to keep as much air intact.
• I recommend using a pastry brush to lightly coat the pan with some oil. You don’t want the remaining oil to burn while the pancakes are baking.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan as you’ll need room to turn the pancakes. I use a 12″ pan to cook 3 pancakes at a time. If your pan is smaller, cook 2 pancakes at a time.
• Cook the pancakes on a very, very, very low heat so the bottom doesn’t burn before the center is cooked and set.

A few substitutions that work

These pancakes are tricky so I can’t swap out too many ingredients. Here are a few you work:

• Use 2% milk instead of whole milk.
• Use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or distilled white vinegar in place of cream of tartar.
• Use almond extract instead of vanilla extract.

How to serve Japanese soufflé pancakes

Japanese soufflé pancakes can be served with a variety of toppings. Restaurants often stack them in a tall tower of up to 3 pancakes and enough toppings to send you into a sugar coma. Feel free to be as sensible or generous as you like:

• A knob of butter or a ball of whipped butter
• Dust with icing sugar
• A dash of maple or chocolate syrup
• Generous dollops of whipped cream
• vanilla pudding
• lemon curd
• jams or compotes
• fresh berries

Not your average pancakes

• Carrot Cake Pancakes
• Gingerbread pancakes with caramelized pears
• Danish babe
• Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
• Zucchini Walnut Pancakes