Authentic Kaiserschmarrn Recipe (Austrian Torn-Up Pancakes) (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in Kaiserschmarrn? ›

What is Kaiserschmarrn? Kaiserschmarrn is best described as scrambled sweet pancakes. The name is a compound of the German words Kaiser which means Emporer and Schmarrn which can be translated as “a scrambled dish”.

Kaiserschmarrn (German pronunciation: [ˈkaɪ̯zɐˌʃmaʁn]) or Kaiserschmarren ( German: [ˈkaɪ̯zɐˌʃmaʁən]) ('Emperor's Mess') is a lightly sweetened pancake that takes its name from the Austrian emperor (Kaiser) Franz Joseph I, who was fond of this fluffy shredded pancake.

Dust with icing sugar and cinnamon.

Serve with a plum or berry ragout, or fruit compote. The Kaiserschmarren can also be cooked at the top of the oven and caramelised at the end with a lid to cover.

A ploye is not a crepe. Nor is it a pancake. For one, you don't flip it. Seconds after being poured onto a hot, barely greased griddle, the surface of a ploye—a traditional Acadian buckwheat flatbread—will become pocked with hundreds of tiny, bursting bubbles.

All maple syrup can be used as pancake syrup. Not all pancake syrup is maple syrup.

The name means “imperial mess” in German. The story goes that a frazzled farmer created the dish in a tizzy when Austria's Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife showed up hungry at his home. As a last-ditch attempt to save face, the farmer shredded his disastrous pancake and topped it with sugar and marmalade.

People began using the word “pancake” during the 15th century, and the word became standard in 19th century America. Previously, people referred to them as Indian cakes, hoe cakes, johnnycakes, journey cakes, buckwheat cakes, griddle cakes, and flapjacks. Early American pancakes were made with buckwheat or cornmeal.

American and Canadian pancakes (sometimes called hotcakes, griddlecakes, or flapjacks) are usually served at breakfast, in a stack of two or three, topped with maple syrup or table syrup, and butter. They are often served with other items such as bacon, toast, eggs or sausage.

Kaiserschmarrn is a sweet fluffy pancake, torn into small pieces, covered with powdered sugar and served with a fruit compote. You'll find this sweet treat at many Christmas markets and some restaurants, served as a dessert, not breakfast.

How do French eat pancakes? ›

Whilst you can have a savoury pancake in France (galette), this is all about eating crêpes with sugary toppings, with firm favourites such as Nutella, sugar, honey, cream, jam or sprinkles. Now as we are in Normandy, you will find that a dash of Calvados is offered on your crêpe.

The thick batter contains eggs, flour, milk, and a leavening agent such as baking powder. The batter can have ingredients such as buttermilk, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, apples, chocolate chips, cheese, or sugar added. Spices such as cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg can also be used.

The batter for Swedish pancakes contains a higher ratio of milk, butter, and eggs to flour, resulting in something that's lighter and fluffier than crêpes. Swedish pancakes are also traditionally served with jam (lingonberry or strawberry) and whipped cream, although these days, anything goes.

What Are Japanese Pancakes? Taller and fluffier than their American counterparts, Japanese pancakes get their airy texture from the same technique used to make soufflés. You whip egg whites into meringue-like stiff peaks, then fold them into a batter primarily made of butter, milk, sugar and flour.