Japanese Soufflé Pancakes

Known for their towering heights and cake-like texture, soufflé pancakes are a show-stopping version of the breakfast staple, made popular by cafes in Japan. While the name itself may sound intimidating, all of the ingredients—flour, eggs, milk, butter—are easily be found in your pantry and match those in American pancakes.

The key difference between the two pancakes is all in the technique. Making soufflé pancakes takes a little bit of practice, but we’ve broken it down into steps that anyone can manage—and once you take a bit of the light-as-air rounds, you'll find that the extra work is worth it.

The Secret to Super Fluffy Soufflé Pancakes

American pancakes rely on baking powder and gentle mixing to get nice and fluffy. There's baking powder in soufflé pancakes as well, but the secret to their impressive texture comes from meringue.

Unlike regular pancakes, in which whole eggs are beaten right into the other ingredients, Japanese pancakes get their height from whipped egg whites that are added after the rest of the batter is prepared, making them impossibly tender and airy.

Tips for Making Japanese Soufflé Pancakes

• Always use a clean, dry metal or glass bowl and utensils when making a meringue. Any residue will prevent the eggs from foaming and whipping properly.
• Make sure to use room temperature milk so that it does not clump the butter.
• Make sure to cool the melted butter slightly before adding it to the egg mixture to keep from scrambling the egg.
• If you don’t have cake flour you can replace it by adding a teaspoon of cornstarch to your regular flour.
• Be as gentle as you can when folding in the whipped eggs whites into the rest of the batter. The more you mix, the more air comes out of the mixture.
  
• It’s very important to cook the pancakes very slowly on low heat. This ensures that the pancakes are actually cooked through. It also prevents the exterior from over-browning or burning.
  

How to Whip Egg Whites

How to Make a Ring Mold from Tinfoil

This recipe calls for cooking the batter in ring molds to get a perfect, tall round pancake. If you don't have any, you can make one out of aluminum foil in a few easy steps.

1. Fold a piece of foil over several times until you get a piece that's about 1.5-inches tall.
2. Measure and cut a circle measuring 3 inches wide.
3. Take the remaining piece you just cut off and fold it over the cut edge to secure the ring.
4. Grease the ring mold and you're ready to make some soufflé pancakes! If you have a difficult time removing the pancake, you can simple unroll the foil and reshape to use again.

How to Serve Japanese Soufflé Pancakes

We covered them with powdered sugar, maple syrup, and fresh fruit, but you can also add whipped butter, jam, or your favorite syrup.