Kaiserschmarrn (Austrian torn pancakes)

skillet of Kaiserschmarrn torn pancakes viewed from overhead.

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5 from 1 vote

Kaiserschmarrn (Austrian torn pancakes)

These traditional Austrian pancakes are light and fluffy, perfect for breakfast or dessert.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Austrian

Servings: -2

Calories: 548kcal

Author: Caroline

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Ingredients

2 eggs separated
½ cup all purpose flour plain flour
½ cup milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla essence
¼ teaspoon lemon zest approx
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon sugar (fine)
½ tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon confectioner's sugar icing sugar, approximately

To serve

½ tablespoon confectioner's sugar icing sugar, for dusting, or a little more
3 tablespoon fruit compote eg plum, cherry or applesauce approximately, or more/less to taste

Instructions

First, whisk the egg yolks, flour, milk, vanilla, lemon zest and salt in a bowl - make sure it's large enough as you will add the whites in as well shortly. Once the mixture is smooth, set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites at medium speed until they form medium-firm peaks. Whisk in the sugar - it's often best to add part at a time - and whisk a little more until glossy. Then gently fold the whites into the flour-milk mixture, starting with a spoonful to loosen the mixture, then adding the rest. Take care to fold lightly so you don't lose all the air, but also you don't want streaks of white in there.
Heat the butter over a medium heat in a relatively small skillet/frying pan and swirl so the base has a thin coating. Add the pancake mixture and allow to cook approximately 5 minutes until gently brown on the underside.
Gently loosen the pancake from the skillet/frying pan with a spatula to make sure it is not stuck to the bottom and to ease spatula underneath. Use one or two spatulas to flip over the pancake. Don't worry if it doesn't work perfectly, as you are going to break it up soon anyway. And if it helps, you can first divide it into sections and flip each of them separately. Cook for another couple of minutes so the second side cooks and starts to brown.
Once the second side is starting to brown, gently dust with confectioner's/icing sugar and use two forks (or one large/two small spatulas if you are being careful with your skillet/pan) to break up the pancake into chunks. Allow it to cook a couple minutes more, turning pieces so the sugar gently caramelizes.
Remove from heat and dust with confectioner's/icing sugar as you serve it, with fruit compote on the side (see notes).

Video

Notes

This dish is typically served with a fruit compote on the side - plum is probably the most common, but you can also use other seasonal fruits. I have served with a mix of cherry and raspberry, or also raspberry-cranberry which are both good for a little tartness as well as sweet. Applesauce is another common side as an alternative.

Compotes are essentially like jam, just cooked much less, and so really easy to make yourself with fruit, a little sugar and maybe some orange juice to add a little liquid as well as sweet-tart flavor. Cook until the fruits are soft and the check sweetness. You can thicken with a little cornstarch, if needed, though it will depend on the fruit.

Nutrition

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