Æbleskiver |
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| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Denmark |
| Dish details | |
| Course served | Dessert/Snack/Breakfast |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredient(s) | Wheat flour |
Æbleskiver (Danish meaning apple slices (singular: æbleskive)) are traditional Danish pancakes in a distinctive shape of a sphere. Somewhat similar in texture to American pancakes crossed with a popover, æbleskiver are solid like a pancake but light and fluffy like a popover. The English language spelling is usually aebleskiver or ebleskiver.
In the United States, a version of æbleskiver is sold with a commercially repackaged pan, branded as "Pancake Puffs".
Contents |
Æbleskiver are cooked on the stove top by baking in a special pan with several hemispherical indentations. The pan exists in versions for gas and electrical stoves (the latter with a plain bottom). Pans are usually made of cast iron, allowing good heat conduction. Traditional models in hammered copper plate exist but are today used primarily for decoration.
The batter for æbleskiver usually includes wheat flour, which is mixed with buttermilk, milk or cream, eggs, sugar and a pinch of salt. Some recipes also include fat (usually butter), cardamom and lemon zest to improve taste, and a leavening agent, most often baking powder, but sometimes yeast, to aerate the batter.
Batter is poured into the oiled indentations and as the æbleskiver begin to cook, they are turned with a knitting needle, skewer or fork to give the cakes their characteristic spherical shape. They were traditionally cooked with bits of apple (æble) or applesauce inside but these ingredients are very rarely included in modern Danish forms of the dish. Æbleskiver are not sweet themselves but are traditionally served dipped in raspberry, strawberry, lingonberry or blackberry jam and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Æbleskiver can be bought fried and frozen at supermarkets, only needing heating in an oven.
In Denmark, æbleskiver are common before Christmas. In December, they are often served with gløgg, Scandinavian mulled wine. In Norway, warm waffles have much of the same function as æbleskiver in Denmark.
They are also often sold at charity markets, Scouting functions, local sports gatherings and similar, or served at children's birthday parties, due to their popularity and easy preparation. Voluntary associations can gain profit from preparing them from the pre-fried, frozen stage and selling them, usually three at a time with the usual condiments.
In North America, there are several annual events that celebrate æbleskiver and Danish culture:
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