Restaurants›Stella's Fried Pork Tenderloins›Æbleskiver - Danish Pancakes Recipe

Æbleskiver - Danish Pancakes Recipe

Inspired by Stella's Fried Pork Tenderloins
Time45m
Serves4

Pancake balls dusted with powdered sugar, served with syrup, seasonal jams, and preserves.

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Ingredients

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Batter

Finishing & Serving

Method

Batter

1

Prepare dry ingredients

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined and aerated.

2

Combine wet ingredients

In a separate bowl lightly beat the eggs. Add the milk, melted butter (cooled slightly so it doesn't cook the eggs), and vanilla extract; whisk until homogeneous.

3

Make a smooth batter

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently whisk just until combined. A few small lumps are fine; do not overmix. The batter should be slightly thinner than classic pancake batter — it should flow slowly from a spoon. If too thick, add up to 2 tbs additional milk.

4

Rest the batter

Cover the bowl and let the batter rest at room temperature for 15–30 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and gives lighter æbleskiver.

Cook & Finish

5

Heat æbleskive pan

Place an æbleskive pan (a cast-iron or nonstick pan with hemispherical wells) over medium heat. Brush each well lightly with melted butter or add a small knob of butter and swirl to coat. The pan is ready when a drop of water sizzles on the surface.

6

Portion batter

Using a spoon or a small ladle (about 1 tbs batter per ball), pour batter into each well, filling it about three-quarters full. Work quickly to fill all wells so cooking is even.

7

Cook first side

Cook for 1½–2 minutes until the bottoms are golden and the tops begin to set and show bubbles. The edges will start to firm but the center will still be wet.

8

Turn æbleskiver

Using a wooden skewer, knitting needle, or bamboo pick, rotate each pancake ball 90–180 degrees so the uncooked batter flows out and cooks into a round shape. Do this in stages if needed: rotate slightly, let set, then complete the flip. Continue cooking, turning occasionally for 4–5 minutes total, until evenly golden-brown and cooked through.

9

Keep warm

Transfer cooked æbleskiver to a warm plate in a single layer (not stacked) while you finish remaining batter. Re-butter the wells as needed between batches.

10

Serve

Arrange æbleskiver on a serving plate. Dust generously with powdered sugar. Serve immediately with maple or golden syrup and small bowls of seasonal jams or preserves for dipping. Optional: grate a little lemon zest over the æbleskiver for bright citrus aroma.