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Æbleskiver
Round pancake puffs
Danish round pancake puffs for Advent, turned with knitting needles
From the first Sunday of Advent until Christmas, Danish homes and Christmas markets in Copenhagen's Tivoli smell of æbleskiver: little round pancake puffs cooked in a cast-iron pan with seven hemispherical wells. They are crisp and golden outside, light and almost custardy within, dipped in icing sugar and raspberry or strawberry jam, and washed down with gløgg or hot cocoa. The name means 'apple slices', a reminder that cooks once tucked a piece of apple inside; many families still do. Danes turn them with knitting needles or wooden skewers, a knack that takes a few rounds to learn. Chef's tip: turn each puff a quarter at a time; the raw batter flows into the space and builds the sphere, rather than flipping it all at once.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 9 oz plain flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp lemon zestfinely grated
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 eggsseparated
- 1 ¾ cups buttermilk
- 1 ¾ oz unsalted buttermelted, plus extra for the pan
- 1 small tart apple (optional)peeled and cut into small dice
To serve
- 4 tbsp icing sugar
- 5 ½ oz raspberry or strawberry jam
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: In a large bowl mix 9 oz plain flour, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 tbsp caster sugar, ½ tsp ground cardamom, 1 tsp lemon zest and ¼ tsp salt.
Step 2: Whisk the yolks from 3 eggs with 1 ¾ cups buttermilk and 1 ¾ oz unsalted butter, then stir into the dry ingredients to make a thick, smooth batter.
Step 3: Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl to stiff peaks, then fold them gently into the batter in two goes. Rest the batter for 10 minutes while the pan heats.
10 minStep 4: Heat the æbleskiver pan over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes. Put a little butter in each well; it should sizzle gently, not smoke. A pan that is too hot is the classic mistake: the outside burns before the middle sets.
5 minStep 5: Fill each well almost to the rim with batter. If using 1 small tart apple, drop 2–3 dice into each. Cook for about 1 minute, until the edges are golden and set.
1 minStep 6: With a knitting needle or skewer, turn each puff a quarter turn so the raw batter spills into the well. Cook another 30 seconds and turn again, until you have a full ball. Keep rolling for 3–4 minutes more, until evenly deep golden and a skewer in the centre comes out clean.
4 minStep 7: Lift out onto a warm plate and repeat with the remaining batter, adding a little butter to each well each time.
20 minStep 8: Serve hot, dusted with 4 tbsp icing sugar, with 5 ½ oz raspberry or strawberry jam for dipping.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does æbleskiver take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
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