Original Recipe for Danish Aebleskiver (Danish Pancake Balls) (2024)

Published: · Modified: · About 4 minutes to read this article. · By Kim Nielsen

Original recipe for Danish Aebleskiver also known as Danish Pancake Balls. These traditional pancake balls are traditinal served during Christmas. However, they are also perfect the rest of the year.

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Original Recipe for Danish Aebleskiver (Danish Pancake Balls) (1)

Danish Pancake Balls (Aebleskiver)

In Denmark we have so many cooking traditions and especially in the month of December we basically live in our kitchen. There are just so many great Christmas recipes we have to make during Christmas. This recipe for traditional Danish pancake balls is probably one of the most famous Christmas desserts that the Danes love and eat during Christmas.

In danish we call this dessert Aebleskiver which directly translated means Apple Slices although there aren't any apples in this recipe.

Read also: Traditional recipe for Danish Butter Cookies

An Aebleskive is like a spherical pancake, it's solid but still fluffy and light. If we should 'translate' the taste of an Aebleskive into an international standard it should be the taste of a donut mixed with pancakes.

As said, these pancake balls are extremely popular in Denmark during the Christmas holidays and these are to be found in almost every supermarket starting from November until after Christmas. However, the ones you can buy at the supermarket does not compare at all to the homemade ones. The ones you make yourself are just way more delicious.

See also: Original recipe for Danish Dream Cake (Droemmekage)

If you are looking for other great Nordic recipes then I can recommend taking a look at the Nordic section here on my blog - find it in the menu above.

The Old and Original Recipe for Aebleskiver

This recipe for Aebleskiver is the one my parents used to make homemade Aebleskiver when I was a child, and it's the one I use today.

The first Aebleskiver were originally cooked with small pieces of apples or sometimes applesauce as filling, from there they got their name. However, in the modern Danish kitchen these filling are not included anymore and haven't been for the past many year. For us this is the most original recipe for Aebleskiver, it's super delicious and relatively easy to make.

Read also: Delicious recipe for Danish Butter Cake (Dagmar tart)

This is one of our best Christmas traditions and we always makes them several times during the Christmas holidays. Most of the times we stick with our traditional recipe but sometimes we add different kinds of filling inside the Aebleskiver. This filling is added during the frying process.

As filling, we have used chocolate chips, small apple pieces or different variations of jam.

The Aebleskive Frying Pan

The frying of the Aebleskiver are done in a special Aebleskive frying pan. The old and traditional pans are made of cast iron. In Denmark these pans can be bought everywhere in the months of November to December. Internationally, these pans can be bought online or sometimes at a local kitchen store.

Original Recipe for Danish Aebleskiver (Danish Pancake Balls) (4)

Original Recipe for Danish Aebleskiver (Pancake balls)

Original recipe for Danish Aebleskiver also known as Danish Pancake Balls. These traditional pancake balls are traditinal served during Christmas. However, they are also perfect the rest of the year.

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Course: Dessert, Nordic Christmas

Cuisine: Danish

Keyword: Danish Food, Nordic food

Servings: 20 Aebleskiver

Author: NordicFoodLiving.com

Ingredients

Metric - US Customary

  • 250 g all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp Natron (baking soda)
  • 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
  • 4 dl buttermilk
  • 100 g butter, melted
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tbsp sugar

Instructions

The Aebleskive Batter

  • Separate the egg whites and yolks in separate bowls.

  • Whisk the sugar, vanilla sugar and egg whites fluffy and stiff. The bowl must be completely clean and dry. A tiny bit of water will make the eggs whites impossible to whisk stiff. Set aside.

  • Mix the egg yolks, all-purpose flour, natron (baking soda), salt and vanilla sugar together in a separate bowl.

  • Use a hand mixer to mix the ingredients while gradually adding the buttermilk. Keep mixing until the batter is uniform.

  • Melt the butter and let it cool off a bit. Slowly add the cooled butter to the buttermilk mixture while whisking.

  • Use a wooden spoon or similar to slowly mix the stiff eggs whites in the batter.

The Cooking of Aebleskiver

  • You need a special Aebleskive pan for frying. You can get one online or maybe at your local kitchen store.

  • Heat up the Aebleskive pan at medium heat and add a small piece of butter in each hole. Fill the holes 3/4 with the Aebleskive batter.

  • When the batter starts to get firm and you can turn them over without cracking, then turn the Aebleskiver 90 degrees (using a wooden stick or similar) and let the batter flow into the pan.

  • At this point there is a hole in the side of the Aebleskive. Pour a little extra batter into the hole and turn the Aebleskive another 90 degrees so that the hole gets closed.

  • When the Aebleskiver have a solid surface turn them regularly so they get an even and light-brown crust.

Notes

In step 4 (in cooking of Æbleskiver), try adding different fillings inside the Aebleskiver. I can recommend filling with chocolate chips, strawberry jam or small apple pieces. Serve these Danish aebleskiver together with some jam and icing sugar.

