Ebelskiver/Aebleskiver [EH-bleh-skee-vor] is a traditional Danish pancake that is often filled in the center with either sweet or savory fillings. The name means “apple slices” in Danish, as ebelskivers are often filled with apples. A special pan is necessary to make these spherical delights, and can be easily found at a reasonable price online.
It takes a little time for the pan to come to temperature, so let it heat up a few minutes before you start cooking the pancakes. I don’t know if it’s just my crappy stovetop, but I find that it’s necessary to adjust the temperature as I go, sometimes from batch to batch. Word to the wise, start at medium-low.
We’ve been making these as a family for 15 years. They are often requested on birthdays and as a special treat for all sorts of occasions from holidays to “just because.” Our family’s favorite filling is Nutella, but you simply can’t go wrong with pretty much any filling (sweet or savory).
Note that this recipe doubles and triples easily, but you do need to use it right away so that the whipped egg whites don’t have time to deflate, so don’t make more batter than you can use at one time. I’ve made many different recipes for these over the years, but this one remains my go-to.
These cook quickly, so have all fillings and toppings ready to go.
Makes about 21 pancakes.
1 cup (5 oz/155 g) all-purpose flour
1-½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, separated
1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
Filling of choice
(our family favorite is Nutella, but you can do sweet or savory fillings; ideas include cubed cheese, finely diced sauteed apples, chocolate chips, cooked ground breakfast sausage, lemon curd, orange cream, etc. Herbs and flavorings can also be added to the basic batter recipe to compliment the flavors of the fillings.)
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and melted butter. Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture and, using a wooden spoon, stir until well blended. The batter will be lumpy.
In a clean bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry, peaks from. Using a silicone spatula, fold about one-third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then fold in the rest just until no white streaks remain. Use the batter right away.
Using a pastry brush, coat the wells of the ebelskiver pan evenly with melted butter and place over medium or medium-low heat. Let the butter heat for a few moments.
When the butter begins to bubble in the pan, use a Size #60 (0.54 oz) food scoop (or two soup spoons—one spoon to scoop and the other to scrape) to add roughly a tablespoon of batter to each well.
Working quickly, carefully spoon about 1 teaspoon of the desired filling (I use a #110 food scoop) into the center of each pancake.
Immediately add another tablespoon-ish of batter on top of the filling to enclose it.
Cook the first side until bubbles rise from the centers of the pancakes and they are lightly browned and crisp on the bottom (about 3 minutes).
Position 2 wooden skewers (I use bamboo skewers for kabobs) on opposite sides of a pancake, slide the tips between the edge of the well and the cooked edge, and lift and rotate gently. Repeat to turn the remaining pancakes.
Cook the pancakes until lightly browned on the second side, about 3 minutes longer. Use the skewers to transfer the pancakes to a plate or platter.
WARNING: The center fillings will be molten after being cooked, so allow the pancakes to cool off a little before eating.