How to Make Pancake Puffs in an Aebleskiver, or Danish Cake Pan
Ever since my son, who is in first grade, saw a picture of Angry Birds cake pops, he has been on a mission to have me make them. I told him first that we had to get the proper pan to make them in. I searched online for cake pop baking pans for a little while and then ran across the Aebleskiver pan. I have tried to get the non-stick surfaced pans out of my kitchen (I admit, I still have a few that I use) and switched most of them out for cast iron versions already. Most of the cake pop pans had the non-stick coating that I don't want anymore so I knew I had to give the Aebleskiver pan a try.
The Aebleskiver pan, also known as a Danish cake pan, is a great pan to work with. The one I bought came with wooden turning sticks to make flipping the puffs in the pan easier. It does not make pops the same size as the "cake pop" pans that are currently on the market, these "puffs" are a bit larger and not quite as round. There are many different types of recipes you can use for the batter of the cakes. This time around we made the puffs with a pancake batter. I used gluten-free Bisquick to make the batter. It was surprisingly tasty, I was a bit unsure of using gluten-free Bisquick, but my family loved them and they disappeared in minutes! I also used a brownie mix to make brownie puffs last week, the recipe I include here is from the book that came with my pan. The recipe book says that you can use any box mix that you like (cornbread, muffin, brownie, cake) and it also includes many from scratch recipes. Now, on to try making the brownie puffs into Angry Bird puffs for my son!
Cook Time
Ingredients
- 1 cup Bisquick, I used gluten-free
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pre-cooked sausage or chocolate chips
- BROWNIE PUFFS:
- 3/4 cup butter
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 4 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Mix Bisquick, egg, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla until well-blended. (You can also use any box mix you would like)
- Heat the Aebleskiver pan to medium-low heat. Place a little butter or oil into each well of the pan to grease. Non-stick spray could also be used. You do not want the pan too hot, or the outside of the puff will cook too fast and the inside will not be cooked through. My pan came with wooden turning sticks to help in turning the puffs. Chop sticks could also be used to turn them. Fingers work too, but you must be careful to not get burned when flipping.
- Fill each well about 3/4 full of batter. Use the wooden turning sticks to check the bottom side of each puff, but the general rule is that same as normal pancakes. Add cooked sausage to the center or chocolate chips and gently push them into the batter. Once the edges start drying out, it is ready to start flipping. Check underneath and the bottom side should be golden brown.
- Turn slowly and flip over each puff to cook the other side. When the puff is firm enough and cooked through, remove from pan and let cool a moment before eating. Serve with maple syrup, dust with powdered sugar, or dream up your own combination! Experiment with fillings, have fun and enjoy your Aebleskiver pan!
