Aebleskiver are traditional Danish pancakes that are cooked in a special stovetop pan with half-spherical molds. Danish pancake puffs that nordic crispbread recipe cooked in a special stovetop pan with half-spherical molds. The cast iron aebleskiver pan exists in versions for gas and electrical stoves for which it features a plain bottom. The earliest known aebleskiver pans are more than 300 years old and were made from hammered copper.
The name indicates that there were apples in the original recipe. However, modern versions of the Danish specialty do not include apples. When and where are aebleskiver served? Aebleskiver are typically not served in restaurants or for breakfast, but they are rather served at the family table for afternoon coffee breaks.
In Denmark, they are common during Christmas and over the days leading up to it. During that time, they are often served with gløgg, a Scandinavian mulled wine. What are the versions of aebleskiver? The latter produce a fluffier and more airy end result. The recipe featured here is the version with baking soda and buttermilk also called kærnemælks æbleskiver.
Another version with cream is called flødeæbleskiver. Aebleskiver are traditionally served rolled in powdered sugar, sometimes with whipped cream, butter, maple syrup, and also very often with fruit preserves or jams such as raspberry, strawberry, blackcurrant or blackberry jams. What is the origin of aebleskiver? Legend has it that during the time of the Vikings, when they roamed the coastal waters of England and the Atlantic, some of those Vikings were hard hit in battle. As they returned to their ship, they made pancakes with their badly dented horn helmets and shields. As they didn’t have proper cookware, they greased their shields and poured the batter on them over a fire. There are quite a few reasons why this story may not hold true, including the fact that Viking shields were partly made of wood!
The different kinds of pancakes The Dutch make similar pancake balls, although more ovoid in shape, called poffertjes. Like aebleskiver, they are made in a special pan. It is as unclear which came first between the chicken and the egg as it is between the poffertjes and the aebleskiver! Pancakes are breakfast and brunch favorites, and we have featured quite a few on 196 flavors already, starting with Empress Sissi’s favorite, Austrian kaiserschmarrn! Other pancake recipes have included Costa Rican corn-based chorreada, traditional potato-based Irish boxty, or millet-based crepes from Benin.