Soufflé Pancakes

If you’re into pillowy soft pancakes that practically melt in your mouth, these soufflé pancakes are the weekend treat you’ve been looking for.

Fail-Proof Soufflé Pancakes

I first tried soufflé pancakes on a trip to Japan with my mom and fell in love with their light, airy texture. When I asked the chef at the breakfast bar for tips, he said the secret is in the egg whites and cooking them slowly.

I’ll admit that getting the batter right was easier than I thought. However, there’s something to be said for patience, since cooking these takes longer than regular fluffy pancakes. Grab a coffee while these cook, and read all my tips below

Ingredients

You’ll find the amounts in the recipe card. But first, before you omit or make swaps, here is what you’ll need and why you need it:

• Eggs: large eggs, cold.
• Milk: whole milk (even half-and-half) works best. Lower-fat and non-dairy milks are too thin, yielding a runnier batter and less fluffy pancake.
• Vanilla: for flavor to balance out the eggs.
• Flour: cake flour or all-purpose flour + corn starch. Details below.
• Baking powder: makes these light and airy, helping them rise. I recommend an aluminium-free baking powder to avoid a “salty” aftertaste.
• Sugar: granulated white sugar, not honey or maple.

How to Make Soufflé Pancakes

Here are the highlights of each step, plus detailed tips to ensure your fluffy Japanese-style pancakes cook through.

1. Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Place the egg whites in the freezer for 10 minutes. Cold egg whites whip better and hold their shape best.
2. Mix the egg yolks, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Use a hand mixer and beat until the mixture is light and frothy.
3. Measure and sift the flour into the bowl, then add the baking powder and cornstarch (if using). Gently combine the dry ingredients with the egg yolk mixture until there’s no visible flour left.
4. Beat the cold egg whites with the sugar. About a minute in, gradually add the sugar and continue on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form.
5. Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter. Add them one-third at a time, folding gently with a spatula. You can pipe the batter with a bag, but spooning it onto the pan works just as well.
6. Layer the batter to form a pancake stack. Use a large spoon to build each pancake with 3-4 heaping scoops. Use the largest non-stick pan you have and a tight-fitting lid.
7. Steam the pancakes on the first side.Add a couple of ½ teaspoons of water to the pan, immediately cover with the lid, and cook. The steam is what allows these thick pancakes to cook through.
8. Flip carefully and finish cooking. Turn them with a thin spatula once the bottoms are golden and sturdy, then cook the second side until golden as well. The recipe card has details so you can set a timer.
9. Serve immediately. These pancakes don’t store or reheat well. Finish with whipped cream, strawberry syrup, or blueberry pancake syrup.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large eggs, cold
• 1 ½ tablespoons whole milk, or half-and-half
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour, or cake flour
• ⅛ teaspoon cornstarch*
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Prep:

• Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Place the egg whites in the freezer for about 10 minutes to chill while you measure and mix the batter. Cold egg whites whip better and hold their shape best.
• Fill a small dish with water and place it next to the stove. You’ll need the largest pan (10-12 inches) you own with a lid, since you’ll be cooking 3 pancakes at once. Use two large lidded pans if doubling the recipe and making two servings. These pancakes take about 15 minutes to cook, on the lowest heat setting.

Make the batter:

• In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, milk, and vanilla. Use a hand mixer to whip the egg yolks for about 2 minutes on low-medium speed, until they’re frothy.
• Measure the flour by filling the ¼ cup measuring cup with a spoon to avoid packing too much. Sift it into the bowl, then add the cornstarch and baking powder, and gently combine until no visible flour is left. If using cake flour, omit the cornstarch.

• Rinse the whisk attachments from the mixer well. Any egg yolk remains will cause the egg whites to fail. Whip the egg whites for about 5 minutes, increasing the speed as you go and adding the sugar in small increments once the egg whites are frothy (about 1 minute in). The egg whites should reach a stiff white peak, where they don’t fall off the whisk.
• Add ⅓ of the stiff egg whites at a time to the batter bowl, gently folding them in with a rubber spatula until no visible white remains. The batter is light and airy, almost like a thick cloud. It can be transferred into a piping bag or zip bag, but I find that spooning it onto the pan from the bowl with a soup spoon works just as well.

Cook the pancakes:

• Heat the large pan over low heat for about 30 seconds. Grease it with a neutral oil (butter tends to burn) and immediately spoon a heaping spoonful of batter onto the pan. Top the first layer with batter, then repeat twice more to form a 3-layer stack of batter per pancake. Make two more pancakes with this process in the same pan.

• Add ½ teaspoon of water, three times, around the pan (between the pancakes) to build steam. Immediately cover with a lid and cook the first side for 7 to 8 minutes. Set a timer, don’t open the lid.
• Flip the pancakes over using a small pancake spatula (the thinner the better) once the bottoms are golden brown. You’ll notice that the sides have set. Cover and cook the second side for 4 more minutes, until it’s golden too.

Serve & store:

• Serve them immediately, topped with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh berries or your favourite pancake syrups. These pancakes do not keep well. In fact, they will deflate as they cool.

NOTES

If your pancakes didn’t fluff up as much as these did, it’s likely due to old baking powder (over 9 months opened, yes, it goes bad and loses its fluffing powers). Or, due to spreading the batter too thin. Buy a new baking powder, or keep the batter thicker when layering. Note on taste: these pancakes are a little more “eggy” than traditional cake-like pancakes.