Making Danish Pancakes - Ebleskiver
Danish Pancakes - Ebelskiver (Aebleskiver)
I have been telling my kids for years about my mom making Ebelskiver (Danish round pancakes) when I was growing up. I remember visiting my grandmother (mormor) in Denmark as a kid and having Ebelskiver in Tivoli Gardens. So when I opened one of my Christmas gifts this year and found an Ebelskiver pan, I instantly went back to my childhood and couldn’t wait to have my kids experience these delightful round pancakes filled with jam and fresh fruit.
My wife whipped up the following recipe that came with the pan and they were delicious. The recipe is for making 40 round pancakes and we decided to cut the recipe in half but what a mistake. They went so fast we regretted not making the whole batch.
The Ebelskiver Pan
The pan from Williams Sonoma is made of heavy cast-aluminum, has a stay cool cast stainless steel handle and seven deep wells for the pancake batter. The Nordic Ware company started making Ebelskiver Pans back in 1950. This family owned business from Minnesota joined up with Williams-Sonoma to make this updated version with a nonstick coating to help release the pancakes from the pan.
I read on the Solvang Restaurant web site (see below) a little history of the pan. They say the Aebleskiver pan comes from the Viking days when after a long day of battle, the warriors were hungry and would go back to their viking ships and make a type of pancake using their shields in lieu of pans. I’m guessing the design of the shields included wells for the batter. This may just be a good story but I like it.
Danish Pancakes In Solvang, CA
I just happen to be in Solvang, California, a small Central Coast community in the San Ynez Valley that was originally founded by a group of Danish educators back in 1911. The town’s architecture has been modeled in a Danish style and you can find restaurants, bakeries and stores selling Scandinavian goods although I was told by one local that there aren’t many Danes left in town.
One morning we enjoyed breakfast at the Solvang Restaurant - home of Arne’s famous “Aebleskiver” on Copenhagen Drive. The restaurant was bright and decorated for Christmas and the servers were friendly. We could tell the locals were in there early like we were because when the tourists arrived in town around 10 am, you couldn’t get near the place.
We all ordered three of Arne’s Aebleskiver served with raspberry jam and powdered sugar. I was thinking they wouldn’t be enough after watching my kids devour 20 Ebelskivers at home on Christmas morning but these were much bigger and in my opinion a little too “doughy”. My wife’s Ebelskiver following the recipe below were much better. They were moister and had a richer flavor perhaps because of the fillings but maybe from the higher egg to flour ratio.
If there are any Danes out there reading this blog, please post your recipe for homemade Ebelskiver in the comments below.
Danish Filled Pancakes
adapted from the recipe that came with the Williams Sonoma pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 4 eggs, separated (yolks and whites)
- 2 cuups milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
- Fillings for the pancakes - jams, fresh fruit, chocolate
How to Make Danish Ebleskiver (Aebleskiver)
In a bowl big enough to hold all the above ingredients with room to whisk, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the milk and 4 tablespoons of the melted butter. Add this mixture into the flour mixture until blended together. Don’t worry if the batter looks lumpy.
Using a hand held electric mixer, beat the egg whites on the highest speed until they become stiff but you do not want dry peaks to form. This should take about 3 minutes. Then fold the egg whites back into the flour mixture.
Getting the Pan Ready for cooking
Put the pan over medium heat, add 1/4 teaspoon of butter to each well in the pan and heat until the butter begines to bubble. Add 1 tablespoon of batter to each well of the pan, then 1 teaspoon of filling and top with 1 tablespoon more of batter.
You cook untle the bottoms of the round pancakes are golden brown and a little crispy. This should take about 4 minutes. Using a coupe of wooden skewers, flip the pancakes over and cook until the other side is golden brown.
Remove the 7 ebelskiver and repeat with the remaining batter until all the batter is cooked. Serve with maple syrup and powdered sugar.
If you don’t want to add filling, that’s fine. Just serve them with jam or syrup on the side.
on January 1st, 2009 at 12:25 pm
The traditional Danish æbleskive recipe I have from my family is as follows (metric measures):
5 dl. all-purpose flour (~300 g)
0,5 teasp. salt (~2,5 g)
2 teasp. white sugar (~9 g)
1 teasp. cardamon
1 teasp. baking soda (Natron)
0,5 orange (100g)
3 eggs (~150 g)
4 dl. buttermilk (~400 g)
3 tsp. Raps oil or other non-tasting oil (~41 g)
4 tsp. Flormelis (~31,2 g)
Mix flour, salt, sugar, cardamon, natron, and grated orange peel in a bowl.
Whisk eggyolks and buttermilk together and mix with flour. Add oil and the juice from the orange.
Let the dough rest for at least ½hour.
Whisk the eggwhites until almost stiff and gently mix in the dough.
Heat the aebleskive pan and add a bit of oil (og butter) to each well. You only need to add oil/butter the first couple of times.
Fill each well with 3/4 of dough. when it starts to become stiff, you turn the dough such that the last part of the fluid dough runs down in the the well and creates the second half of the “dough ball”. the aebleskive is ready when no dough stick to a toothpick when you stick it through the aebleskive.
