Description
Super fluffy, jiggly Japanese soufflé pancakes — soft and airy, perfect for breakfast, snack or dessert.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
- ¼ cup all‑purpose flour (fluffed, spooned, and leveled)
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon white vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Oil (neutral, for cooking)
- Optional toppings:
- Sweetened whipped cream
- Assorted berries
- Powdered sugar
- Maple syrup
- For sweetened whipped cream (optional):
- ½ cup heavy cream, cold
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Separate the egg whites and yolks into two bowls, being careful not to break the yolk.
- In the yolk bowl, whisk together the yolks, milk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Then sift in the flour and baking powder, and whisk until smooth with no dry flour visible. Set aside.
- In the egg white bowl, add the vinegar or lemon juice. Use a hand mixer to beat on medium speed until frothy. Gradually add sugar while mixing.
- Once sugar is added, increase speed to medium‑high and beat until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
- Add about one‑third of the stiff‑peak meringue into the yolk batter. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold until the mix is evenly combined and no streaks remain.
- Add the remaining meringue to the batter and gently fold until just combined and streaks are gone. Do not overmix, to retain fluffiness.
- Heat a large nonstick pan over **low heat** and lightly grease with oil (wipe off excess oil for even cooking).
- Portion batter into the pan to form 2‑3 pancakes, using a large spoon, cookie scoop, or piping bag with a large round tip.
- Cover the pan with a lid or heatproof bowl. Cook for about 7‑8 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.
- Gently flip the pancakes, cover again, and cook another 5‑6 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
- Serve immediately with desired toppings: whipped cream, fruit, powdered sugar, maple syrup, etc.
- (If making whipped cream) In a chilled bowl, whip together heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla until firm peaks form. Keep refrigerated until serving.
Notes
- Don’t overmix the meringue or batter — overmixing causes deflation and flatter pancakes.
- Measure the flour properly (fluff, spoon, level) to get the correct batter consistency.
- Cook on low heat so pancakes cook through without burning outsides.
- Flip gently to avoid tearing and collapsing the structure.
- Pancakes will slowly deflate after leaving the heat, but should still stay fluffy.
- Best tools for shaping: large spoon, large cookie scoop #10 (or similar), or piping bag with large round tip (e.g. Wilton 2A).
Nutrition
- Calories: 375.3 kcal
- Sugar: 26.2 g
- Sodium: 155.5 mg
- Fat: 10.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0.04 g
- Carbohydrates: 50.9 g
- Fiber: 1.1 g
- Protein: 16.8 g
- Cholesterol: 375.6 mg
