[Japanese Recipes] Dorayaki – Pancakes Filled with Matcha Pastry Cream

As a big fan of Japanese food, and knowing that sushi is really a small part of the culinary culture of the land of the rising sun; I am always very excited to experience the unique flavors and special Japanese ingredients.

When I met Renan and Daniel, two amazing chefs that host Japanese dinner parties at their home, I just knew we had to collaborate somehow. We immediately had a great connection, and when we set up a baking date, I just knew it was going to be delicious and unique.

We made traditional Japanese pancakes named Dorayaki. These pancakes are so airy, delicious and have a beautiful dark hew that makes the simply irresistible. Traditionally, they are served with Anko paste (a very common red or black bean spread in Japan); but we filled them with the matcha pastry cream, to keep them Japanese, only with a twist.

Dorayaki - Japanese Pancake Filled with Matcha Pastry Cream

Servings 12 pancakes
Author נטלי

Ingredients

For the pancakes:

2 large eggs
80 grams of sugar
1 tablespoon of honey
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
50 ml. of water
130 grams of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-2 teaspoons of water as needed - see instructions

For matcha pastry cream:

125 ml. of milk
2 large egg yolks
30 grams of sugar
10 grams of cornstarch
½ teaspoon macha powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
50 grams of soft butter

Instructions

Japanese Pancakes:

whip eggs, sugar, honey and salt in a mixer bowl until you get an airy, stable and bright foam.
In a small bowl, mix the baking soda and water until combined.
Add the soda mixture to the whipped eggs mixture, sift in the flour and baking powder, and gently fold using a spatula until fully incorporated.
Cover the bowl and put the mixture in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes to rest.
Before frying the pancakes, stir the mixture again. If it is too thick (the texture should resemble nut butte- add a little cold water as needed.
Frying: heat a nonstick pan on medium flame and lightly grease the pan using a paper towel soaked in some vegetable oil or melted butter.
Pour 2-3 small pancakes with a small ladle and fry on low to medium heat for 3-4 minutes until tiny bubbles begin to form on the top of the pancakes and they lose its shine.
Flip the pancakes gently with a spatula and fry for 10-15 seconds on the other side.
Transfer the prepared pancakes into a plate and cover with a towel immediately. Continue until all the pancakes are ready.

Matcha pastry cream:

In a pot, put milk and heat to a boil.
In a small bowl, mix egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, matcha and vanilla until combined.
Pour 1/3 of the boiling milk over the yolk mixture and mix well until uniform.
Add the egg yolk mixture to the rest of the milk in a saucepan and mix well with a whisk.
Return to cooking on a medium flame, while whisking all the time until you get a very thick and firm pastry cream that starts to simmer.
Remove from the stove and add butter. Mix thoroughly until dissolved.
Transfer the cream to a flat container, cover with plastic wrap over the cream itself to avoid crust forming, and cool for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator for stabilization.
Before using the cream, transfer it to a bowl and mix well with a whisk to return to the original creamy texture.

Assembly:

Place 1-2 generous teaspoons of cream on top of the pancakes and close to a sandwich with another pancake.
Serve immediately. You can sprinkle a little powdered sugar before serving.

Recipe Notes
The pancakes are at their best as fresh as possible, so you should prepare them just before serving.

The pastry cream can be prepared a day in advance and stored in the fridge.
Matcha powder can be found in tea shops, nature stores and selected spice shops.
Of course, you can fill the pancakes with everything you like, including prepared spreads like Nutella, biscoff, jam and so on.