Aebleskiver are fluffy Danish pancakes. What sets them apart from other pancakes is their round form and aromatic spices such as cardamom and cinnamon. These fluffy balls make a delicious breakfast or dessert and taste wonderful sprinkled with powdered sugar and dipped in jam.
Æbleskiver
Aebleskiver in Denmark are usually enjoyed around the holidays and special occasions (especially Christmas). When I was in Denmark in the summer and wanted to try them, I couldn’t find them anywhere and was told by the waitress “We don’t eat them at this time of year”.
They are traditionally served with jam and sprinkled with powdered sugar. They taste like something between a pancake and a donut. They are served as a dessert.
Aebleskiver translates to apple slices but there are no apples in these pancakes. They were cooked with apples in the old days but right now the plain version is more common.
Sometimes Aebleskiver are made with a filling, that is added to the batter while it’s being cooked. As a filling, jam, chocolate, or apple cubes can be used.
How do you pronounce Aebleskiver? It’s pronounced “ay-blah-skee-ver”.
Ingredients
Below you will find information about the ingredients and how to prepare the recipe. For the measurements and detailed instructions scroll down to the printable recipe card.
Here’s what you need to make this easy recipe:
This pancake batter is similar to traditional buttermilk pancake batter. One difference is that the batter is slightly thicker so that the round pancakes hold their shape and won’t kind of ‘deflate’.
Another difference is that egg whites are beaten until stiff and the batter is seasoned with cardamom. Most Danish recipes call for just cardamom in the batter but I prefer them with cardamom and cinnamon and this is what I’ve used.
Don’t try substituting buttermilk with milk. Buttermilk reacts with baking soda and results in fluffy and light pancakes. Don’t replace baking soda with baking powder.
Don’t try to add more sugar to the batter or your pancake puffs will brown too quickly.
Vanilla extract – You’ll find Danish recipes calling for vanilla sugar that is easily available in Europe. I used vanilla extract because it’s easier to get in the US.
How to make it
Make the pancake batter:
STEP 1: Separate the eggs into egg yolks and egg whites. Make sure there are no egg yolk traces in the egg whites.
(3 large eggs)
STEP 2: In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest.
(3 large egg yolks, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 2/3 cups (400g) buttermilk, 2 teaspoons vanilla, zest of 1 lemon)
STEP 3: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt.
(2 1/3 cups (295g)flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt)
STEP 4: Add the flour mixture to the buttermilk mixture and whisk until almost combined (the ingredients don’t have to be well combined).
STEP 5: You will have a thick batter.
STEP 6+7: Beat the egg whites until stiff using an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
(3 large egg whites)
STEP 8: Gently fold half of the egg whites into the pancake batter. Then fold in the second half.
Your batter is ready to be cooked.
Cook the pancakes:
STEP 9: Add a small pat of butter into each indentation in the Aebleskiver pan set over medium-low heat or low heat (depending on how powerful your stovetop is).
STEP 10: When the butter is hot and bubbling, fill each indentation with batter up to the edge.
Photo 11+13: After 30 seconds or so (or until you see small bubbles at the edges of the batter), try to rotate each pancake about 45 degrees using a wooden skewer (just stick the skewer into the batter and try to rotate it in the indentation, the bottom of the pancake should be lightly browned) letting the batter in the middle flow at the bottom of the pan.
When the next part of the pancake is cooked (is lightly brown in color), rotate it again and repeat until the pancake is cooked on all sides.
The pancake in the middle of the pan is usually done sooner so take it to a plate and move a pancake that is cooking slower in its place.
To transfer each pancake to a plate, you can just stick the wooden skewer into the pancake and transfer it that way. If your pancake balls are too pale, just cook them, rotating them in the indentations from time to time until golden brown in color. (Photo 14)
The first batch of pancakes will cook more slowly than the next batches so you may need to lower the heat if your pancakes are cooking too quick or are burning. You want to cook them over low heat so they have time to cook through in the middle while being golden brown on the outside. Adjust the heat to your kitchen conditions because each stove cooks differently and can be less or more powerful than mine.
Add a pat of butter into each indentation of the pan before adding the next batch of the batter. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Photo 12: Tip for making perfectly round pancakes: After you have rotated the pancake about 45-90 degrees, you can spoon some more batter into the center of each pancake to fill it more with batter in the middle.
