Japanese Hot Cakes

Japanese Hot Cakes - made November 21, 2015 from Tara's Multicultural Table

Do you know how hard it is to botch a simple pancake recipe? Considering it’s a quick mixing of liquid and dry ingredients and pouring it into a skillet or griddle then flipping over, pancakes should be foolproof, right? Ha. Meet the fool.

It was my own fault and probably not the recipe’s. Because I was so obsessed with getting a golden brown pancake rather than a dark brown or veiny-looking dark brown pancake that I took the pancakes off too soon before they were fully cooked. They appeared to be done on the outside (sort of) although the batter turned out to be so thick that I knew they couldn’t possibly have been fully cooked yet when I took them off. Their golden brown color was what I was trying to achieve but alas, when I cut into it, it was obvious the insides were still more raw than cooked.

Back to the frying pan they went after I had taken the obligatory pictures. If you like light and fluffy pancakes, this may not be the recipe to use. These had some chew to them, more like a cake than a pancake. The taste was good, almost like a vanilla cake, but this is the kind of pancake where you’d probably just eat one, rather than a stack of them because they’re filling. The stack was just for posterity.

2 large eggs
3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1. In a medium bowl, use a mixer to beat together eggs, milk and vanilla until foamy.
2. In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and sugar. Fold into the liquid ingredients until just incorporated. Do not overmix. Allow to rest until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
3. Place a large skillet over medium low heat and lightly grease with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Once heated, pour 1/4 cup of the batter into prepared skillet. Once golden on bottom and bubbles begin to form on top, flip to the other side. Continue to cook until golden. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve immediately, topped with butter and/or maple syrup.