A traditional, golden brown Scandinavian pancake flavored with cardamom and served with jam. This Ebelskivers recipe has been passed down from generation to generation.
Ebelskivers hold a special place in my heart. My Grandma J pasted this recipe down to my mom and then later to me. Her family was from Norway were this recipe derived from.
I have so many fond memories of my Grandma J especially when it comes to food. She used to make awesome Super Soft Sugar Cookies and these Fluffy Sweet Omelets for us when we came to visit.
There are may different flavors and varieties of these Ebelskivers. The literal translation is apple pancakes. Even though tradition in my family do not include apples, you can add chopped apples in yours if you’d like.
The unique flavor found in our Ebelskivers is cardamom. It makes this recipe delicious and unforgettable. With the added flavor of cardamom and crisp fried outer layer, these ebelskivers are a step above the rest–at least in my opinion. 😉
WHAT IS AN EBELSKIVER?
Ebelskivers are small, golf ball-sized traditional Scandinavian pancakes. They are cooked in a special ebelskiver pan designed to make a round ball as it cooks.
They can be filled with your favorite topping or filling such as:
- Apple pie filling
- Jams or jellies
- Caramel sauce
- Nutella
Traditionally they are filled or served with jam. We love to serve it with jam on top or on the side as this is a faster way to serve. It requires no time to fill the round pancake balls but still provides a delicious flavor.
Ebelskivers can be flavored many different ways. Our family’s traditional recipe included the uniquely flavored spice cardamom. We love it as it offers a very unique flavor. If you’re not a cardamom fan you can skip it.
You can also add apples or other spices such as cinnamon.
HOW TO MAKE EBELSKIVERS?
As difficult as it may seem to make ebelskivers at home, it really isn’t. Just take one step at a time and you’ll have a hot batch to enjoy before you know it.
There are 3 main steps when making ebelskivers:
- Beat egg whites
- Combine dry ingredients and combine wet ingredients into a batter
- Cook
Whenever I anticipate making ebelskivers, I always think they take a long time to make because I have to beat the egg whites. To speed up this process, I use a hand mixer to beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Once that step is done, it really is as easy as making regular fluffy buttermilk pancakes or homemade crepes.
Once the eggs are beaten, in a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar, salt, and buttermilk. Then add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cardamom (that have been sifted together). Then fold in the stiff egg whites. That’s the batter. Easy enough, right?
The last step is cooking these babies! Using an Ebelskiver pan (you can find them on Amazon) over medium to medium-high heat, place a small amount of oil in each cup. Fill each cup about 2/3 full with batter. Cook until the bottom is golden brown then using a skewer or knitting needle (as my aunt Paulette does), turn the partially cooked ebelskivers about 1/3 turn. Cook again until golden brown. Turn once more.
When all sides are golden brown and the batter is fully cooked through, the ebelskivers are done. Place them on a plate lined with a paper towel. Fill with your choice of filling or with your favorite jam.
If you’re looking for an awesome jam to go with your homemade ebelskivers, check out this Instant Pot Raspberry Jam recipe from my friend over at Corrie Cooks. YUM!
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE FAMILY RECIPE PASTED DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION?
I hope you love this recipe as much as our family does.
Ebelskivers
Traditional Scandinavian pancake balls flavored with cardamom. This Ebelskivers recipe has been passed down from generation to generation.
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs, yolk and whites separated
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups flour, sifted
- 1 tsp baking soda, sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder, sifted
- 1/2 - 1 tsp cardamom, or to taste
Instructions
- Beat egg whites to stiff peaks
- In a larger bowl beat egg yolks, sugar, salt and milk.
- Add sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder and cardamom to milk mixture.
- Fold in egg whites.
- Heat ebelskiver pan over medium to medium high heat. Add a small amount of oil to each cup. Fill cup about 2/3 full. Cook until bottom is golden brown then rotate using a skewer or knitting needle. Turn 1/3 to let uncooked batter pour out and begin cooking. Repeat once more to form a ball.
- When finished, move ebelskivers to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Stuff with your favorite filling or serve with jam (our personal favorite is homemade freezer strawberry jam).
Notes
If you don't have buttermilk you can make a substitute using milk and vinegar. 2 cups milk and 2 Tbs vinegar. Stir and let sit to sour for 1-2 minutes.
Hi Donna. Your comment was lost until now. So sorry this reply is coming so late. I’ve only ever made ebelskivers using an ebelskiver pan. I would think you could also cook them like a traditional pancake or hotcake on a hot flat top griddle or in a frying pan.
What can i use instead of an ebelskiver pan
Ebelskivers is a breakfast dish that my husbands grandmother and great grandmother made quite frequently.
They are Finnish though. Anyway very good recipe and fairly easy to get the hang of it again with the turning. I hadn’t thought of partially turning them to let some of the batter run out and then continue the flip. Good idea Ollie. lol!
So glad you were able to troubleshoot how to get them turned. They can be tricky but they are so worth it. Yum! Happy to hear your grandson enjoyed helping you too. <3
These were light and delicious. I found the turning to be a bit difficult. None of them looked as good as the picture. I brushed the pan with oil and found I needed to fill the pan circles. I ended up using a eating tablespoon to turn and that worked the best. My grandson enjoyed overfilling them with strawberry jam.
They are delicious! A family favorite. I’m excited for you to try them. 🙂
These look so soft an delicious! I must try them! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Audrey! They are so fun and taste amazing!!! Busy… oh boy! We’re getting ready to remodel. Then again, I’ve been telling myself we’re getting ready for the past 3 months. LOL Just getting everything bid out so we can make the big decisions. 🙂 I hope all is well! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
These Ebelskivers look so fun and delicious too! I hope that you are not too busy this Summer – ha ha!!!