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These Japanese-style pancakes rise higher than traditional pancakes and are so adorable and fun to eat.
Instead of making regular pancakes this weekend, how about trying out these Japanese-style pancakes, also called hotcakes.
Recipe now updated with video! You can also find all my latest recipes on my new youtube channel.
I was recently inspired to try making them and after a few test runs, I’m happy to share these.
I love how fluffy, tall and round these are. You do need to cook them in ring molds to get the shape and height. I used my English muffin rings. 
You can also cook them like regular pancakes, but they just won’t rise quite as high.
You cook them like typical American pancakes. I have an electric griddle which I like to use for pancakes. The batter will bubble as it cooks and you want to wait until the edges look solid before quickly flipping the molds over, to cook on the other side.
It’s okay if a little of the batter spills out when you flip them over, but you want to try to quickly push the ring molds all the way down so that the batter doesn’t continue to spread out. I always had a little spillage for each of mine.
Even though these look like souffle cakes, they are most definitely more like American pancakes rather than delicate dessert cakes. They have a tight crumb and slightly chewy texture. They are sweeter than American pancakes and so you don’t need quite as much syrup.
Special Tools
Ring Molds* (these particular ones are taller than most English muffin rings, making them a perfect height for these hotcakes)
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Japanese Hotcakes
These Japanese-style pancakes rise higher than traditional pancakes and are so adorable and fun to eat.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 7 ounces whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add eggs, milk and vanilla. Beat with a whisk for about 1 minute by hand, until light and fluffy. Add in remaining ingredients. Whisk until batter is smooth.
- Let batter sit for about 15 minutes. Batter should thicken considerably during this time.
- Preheat your griddle. If you are using an electric griddle, I recommend heating to 300°F. You want a slightly lower heat setting than what you normally would use for American pancakes because these will take much longer to cook and you don't want to burn the tops.
- Generously grease the inside of your molds with vegetable oil. I sprayed mine with a cooking oil spray. Lightly grease the surface of your griddle. Place molds onto your griddle. You want to fill your molds halfway with batter, as they will rise about twice as high when finished. For rings molds measuring 3 3/4 inches in diameter and 1 1/4 inch in height, add 1/2 cup of batter.
- Let batter cook until bubbles form and break on the surface and the edges look cooked. Carefully place a large spatula underneath the pancake, until all of the pancake is on yours spatula. You may want to put on an oven mitt with your other hand. Lightly support the other end of the ring mold with your free hand that isn't holding the spatula and then quickly flip it over, pushing the ring mold back down. It's okay if you have a little spilled batter, but you need to work quickly to push the ring mold back down to prevent the uncooked batter from completely spreading out of the mold.
- Cook for a few more minutes until pancake is done. Pancake should easily pop out of the mold when you lift the mold. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve pancakes with toppings and syrups of your choice.
Notes
- With regards to the ring molds: I recommend ones that are 3 3/4 inches wide and 1 1/4 inch tall. You can use ones of different diameter but I don't recommend getting ones that are too tall because it will take a lot longer for the pancakes to completely cook through and the tops will be overcooked. I had one that was 3 3/4 inches wide and 1 3/4 inches tall and the pancake overcooked because of the height.
- Recipe slightly adapted from La Fuji Mama
Nutrition
Serving: 1pancake, Calories: 311kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 10.2g, Fat: 4.6g, Saturated Fat: 1.9g, Sodium: 61.7mg, Fiber: 1.4g, Sugar: 15.5g, NET CARBS: 55
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!
I need to buy the ring can you give me the website please thank you
the rings are linked in the post, right above the recipe card under “special tools” section
It took some practice and they turned out great! But the outer layers are kind of on the hard side. How do I change that?
You may need to lower the heat so that the outside doesn’t overcook.
How big/filling are these pancakes? What would be a reasonable serving for a single person? Also, can the batter be made ahead and refrigerated?
The pancakes are quite dense and filling so I would say this recipe would be enough for 2 people. I don’t recommend making the batter ahead of time. It will get too heavy and thick
Is it okay to add meringue?
I have another recipe that uses meringue: https://kirbiecravings.com/2017/03/japanese-souffle-pancakes.html
I just finished making these and they were AMAZING! Even my grandmother loved these! Instead of ring molds, I used a vegetable can that I cleaned out and it worked wonderfully. Will be making these again very soon! Thank you for the recipe!
yay! so glad you liked this so much!
You can use canned vegetable cans and cut them to the height you want. Just create them first.
another great idea!
So I am wanting to make this for a buddy of mine but she cannot have to much carbs , do you now how many carbs are in one pancake. Sorry I might sound funny asking this.
I don’t have the nutritional information but this is one very large pancake, so I imagine it would not be a good idea for someone looking for a low carb recipe.
Helio, what could i use instead of electric griddle? Would a pan work? Because i dont have the money to buy it but ? really want to try this recipe
you can definitely use a pan. I just used a griddle so I could make multiple ones at once.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! This has become a weekend staple at our house. I bought the molds that you provided the link for and they work great. I also have used them to make my English muffins. 😀
yay! I’m so happy to hear that! I also hope you’ll try the souffle version! It’s hard to go back to regular pancakes after! https://kirbiecravings.com/2017/03/japanese-souffle-pancakes.html
I made these this morning for my daughter’s BDAY WEEKEND 😉 They were really easy to make, delicious, and my 2 year old loved it because it was sturdy enough for him to hold. I bought the rings from you link and they were perfect. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Happy birthday to your daughter! I’m so glad these turned out well!
These look amazing…like crème brûlée pancakes! I wonder if they would turn out “floofier” if you made them in a deep pan with the lid on (to trap the steam).
ooh interesting! I’ll have to experiment after the holidays
A great idea is to use tinfoil, and make customized ring molds. as for the height of the mould, when it was cooking, i actually cut slits around the entire mould, and folded the excess outwards.
i actually did try making ones with foil but because they were so lightweight, the batter would leak out of the sides once I poured it in. The cookie cutters have enough weight to keep the pancake batter inside.
I’ve never seen pancakes this way before. It’s so unique and I want to just touch it, ha ha!
heehee!
Ooh these are so cute! For some reason I have an urge to poke them lol
haha! I’m not sure why taller pancakes look so much cuter, but they do!
but but but what if i don’t have cookie molds to make these beauties?!??!?!??!
buy molds or maybe make your own molds?
HOW do you make your own molds? I have egg molds but they’re not as tall 🙁
you can use foil around your egg molds to make them taller