In old days a piece of apple would be dipped in the dough and then fried in hot fat (kinda like deepfrying battered things). This is the traditional way of making aebleskiver and is actually the reason for this “cake” to be named aebleskive and “aeble” translates to “apple” and “skive” roughly translates to “piece” og “slice”.
The aebleskive pan was “invented” around the beginning of 1700 but the traditional way of “deepfrying” them is known to be commonly done all the way back to around year 1200. The story about the vikings is, as far as I know, just a good story.
After the aebleskive pan was invented and people started pan-frying the aebleskive, the piece of apple was added to the middle of the dough ball just before it was turned. This way the piece of apple would be placed in the middle of the aebleskive.
on January 5th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Can these be made with wheat flour? Due to dietary restrictions, my husband can’t have regular flour. Thanks!
on January 7th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Carol,
Hi–wheat flour is generally considered regular flour. If your husband is gluten intolerant, you might try this, from a Gluten-free blog: http://glutenagogo.blogspot.com/2008/01/aebleskiver-apple-stuffed-pancakes.html
Hope they turn out well; they sound like a Very Yummy Treat!
on January 13th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Having grown up in Solvang, We love aebleskive!! I have had a LOOK pan, made in Iceland for eons. I purchased it at the Solvang Restaurant. Thanks for the blog! I guess I’ll have to go make some now for when the kids get home…
on January 13th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
My Mom’s recipe (she was born in Vordingborg, Denmark) differs only that instead of regular milk, it calls for buttermilk…if I don’t have any, a little vinegar in the milk is almost as good, but the best aebelskiver is made with buttermilk.
on February 5th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
i am not danish but grew up in santa ynez and solvang my grandma used to have a store on copenhagen and ate at arnes all the time and your recipe reminds me of there as i dont live there anymore thanks for the memories
on June 21st, 2009 at 1:47 pm
I just made these awesome pancake balls using a Williams-Sonoma brand Evelskiver mix. they were wonderful, but I want to make from scratch (at $10 a 1# can you can see why), so this site has been very helpful. Thank you!
on June 30th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Hi Kathleen,
We have used the Williams-Sonoma Evelskiver mix and it is convenient but you can see making it from scratch isn’t that difficult. Glad you enjoyed the pancakes.
on June 30th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Hi Nancy,
Sounds like a great alternative to use buttermilk instead of regular milk. Should give them a little extra tangy flavor.
on July 6th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Thanks so much for this article. I am of Norwegian decent and here in Tucson AZ there is a “Nordic Fest” (Scandinavian Festival) in town where they serve these delicious little round pancakes. The women would stand and make them in the little pans and I woulkd sit and watch as it seems quite difficult, but they are sooo good! I wonder if there is a sugar-free recipe…
on September 9th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Thanks so much everyone. I just purchased the pan from WS…. Here’s my question:
At the store, they mention meat filling - how can the meat get cooked in so little time?
They mention cream cheese - wouldn’t that melt?
Where do you suggest going for a full range of recipes?
Thanks so much!
Dihjet
on September 9th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Also, on the original recipe listed, you say to whip the eggwhites but not what to do with them. I assume you add it to the egg yolk mixture….
Just letting you know.
Thanks
on September 11th, 2009 at 8:03 am
Hi Dihjet, personally I have only used my ebelskiver pan for making Danish pancakes but I’m sure there are lot’s of other great recipes you can prepare with it. As for the meat fillings, I’m guessing that the meat is already precooked like bacon or sausages before adding it to the dough.
I would do a search on the Internet for Ebelskiver recipes and I’m sure you will find some.
on September 11th, 2009 at 8:09 am
Yes, you are correct and I added that step into the instructions. Thanks for pointing that out. - RG
on February 16th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Good day to you, I would love to have a ebelskiver pan, but it seems, that the USA, is the only place that sells them. I live on a small island called Guernsey in the Channel islands. We are part of the Britain UK. Does anyone know where i could buy one this side of the Atlantic? ps i have looked into buying one from the USA, but postage is astronomical, almost the same as the pan itself.
on April 15th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
Oh, I’m so grateful to have found your blog… I am Danish and was raised in the Santa Ynez Valley, living in Solvang as a kid. I don’t have my Great Grandma Fannie’s recipe readily accessible, but I can say that your recipe looks quite a bit easier to make than her’s….I think she called for 8 eggs!! I believe she also used buttermilk….will try to hunt that up and post later…..
One thing I personally love to do is use bacon grease in the pan when I’m frying them, and I use a knitting needle to turn them…..Now I’m REALLY missing good old Solvang…I’m almost 50 now so it’s been a loooong time [sniff sniff]……It’s wonderful to remember it all again, thanks!
Hi Terrie, I introduced Ebleskiver to my kids just so they would know what my mom and grandmother used to make once in a while but they want them every Saturday morning now and my wife makes them better than I do. I will try and post some of my other favorite Danish recipes from my childhood like Frikadeller. Did you see my post on agurke salat - RG