Aebleskiver (Danish Pancake Balls)

Spherical Danish Pancakes Cooked in a Special Pan

Aebleskiver are pancakes that broke the mold and got round. The Danish translation is “apple slices," though modern versions usually skip the apple chunk that traditionally went in the middle. What stays is the pancake ball shape, made possible by a special cast iron pan with seven (or more) hemispherical wells.

The stiffly beaten egg whites are what give these their cloud-light interior. Folded gently into the cream-and-milk batter, they trap the air that puffs the spheres up as they cook, leaving a soft, almost souffle-like center inside the golden crust.

The flip is the signature aebleskiver move. As the batter sets in the bottom half of each well, the cooked side gets coaxed loose with a fork or knitting needle, then rotated 90 degrees so the uncooked batter pours into a new section. A second flip closes the sphere, and the result bakes into a near-perfect ball.

Pro Tips

• Use a proper aebleskiver pan. Substituting a muffin tin gives you flat-bottomed half-moons, not the right shape.
• Keep the heat moderate. Too hot and the outsides scorch before the centers cook through, and the recipe specifically warns against this.
• A bamboo skewer or wooden chopstick works as well as a knitting needle for the rotation flip.
• Serve immediately. Aebleskiver lose their crisp edges and fluffy interior within minutes of cooling.

Variations

• Add a small chunk of apple, a few blueberries, or a teaspoon of jam to each well after the batter goes in for filled pancake balls.
• Dust with powdered sugar and serve with lingonberry jam for the traditional Danish way.
• Stir 1 teaspoon of cardamom or ground cinnamon into the dry ingredients for warm spice.