Cardamom-Apple Soufflé Pancakes
Looking for an easy soufflé pancakes recipe? Perfumed with cardamom, these free-form soufflé pancakes are lofty and delicious with no meringue or ring molds required.
Cardamom-Apple
Soufflé Pancakes
A couple of years ago, we noticed a new breakfast trend moving from Japan to the East Coast: soufflé pancakes. These lofty wonders are made with a chilled meringue base and cooked in metal rings to coax them to a height of about two inches. They’re a wonder to behold, but metal rings and meringue are too fussy for breakfast. Then, senior food editor Amy Traverso had free-form soufflé pancakes at the Vermont inn Twin Farms. They were a little less lofty but very delicious. So she came up with her own version, perfumed with cardamom and packed with protein.
From “Once More to the Orchard,” September/October 2020
Yield:
8 to 10 pancakesIngredients
1 ¹⁄3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon table salt, divided
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup sweet apple cider, at room temperature
1 large tender-tart apple, such as McIntosh, peeled, cored, and finely diced
Vegetable oil spray for cooking
Butter and maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°. Set a flat griddle to medium-high heat.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cardamom, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add the cider and whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk just until smooth. Do not overmix.
In a large bowl, using a standing or handheld mixer, beat the egg whites with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt until they reach firm (but not dry) peaks (when you lift the whisk out of the eggs, the whites should form a peak that curls over only slightly). Gently fold half the egg whites into the batter until mostly evenly mixed. Repeat with the remaining whites until no streaks remain. Fold in the apple.
Spray your griddle with vegetable oil spray. Spoon out about ¹⁄3 cup batter onto the griddle at a time, leaving plenty of room between each pancake. For extra height, let the pancakes set for a minute, then spoon a few tablespoons of additional batter on top. Cook just until the bottom is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Spray the top of the pancakes with a bit of cooking vegetable oil spray, then flip. Cook until the bottom sets, 2 minutes more, then transfer to a baking sheet in a single layer and bake in the oven until the center sets, about 3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm, with butter and maple syrup.
