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Kaiserschmarrn

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A warm and cosy Austrian dessert comprising of thick, fluffy pancakes which are shredded and served with a tart plum compote. A delicious Kaiserschmarrn recipe with step-by-step photos.

Ingredients

For the Kaiserschmarrn

For the Plum Compote

Instructions

For the Kaiserschmarrn

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F (without fan). 
  2. Place a metal rack (not a metal baking tray) in the upper part of the oven. This is to help the top of the pancake brown during the baking time. If you place the rack too high in the oven, the pancake might darken too much; if you place the rack too low, the top of the pancake might be too pale once cooked.
  3. Measure the flour, salt and sugar into a large mixing bowl.
  4. Whisk the dry ingredients lightly to aerate them.
  5. Measure the milk into a measuring jug.
  6. Add the egg yolks and vanilla to the milk, and whisk to combine.
  7. Whisk the milk mixture into the dry ingredients until smooth.
  8. Place the egg whites into a large clean mixing bowl, and whisk until stiff peaks form.
  9. Carefully fold the beaten egg whites into the batter, one-third at a time.
  10. Melt the butter in an oven-proof non-stick pan or cast-iron pan over medium heat. I use a cast-iron pan with an upper diameter of 26 cm/10 inches.
  11. Pour the batter into the pan. As you are making one very large pancake, the batter will fill most of the pan. Be sure to leave some room for the pancake to rise a little.
  12. Leave the pan on the heat for about 2 minutes until the pancake just starts to set around the edges.
  13. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the pancake has puffed slightly and is lightly golden all over.
  14. Remove the pan from the oven. At this stage, the pancake should be fully cooked through. If you shake the pan slightly and the centre of the pancake wobbles, this means that it is not yet cooked through. If so, return the pan to the oven for a few more minutes.
  15. Shred the pancake into small pieces. I find it easiest to do this by transferring the pancake to a large plate, and using a knife and fork to cut the pancake. However, it is more traditional to cut the pancake while it is still in the pan, ideally with two wooden spatulas or a utensil which will not damage the surface of your pans.
  16. Place all of the shredded pancake back into the pan.
  17. Sprinkle the shredded pancake with the granulated sugar.
  18. Place the pan back in the oven for 2-3 minutes, or until the shredded pancake pieces have crisped up slightly around the edges. Be careful not to leave the shredded pancake in the oven for too long, otherwise they might become too crispy and dry out.
  19. Dust very generously with icing sugar (powdered sugar).
  20. Serve immediately with the warm Plum Compote.

For the Plum Compote

  1. Place all of the ingredients into a medium-sized saucepan.
  2. Cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, or until the plums have cooked down slightly and the liquid forms a thick syrup. I like to have a compote with the fruit pieces intact, rather than cooked to a jam-like consistency. But you can cook the compote to your liking.
  3. Add more water as necessary.
  4. Taste to see if you need to add more sugar.
  5. Serve the plum compote warm with the Kaiserschmarrn.

Kitchen Notes

VARIATIONS
Many Kaiserschmarrn recipes contain raisins in the batter, which are typically soaked in rum. Place 100 g (2/3 cup) raisins and 60 ml (1/4 cup) rum into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Then set aside for about 15 minutes for the raisins to plump up. Scatter the raisins over the pancake just before placing the pan into the oven.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS
It is traditional to serve Kaiserschmarrn with a plum compote (as per this recipe), but some restaurants also serve them with apple compote (applesauce), which is a favourite with my kids. As Kaiserschmarrn is essentially a very large pancake, my kids also love it served with warm maple syrup.

OVEN TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer’s handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.

CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.