Æbleskiver

Æbleskiver (Danish Spherical Pancakes)

Crisp, golden Danish Christmas spheres with a fluffy interior, traditionally served warm with powdered sugar and strawberry or raspberry jam. The classic Danish technique relies on a special æbleskive pan with hemispherical wells; no substitute reproduces the shape.

Prep

10 min

Cook

25 min

Total

35 min

Serves

4 (about 24 æbleskiver)

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •250 g (8½ oz (about 2 cups)) all-purpose flour
• •30 g (2 tbsp) granulated sugar
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine salt
• •4 g (1 tsp) baking powder
• •2 g (½ tsp) ground cardamom, optional but traditional
• •3 large eggs, separated
• •500 ml (2 cups + 1 tbsp) buttermilk, well shaken; or substitute 500 ml whole milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice, rested 5 min
• •60 g (¼ cup (4 tbsp)) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing wells
• •1 tsp vanilla extract
• •200 g (¾ cup) strawberry or raspberry jam, for serving; traditionally Danish solbær or strawberry
• •30 g (¼ cup) powdered sugar, for dusting
• •1 piece æbleskive pan, cast iron with hemispherical wells; required for the sphere shape

Steps

1. 1 In a medium bowl, whisk 250 g flour, 30 g sugar, 5 g salt, 4 g baking powder, and (if using) 2 g cardamom until evenly combined.
2. 2 In a separate bowl, whisk the 3 egg yolks with 500 ml buttermilk, 60 g melted butter, and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth.
3. 3 Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk just until no streaks of flour remain; small lumps are fine. Do not overmix.
4. 4 In a clean, dry bowl, beat the 3 egg whites to soft peaks. Fold them gently into the batter in three additions, keeping the batter airy.
5. 5 Place the æbleskive pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes to preheat evenly. Drop about ½ tsp unsalted butter into each well and let it melt and just begin to sizzle; the wells should be hot but not smoking.
6. 6 Fill each well about two-thirds full with batter (roughly 1 heaping tablespoon per well). Cook 2–3 minutes, until the edges are set and the bottom is golden brown.
7. 7 Using a knitting needle, skewer, chopstick, or traditional æbleskive turning fork, push into the center of the partially set batter and rotate the pan to flip the sphere. If the æbleskive resists, cook another 30 seconds before turning.
8. 8 Add a tiny extra knob of butter to each well, then continue cooking and turning the æbleskiver for another 2–3 minutes, until they are evenly golden brown all over and feel light and springy.
9. 9 Transfer cooked æbleskiver to a plate lined with a clean kitchen towel to stay warm; tent loosely with foil. Repeat with the remaining batter, greasing the pan lightly between batches.
10. 10 To serve, pile the warm spheres on a platter, dust generously with 30 g powdered sugar, and pass the jam alongside for dipping. Best eaten within 30 minutes of cooking while the outside is still crisp.