Authentic Kaiserschmarrn Recipe (Austrian Torn-Up Pancakes) (2024)

FAQs

What is Kaiserschmarrn made of? ›

Kaiserschmarren is a light, caramelized pancake made from a sweet batter using flour, eggs, sugar, salt, and milk, fried in butter.

The name means “imperial mess” in German. The story goes that a frazzled farmer created the dish in a tizzy when Austria's Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife showed up hungry at his home. As a last-ditch attempt to save face, the farmer shredded his disastrous pancake and topped it with sugar and marmalade.

In his honor, it was improved with milk, raisins and eggs. So the traditional Holzfällerschmarrn became the fine Kaiserschmarrn. Another legend says that the Emperor Franz Joseph I liked to have pastries for dessert, especially Palatschinken (an Austrian version of the French crêpe).

One of the many legends about the origin of Kaiserschmarren says that Emperor Franz Joseph I liked to have Palatschinken (pancakes) for dessert. If the cook made them too thick or torn, they were served to the staff as "Kaiserschmarrn", because they were not good enough for the Emperor.

The Linzer torte is a traditional Austrian pastry, a form of shortbread topped with fruit preserves and sliced nuts with a lattice design on top.

600 BC - The first recorded mention of pancakes dates back to ancient Greece and comes from a poet who described warm pancakes in one of his writings. 1100 AD – Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) becomes a traditional way to use up dairy products before lent – the pancake breakfast is born.

The main reason pancakes became so popular in the US is that they were so easy to make. Most households always had access to the basics, eggs flour and milk, and so pancakes became a common household food simply due to ease and availability.

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte is Germany's most famous dessert. It's also known as Black Forrest Cake.

English sweets included many types of cakes, custards, and fritters such as funnel cake. They used strawberries, apples, figs, raisins, currants and almonds. They also made cheese-based sweets including cheesecake.

Franz Josef Land, archipelago of 191 islands in the northeastern Barents Sea, the northernmost territory of Russia. It falls administratively into Arkhangelsk oblast (province).

Why do you always throw away the first pancake? ›

Why is the first pancake often so ugly that it gets tossed? Pancake experts say that there are some possible reasons, including the amount of butter being used, the temperature of the heating surface, and so on. Perhaps the first one is a "tester." Once it is made, the next batches will be fine.

Beat eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl; stir in potatoes and onion. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of potato mixture into hot oil in batches. Press to flatten.

The batter is made with flour, tempura scraps (tenkasu), grated yam (nagaimo or yamaimo), and eggs. It's then mixed with shredded cabbage and sometimes additional ingredients like shrimp and squid. A classic topping is pork belly slices, placed on top of the savory pancake while grilling.

Ingredients in a Dutch Baby Pancake

Flour: Nothing fancy here, all-purpose does the job just fine. Eggs: If you can remember to, let the eggs come to room temperature while you're heating the oven. Milk: Skip the skim milk — 2% or whole work best. Sugar: You'll need two tablespoons of granulated sugar.

The batter for Swedish pancakes contains a higher ratio of milk, butter, and eggs to flour, resulting in something that's lighter and fluffier than crêpes. Swedish pancakes are also traditionally served with jam (lingonberry or strawberry) and whipped cream, although these days, anything goes.