This will cause the pancakes to be bigger, more round, and just more pretty-looking, but on the other hand, they will take a little bit longer to cook through in the middle. The pancakes without extra batter added in the middle will be less perfectly round and have a small hole in the middle (this is completely fine and normal) but they will cook quicker. Choose what you like more.
Sprinkle cooked pancakes with powdered sugar and serve with jam.
Enjoy!
Serving suggestions
Aebleskiver are traditionally served with powdered sugar and jam.
They can also be served many different ways, just like regular pancakes.
I like them with plain yogurt, maple syrup, and fresh berries. Other options are nutella and strawberries, whipped cream, or caramel sauce.
Storage
These pancake balls store well. Keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat in a 325°F (160°C) oven until warm.
More delicious pancake recipes you may like
- Austrian torn pancake (Kaiserschmarrn)
- Polish Apple Pancakes (with yeast)
- Peach Pancakes
- Strawberry Pancakes
- Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
- Carrot Cake Pancakes
- Bananas Foster Pancakes
Here you can find all my pancake and crepe recipes.
Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!
Aebleskiver Recipe – Danish Pancake Balls
Ingredients
- 3 eggs egg whites and egg yolks separated
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 2/3 cups (400g) buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 1/3 cups (295g) flour spooned and leveled, not scooped
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- butter for cooking the pancakes
- powdered sugar for sprinkling cooked pancakes
- jam of your choice to serve
Instructions
- Make the pancake batter:
- Separate the eggs into egg yolks and egg whites. Make sure there are no egg yolk traces in the egg whites.
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff using an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Add the flour mixture to the buttermilk mixture and whisk until almost combined (the ingredients don’t have to be well combined). You will have a thick batter.
- Gently fold half of the egg whites into the pancake batter. Then fold in the second half.
- Your batter is ready to be cooked.
- Cook the pancakes:
- Add a small pat of butter into each indentation in the Aebleskiver pan set over medium-low heat or low heat (depending on how powerful your stovetop is).
- When the butter is hot and bubbling, fill each indentation with batter up to the edge.
- After 30 seconds or so (or until you see small bubbles at the edges of the batter), try to rotate each pancake about 45 degrees using a wooden skewer (just stick the skewer into the batter and try to rotate it in the indentation, the bottom of the pancake should be lightly browned) letting the batter in the middle flow at the bottom of the pan.
- When the next part of the pancake is cooked (is lightly brown in color), rotate is again and repeat until the pancake in cooked on all sides. The pancake in the middle of the pan is usually done sooner so take it to a plate and move a pancake that is cooking slower in its place. To transfer each pancake to a plate, you can just stick the wooden skewer into the pancake and transfer it that way. If your pancake balls are too pale, just cook them, rotating them in the indentations from time to time until golden brown in color. The first batch of pancakes will cook more slowly than the next batches so you may need to lower the heat if your pancakes are cooking too quick or are burning. You want to cook them over low heat so they have time to cook through in the middle while being golden brown on the outside. Adjust the heat to your kitchen conditions because each stove cooks differently and can be less or more powerful than mine.
- Add a pat of butter into each indentation of the pan before adding the next batch of the batter. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Tip for making perfectly round pancakes: After you have rotated the pancake about 45-90 degrees, you can spoon some more batter into the center of each pancake to fill it more with batter in the middle. This will cause the pancakes to be bigger, more round, and just more pretty-looking, but on the other hand they will take a little bit longer to cook through in the middle. The pancakes without extra batter added in the middle will be less perfectly round and have a small hole in the middle (this is completely fine and normal) but they will cook quicker. Choose what you like more.
- Sprinkle cooked pancakes with powdered sugar and serve with jam.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- How to correctly measure flour: I’m using the “spoon and level method” so 1 cup of flour in my recipes weighs 125g. Fluff the flour by stirring it in the bag/flour container with a spoon. Spoon the flour and sprinkle it into your measuring cup. Sweep off the excess flour with the back of a knife. Too much flour added to pancake batter will result in dry and dense pancakes. I recommend using a digital scale for perfect and consistent results.
- Makes 27 pancake balls.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/4 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
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