Danish Æbleskiver
Æbleskiver is a tasty Danish dessert that looks like round puffy pancakes. The word æbleskive means apple slice and it first appeared in the middle ages where slices of apple were dipped in a batter and fried. When the æbleskive pan was introduce sometime in the 1700’s, æbleskiver were baked with small pieces of apple or prunes in the center. Today in Denmark æbleskiver is typically baked without anything in the center and they are served with a strawberry, lingonberry or raspberry jam or simply just dipped in sugar.
Æbleskiver are often served during the Christmas month perhaps as a special treat at a Christmas fair, when family or friends are visiting, little Christmas Eve (Dec 23rd) or maybe New Years Day. These Danish delicacies are served warm with a dusting of powdered sugar and sometimes with a warm glass of Gløgg.
Æbleskiver
Æbleskiver (makes 35)
Ingredients:
60 gram butter (4 tablespoon) – melted and set aside
250 gram flour (2 cups)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs
4 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Cardamom
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup buttermilk
a pinch of salt
zest of 1 lemon
Directions:
Melt butter and set aside. Sift flour and baking powder in a bowl. In a second bowl, beat eggs, sugar and cardamom until frothy and lighter in color. In a third bowl, stir together the buttermilk and cream. Taking turns, add flour and buttermilk to egg mixture while beating, mix until smooth. Add salt, lemon zest and cooled butter, stir to mix. Place batter in refrigerator and let rest 30 minutes. If batter is very thick after resting add a little more buttermilk. Use Canola oil or butter for frying.
Tips:
Must have a Æbleskive pan for cooking, making sure it is well seasoned if cast iron.
Traditionally, æbleskiver are turned with a thin knitting needle (why a knitting needle ? not sure, but you can find a knitting needle in most Danish households and the metal needle works really well grabbing the æbleskive to rotate in a cast iron pan). If you don’t have a knitting needle, try using a metal skewer or it can be done with a fork although a bit clumsy.
Make sure your heat is high enough, medium heat.
Make sure to preheat your pan, 5 to 10 minutes.
Use enough oil or butter for frying.
Some source recommend turning the æbleskiver in 1/3 turns, 1/4 turns while others turn them in 1/2 turns. Half turns work best for me, but try the different methods and see what you feel most comfortable with. Here is a link with a video on how to make and turn the æbleskiver.
If you’re having trouble with the æbleskiver turning out right, don’t worry, the first pan full rarely turn out perfect, keep going.
Æbleskiver can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 4 months.
Glædelig Jul and Merry Christmas♥
Æbleskiver pan
Æbleskiver
Source: My Danish Kitchen
I’ve just discovered this pan and the recipes looks fun and tasty too.
It’s a fun activity just to make them and they are so delicious.
These are way awesome! I had to call and whine to my mom when I got my own kitchen that I needed my own pan. Funny though, we always have these for breakfast/brunch type food. Usually torn in half with warm butter, syrup and a lil’ powdered sugar on top. Haven’t yet but want to try with apples, or some other fruit in it.
I saw some cheesy knock over plastic pan thing at a drug store once and laughed ‘cheaters!!’, nothing like the good old really heavy cast iron pan, part of what makes these so fun!
My daughter and I have been drooling over ebleskiver pan in sur la table. So yummy !! Happy Thanksgiving !!!
Thanks for sharing this. Danish pastries and desserts are the Essence of the holidays. I really want to try these. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays.
These look so good! I wish I had an Aebeskliver pan so that I could make them this weekend!
Target now sells Aebleskiver pans.
I love eblesskives. I make that all the time at home.
I am curious about the apple – is the name just historic? Or do they something have bits of apple in them?
I might try making this. I have a special pan for making Dutch mini-pancakes (like this: http://londoneats.wordpress.com/2010/04/04/poffertjes-little-dutch-pancakes/), which have yeast and buckwheat flour in them. These do seem a little easier, which I like.
I think the name is just historic. Today you typically dont bake apple or prune pieces inside the Æbleskiver….but you certainly could if you wanted to.
I have heard that it might have been from the shape of the AEblskiver being like and apple could also be a reson for the name
I have my grandmother’s aebleskiver pan, I want to try your recipe for Christmas, thanks for sharing;) Your aebleskivers look delicious with the jam and sugar!
I need to invest in my own æbleskiver pan! I’ve only had the store bought kind. I love them, so I can only imagine what the homemade version tastes like! Great recipe! p.s. cute Nisses!
I am loving this series! All of your treats look so delicious and being half Swedish, I feel like I’m learning a bit about my Scandinavian heritage.
flavourful delicious thank you for sharing
I just found your site! It is lovely. My ancestors are Danish and we love adding Danish celebrations to our lives. We LOVE Aebleskiver. My parent’s pan is lovely and well worn. Mine isn’t too well seasoned yet, but I’ve only had it for a handful of years. I’m spending some time poking around on your blog and enjoying it!
I am so glad that you are enjoying looking around My Danish Kitchen. More Danish recipes to come 🙂
My brother and his wife were visiting from out of town and we had æbleskiver for breakfast yesterday. I think he enjoyed that walk down memory lane. His wife had never had them before. How did we let that happen? I have my mother’s cast iron pan now and I am guessing that it is probably at least 50 years old. It has easily another 50 in it. Talk about a timeless piece. Thank you for the history on æbleskiver.
It’s the same pan as for Japanese okonomiyaki, I’ll try as soon as I find where I put mine…
Thanks for the recipe.
These dessert looks like some sweet we make with rice flour and palm sugar in South India. But I think these are much better! It sounds fresh and delicious 🙂
Tes, they are wonderful sweet and the aroma when you make them is fantastic. 🙂