Pineapple Bun Pancakes
I have a love-hate relationship with pineapple buns. To me, the perfect one has a cloud-like, fluffy bun, topped with a thick crispy, buttery top. Most buns nail the crispy, buttery top, but are often a bit too dry - a consequence of slightly overbaking the bun, especially when the “pineapple” crust is so buttery it verges on greasy. If you’re fussy like me, I’m pleased to let you know that we’re pretty close to fixing that conundrum with these pancakes.
Japanese soufflé pancakes are very fussy (a good one takes me 20 minutes, and way too many bowls to make), but when done right, all that effort results in a jiggly, highly Instagrammable creation that works with any topping imaginable. Unlike buttermilk pancakes, the high egg content of these pancakes also mean they don’t dry out easily, which is why they’re the perfect base for these “pineapple” pancakes.
A word of warning - these pancakes take ages (at least half an hour or more), so I usually pull the pineapple bun topping together the night before to speed things up. For an extra indulgent pancake, try adding in a couple of slices of char siu to the pancake and a drizzle of honey.
Ingredients:
For the pineapple bun topping
62g softened unsalted butter
1 large egg, separated
15ml oat milk (any other milks also work)
110g cake flour
90g icing sugar
15g instant custard powder
1g baking sofa
1g baking powder
For the souffle pancake
2 large eggs
23ml milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
30g cake flour
2g baking powder (optional, but very useful for stabilising your pancakes)
26g sugar
First, prep the pineapple bun topping - cream butter with oat milk and one large egg yolk (save the egg white), until fully combined and fluffy.
Gradually add in the dry ingredients (ie cake flour, icing sugar, instant custard powder, baking soda and baking powder), mixing thoroughly until no lumps remain and a smooth dough is formed. Refrigerate this until needed.
It’s now time to prep the pancake batter! Separate the two eggs, placing all yolks in one bowl, and the whites in another. If you’ve got a mixer, start whisking the egg whites to form a meringue. Gradually add in the sugar as the egg whites are getting whisked. Once stiff peaks form, the egg whites are done.
In the meantime, whisk the yolks with the milk and vanilla extract by hand, until a froth/foam forms. Sift in the cake flour and baking powder (if using), and fold these into the fluffy egg yolks only until just combined.
Once the meringue is prepared, vigorously mix in a tablespoon of the meringue into the yolk mixture - this will lighten up the yolks slightly, and make it easier to fold. Once this is done, gently fold in the yolk mixture into the meringue, until no streaks remain.
Using a non-stick spray, grease a 2-3 inch cake ring. Place the cake ring on a non-stick pan, and ladle in a few tablespoons of pancake batter into the cake ring. Fry at low heat for 5 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Carefully flip the cake ring over with tongs, and cook the other side of the pancake. Once the pancake is lightly golden brown on both sides, remove from heat and from the cake ring. Repeat with the rest of the batter - this should make at least 6 pancakes.
Roll out the pineapple bun topping dough, and using the cake ring, cut out rounds. Place each round onto a pancake, lightly scoring each round to form a cross hatch, and brush with the reserved egg white.
Broil the pancakes at 235°C for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Serve immediately - these go tremendously well with a slice of cold butter and warm char siu.