I have been wanting to make these Japanese pancakes for a while. They are super fluffy and look delicious (and they are), but they are a bit time consuming so I never got around to trying them. As it turns out I have a lot of time at home now since the world is on lockdown and all so I thought I would give them a whirl! I didn’t have the 2.5” mold the recipe calls for so I used my silicone Easter bunny molds and they came out super cute. Hope everyone is staying inside and healthy right now.

Happy first day of spring!

I purchased my pancake molds here: Silicone Bunny Mold

Japanese Pancakes

(Easter Edition)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 1/4 cups milk 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for serving 

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg yolk plus 3 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Nonstick cooking spray

Maple syrup, for serving

Directions

1. Whisk together the flour, confectioners' sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

2. Whisk together the milk, melted butter, vanilla and egg yolk in a medium bowl until combined. 

3. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in another large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. 

4. Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture until just combined (it's OK if there are a few lumps). Stir one-third of the beaten egg whites into the flour-milk mixture. Then gently fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined (take care not to overmix). 

5. Lightly spray the inside of four 3-inch-wide-by-2 1/2-inch-high ring molds with nonstick cooking spray

6. Coat a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium-low heat. Put the prepared ring molds in the middle of the skillet and fill each with 1/2 cup of batter (it should fill each ring mold about halfway). Cover the skillet with the lid and cook until the batter rises to the tops of the ring molds and is golden on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Release the bottom of the pancakes with a spatula. Grasp the sides of the ring molds with tongs to stabilize them and then carefully flip. Cover and cook until golden on the other side, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and remove the mold. Serve with butter and maple syrup. The pancakes should be eaten before they deflate.

7. Lightly spray the ring molds and coat the skillet with nonstick cooking spray and repeat the cooking method with the remaining batter. 

Recipe via Food Network