Original Recipe for Danish Aebleskiver (Danish Pancake Balls) (2024)

FAQs

What is the origin of Ebelskivers? ›

Ebelskivers are of Danish origin and are popular in parts of the U.S. with sizable Scandinavian populations. Although there is a legend about how the first ebelskiver was cooked over a fire in a Viking's dented armor, Saulsbury said the Danes weren't the first to cook pastries in a pan with wells for the batter.

What is the difference between ebelskiver and aebleskiver? ›

Whether you refer to them as aebleskiver or ebelskiver (same pronunciation, different spelling), the actual word in Danish is Æbleskiver and it means "apple slices" because traditionally these were made by putting a small slice of apple in the center while cooking them.

What does aebleskiver mean in English? ›

One of the most popular Danish Christmas treats is Æbleskiver. The name literally means “apple slices” in Danish as they were originally filled with small pieces of apple or applesauce.

What is the difference between poffertjes and aebleskiver? ›

Aebleskiver are essentially Danish pancakes that are a bit bigger than Dutch poffertjes. See them as little pancakes that you can fill with whatever you like!

What is the origin of the Danish cake? ›

The Danish originated in Vienna, and was brought to Denmark in the mid-1800s due to a strike amongst bakery workers that pushed Danish bakery owners to hire from abroad. Among the bakers that were hired, some were Austrian, and brought their own recipes to Denmark, hence the 'Danish' being born.

What holiday are aebleskiver most eaten? ›

Æbleskiver are a Danish delicacy traditionally eaten at Christmas time. It's a small round cake made on a special cake pan and served with powdered sugar and jam. A portion usually consists of three æbleskiver but they are so good most opt for a second and third serving.

What can you use if you don't have an aebleskiver pan? ›

I found a Tokoyaki pan at my local Asian market for $10, which is exactly the same size and shape as an aebleskiver pan. I like to make aebleskiver with breakfast sausage inside because it reminds me of "pigs in a blanket".

What else can you use an aebleskiver pan for? ›

aebleskiver pan uses food
  • Wonderful Cook. ...
  • Lemon Curd Ebelskiver, or, Lemon Stuffed Pancakes. ...
  • Make Your Pączki at Home With This Traditional Polish Recipe. ...
  • Perfect Fried eggs made in an ebelskiver filled pancake pan. ...
  • Recipes for the Road. ...
  • rice appe recipe | how to make rice appe | paniyaram | South Indian rice appe.

How to eat aebleskiver? ›

Aebleskiver is a Danish dessert, like doughnut holes, but sweeter and much better. It's traditionally served with glogg during the Advent and cooked in a cast iron pan that resembles an egg poacher. Serve hot with syrup, jam, or powdered sugar.

What does POM mean in Swedish? ›

Pom is an acronym of the programme designation in Swedish, meaning The Programme for Diversity of Cultivated Plants.

Why are Aebleskivers round? ›

“The tender ball-shaped pancakes the Danish call “aebleskiver” derive their roundness from the iron in which they're cooked…. To make perfectly round aebleskiver, you must frequently lift and turn the baked section of each ball. They will eventually seal themselves, creating a hollow in each center.

Why are Dutch pancakes so good? ›

Dutch pancakes are traditional and worldwide famous, and there is a reason for that. They come with a topping of your choice or just plain. And it is the topping that makes the pancakes in a pancake restaurant so special.

Why are German pancakes called Dutch babies? ›

While these pancakes are derived from the German pancake dish, it is said that the name Dutch baby was coined by one of Victor Manca's daughters, where "Dutch" perhaps was her corruption of the German autonym deutsch. Manca's Cafe claimed that it owned the trademark for Dutch babies in 1942.

Is a German pancake the same as a Yorkshire pudding? ›

Dutch babies, popovers, German pancakes, Yorkshire pudding are all the same thing just different names. Technically these are all baked puddings and delicious. Try serving them with my delicious strawberry syrup.

What is the origin of beignets? ›

The history of the beloved beignet dates back to the 17th century. We can trace the consumption of fried dough back to the times of ancient Rome. Beignets are thought to have migrated with French settlers and were introduced to Louisiana when settlers made their home there.

What is the origin of German pancakes? ›

I was still curious about the origins of what I called a “Dutch Baby Pancake.” A bit of sleuthing revealed that the dish is actually of German origin. Sometimes referred to as a Bismark, these pancakes were first served in the States in the early 1900s at Manca's, a diner in Seattle that eventually closed in the 1950s.

What is the origin of Danish butter cookies? ›

Butter cookies, also known as Danish butter cookies, are cookies originating in Denmark consisting of butter, flour, and sugar. They are similar to shortbread cookies. The butter cookie is often categorized as a "crisp cookie" due to its texture, caused in part by the quantity of butter and sugar.

What is the origin of Welsh cakes? ›

Welsh cakes (Welsh: picau ar y maen, pice bach, cacennau cri or teisennau gradell), also bakestones or pics, are a traditional sweet bread in Wales. They have been popular since the late 19th century with the addition of fat, sugar and dried fruit to a longer standing recipe for flat-bread baked on a griddle.

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