Aebleskiver with Vanilla & Jam

Aebleskiver with Vanilla and Jam // The Sugar Hit!

 

Have you ever wondered what a pancake, crossed with a cloud, crossed with a doughnut, crossed with a dream, would taste like?

 

My very specific friend, this is your lucky day. Because that is EXACTLY what an aebleskiver tastes like.

 

Aebleskiver with Vanilla and Jam // The Sugar Hit!

 

Now, before you get too excited, I have to break the bad news to you. You will need a special piece of equipment. An aebleskiver pan. Mine is made of cast iron and set me back $24.95.

 

If you’re the kind of person who objects to single-use items in the kitchen, then admittedly this is not for you. But if it helps, it’s a very small piece of equipment, and the joy it will bring to your kitchen is totally disproportionate to the amount of space it will take up. That is; it takes up a little space, but it will bring you A LOT of joy.

 

Aebleskiver with Vanilla and Jam // The Sugar Hit!

 

The batter comes together very easily, like most pancake batters do. I like to add a healthy squeeze of vanilla bean paste, which I am absolutely passionate about, and a good grating of fresh nutmeg as well.

 

Nutmeg, in large quantities, is a hallucinogen. In small quantities it makes your pancakes taste like doughnuts and brings a wonderful sense of cosy calm to the kitchen.

 

Aebleskiver with Vanilla and Jam // The Sugar Hit!

 

There’s only a little bit of baking powder in this mix, so we’re relying on whisked egg whites for a lot of the rising power. I can whisk two egg whites to stiff peaks by hand, and I count that as an arm workout, so it makes me feel very deserving of pancakes.

 

I also love the way they look like snowdrifts floating slowly melting as you stir them into the batter. When you live somewhere where Christmas falls in the middle of Summer, you take your snow-dreamz where you can get them.

 

Aebleskiver with Vanilla and Jam // The Sugar Hit!

 

The cooking of these little guys does require some dexterity. Actually, scratch that, it’s really not hard – it just takes a little practice. The batter goes into the hot pan, with a little melted butter in each indentation, and then they need to be flipped over to form that bauble shape. The uncooked batter will spill out into the pan, and form the bottom round of the pancake, and the top will stay domed and round.

 

Real aebleskiver experts use a thin skewer or a chopstick to do this. I started out with a little metal palette knife, then graduated to the knife and a chopstick and by the end of the first batch, I was working on full chopstick mode. So just test it out and see what works best for you!

 

Aebleskiver with Vanilla and Jam // The Sugar Hit!

 

I really am a sucker for pancakes, but especially something like this which is so traditional, so special and which seems like such a celebration food. This is the perfect thing to make any day seem extra special.

 

I can imagine these being perfect for breakfast on Christmas morning, or as a special treat on Christmas Eve. Or for snacking on while you trim the three, or with hot chocolate, or listening to Christmas carols….oh man, I have Christmas fever.

 

Aebleskiver with Vanilla and Jam // The Sugar Hit!

 

Playing off the doughnut vibe, I love to serve these dusted with sugar and with a dollop of raspberry jam. A squeeze of lemon juice is perfect over the top.

 

You can also easily stuff these babies either with fruit – chunks of apple, cherries or cranberries would be gorgeous – or with dollops of jam or better yet, nutella! Whatever you do, just make these and feel the joy!

 

xx Sarah.

 

Aebleskiver with Vanilla and Jam // The Sugar Hit!

 

Aebleskiver with Vanilla and Jam // The Sugar Hit!

Aebleskiver with Vanilla & Jam
 
Light, delicate, eggy pancakes - like little clouds made of donut and happiness
Author:
Serves: serves 2-4
Ingredients
  • 1 cup (150g) flour
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • ½ tsp nutmeg (optional)
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • pinch of salt.
  • 1 cup (250ml) milk
  • butter, to cook
  • jam, powdered sugar and lemon, to serve
Instructions
  1. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla bean paste and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl. Add the egg yolks into the dry ingredients, and place the whites into a separate bowl with the salt.
  2. Begin stirring the yolks into the flour mixture, adding the milk as you go to create a batter - don't worry about lumps.
  3. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks, and then fold them through the batter.
  4. Heat your aebleskiver pan over a medium heat, with a tiny piece of butter in each hole. When the butter is just melted, use a brush to coat the inside of each hole.
  5. When the butter is bubbling, add enough batter to each hole to fill it to the top, and leave to cook until the edges look set. Then use a chopstick, a fork or a metal palette knife to flip them over. Cook for another minute or so, and then place onto a serving platter. Continue, adding more butter between batches, until all the batter is used.
  6. Serve the aebleskiver dusted with icing sugar, with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of raspberry jam.
 

Aebleskiver with Vanilla and Jam // The Sugar Hit!

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