The German pancake is baked at a high temperature in a skillet, where it puffs up radically in the oven, then settles down as it comes out. It’s dusted with powdered sugar, and served with whipped butter and lemon wedges on the side. Delicious. You can also apply maple syrup, if that’s your thing. A cast-iron skillet seems to work best for this recipe (just as they used back in the day), but you can get away with nonstick, if that’s all you’ve got. If that’s the case, you should know that the pancake will morph more radically in a nonstick pan and practically overflow the skillet—especially if it isn’t a deep one. Even so, once you get it out of the oven it will shrink back down and taste just as amazing.
MAKES 1 LARGE PANCAKE
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup oIl-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon melted butter (salted)
GARNISH
- Powdered sugar
SERVE WITH
- Lemon wedges
- Butter maple syrup
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer. Mix in milk, cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix until the sugar is dissolved. Sift in flour and mix until smooth. Let the batter rest for about 10 minutes.
- Coat the bottom of a 9- or 10-inch oven-safe skillet (cast-iron is best) with melted butter. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown on top and dark brown around the edges. The pancake will rise substantially while cooking.
- Remove the pancake from the oven and let it sit for about a minute. Loosen the pancake around the edges with a spatula, then slide it out of the pan onto a plate.
- Dust the pancake with powdered sugar and serve with lemon wedges, butter, and syrup on the side.
TIDBITS:
- You can substitute ⅔ cup half-and-half for the ⅓ cup heavy cream and ⅓ cup whole milk, but I found that using the cream and milk separately makes for a fluffier texture and better clone.
