Kaiserschmarrn
Austria's torn, caramelised raisin pancake with plum compote
Kaiserschmarrn, the 'emperor's mess', is Austria's favourite sweet meal, said to have been made for Emperor Franz Joseph, and today it's served from huge pans in every ski hut in Tyrol and Salzburg and in Viennese restaurants. It is a thick, fluffy pancake made with whisked egg whites, torn into rough pieces in the pan with two forks, then caramelised with butter and sugar and heaped with icing sugar. Eat it with Zwetschkenröster (plum compote) or apple sauce. Chef's tip: let the pancake set and brown properly underneath before tearing it up; tear it too early and you get scrambled batter instead of soft, golden pieces.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
To serve
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Whisk the egg yolks from 4 eggs with 4 ½ oz plain flour, 1 cup milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp lemon zest until smooth. Leave for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Whisk the egg whites with 1 pinch salt in a clean bowl until foamy, then add 1 oz caster sugar gradually and whisk until they hold soft, glossy peaks. Fold them into the batter in two goes, gently, keeping as much air as possible.
Step 3: Melt 25 g of the ⅞ oz butter in a 26–28 cm ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat until it foams. Pour in the batter and cook for 4–5 minutes, until the base is golden and the edges are set. Scatter the drained 1 ⅜ oz raisins over the top.
5 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan) while the base cooks, then put the pan in the oven for 6–8 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and set right through.
8 minStep 5: Back on the hob over a medium heat, tear the pancake into rough bite-sized pieces with two forks. Add the rest of the 0.6 oz butter and 1 tbsp caster sugar and toss for 2–3 minutes, until the pieces are glossy and caramelised at the edges.
3 minStep 6: Pile onto plates, dust heavily with 2 tbsp icing sugar and serve straight away with 10 ½ oz plum compote or apple sauce. A common mistake is letting it sit: Kaiserschmarrn loses its fluffiness within minutes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kaiserschmarrn take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 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 eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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