A month ago, I made kaiserschmarrn, a shredded pancake, for my kids for a weekend breakfast at the suggestion of my neighbor (coincidentally the partner of the neighbor who challenged me to make dutch apple pie, and thus definitely someone with good taste). It was, as predicted, delicious, and as it’s the year 2019, I posted a photo of it on Instagram Stories in the moments before my children demolished it. It was only then, through an avalanche of DMs, that I learned how deeply beloved it is.
Here’s a small sampling of responses:
“You made Kaiserschmarrn!!!”
“This is Austrian!” “This is German!” “This is Czech!” “We make this in Hungary!”
“Looks spot on, just like the ones I had in Salzburg many years ago!”
“We eat this for dessert!”
“This is Christmas breakfast every year with tart jam and pureed plums!”
“We call this Emporer’s Mess.” [Apparently Franz Joseph I was very fond of it.]
“Besides apple strudel, traditional Kaiserschmarrn is one of the most famous and iconic Austrian dishes.”
“If you order it at any Austrian restaurant, it’s almost guaranteed to come with stewed plums (zwetschkenröster) and/or applesauce.”
“It’s best when cooked in butterschmalz [clarified butter or ghee].”
“I hope you skipped the rum soaked raisins — yuck.” But also: “You forgot the rum-soaked raisins!” [I didn’t but found them distracting.]
“Tip: Kaiserschmarrn is perfect when it’s still a bit creamy inside.”
To try it is to understand why. The batter is simple, close to that of a crepe or dutch baby, but you whip the egg whites separately and fold them in at the end, resulting in a puffy butter-fried mega-pancake. But wait, there’s more! You then shred, tear, or chop it into bite-sized pieces and continue to fry it until each is a glorious golden-edged, custardy-centered nugget. It’s finished with a drift of powdered sugar and served with tart fruit compote (I tried my hand at plum below) or applesauce and is a dream of a weekend breakfast. It could also be dessert. It could also be lunch, which is how my neighbor has been enjoying it. Mostly, I love the way it seems simple but feels a bit festive, just like I hope all of our weekends ahead are.
Previously
One year ago: Chilaquiles Brunch Casserole
Two years ago: Rhubarb Upside-Down Spice Cake
Three years ago: Perfect Garlic Bread, Shaved Asparagus Frittata and Palm Springs Date Shake
Four years ago: Potato Scallion and Kale Cakes, Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies, and Crispy Broccoli with Lemon and Garlic
Five years ago: Blue Sky Bran Muffins and Fresh Spinach Pasta
Six years ago: Spring Vegetable Potstickers and Essential Raised Waffles
Seven years ago: Bacon, Egg and Leek Risotto
Eight years ago: Sour Cream Cornbread with Aleppo and Ribboned Asparagus Salad with Lemon
Nine years ago: Radicchio, Apple, and Pear Salad, New York Cheesecake and Shakshuka
Ten years ago: Black Bread and Ranch Rugelach
Eleven years ago: Chocolate Walnut Cookies + More Flourless Dessert, Almond Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote
Twelve years ago: Corniest Corn Muffins and Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Roberta’s Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad
1.5 Years Ago: Endive Salad with Toasted Breadcrumbs and Walnuts
2.5 Years Ago: Broken Pasta with Pork Ragu and Roasted Cauliflower with Pumpkin Seeds and Brown Butter
3.5 Years Ago: Baked Potatoes with Wild Mushroom Ragu, Twinkie Bundt and Oven Fries
4.5 Years Ago: Cauliflower Cheese, Squash Toasts with Ricotta and Cider Vinegar, and Smoked Whitefish Dip with Horseradish
Austrian Shredded Pancake (Kaiserschmarrn)
- 1/2 cup (75 grams) raisins (optional)
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fruit juice or rum (only if using raisins)
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup (100 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk, any kind
- 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 40 grams) unsalted butter or ghee (clarified butter)
- Powdered sugar
- Jam, applesauce or another fruit sauce, or stewed plums/plum compote (recipe below) to serve
- If you’re using raisins, soak them in the hot rum or juice and set aside until needed.
- Prune-style plums are traditional here. I used wildly out of season black plums from the grocery store and it was still incredibly delicious.
Make batter: In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Whisk in milk, then flour, whisking just until mostly smooth. (A few tiny lumps proved inconsequential.) Let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a second (medium-large) bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat egg whites until they hold firm peaks. Fold into egg yolk mixture, trying not to deflate the egg whites. Gently fold in raisins, if using.
Cook pancake: Heat a medium-large skillet (10″ to 12″) over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter or ghee and let warm. Pour batter into pan and spread smooth. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, lifting an edge to peek occasionally, until it’s a deep golden brown underneath; reduce the heat if it’s browning very quickly. If you feel like you can pull off flipping it in one piece, go for it. I cannot and loosen the edges to slide it onto a large plate. With a potholder on each hand, invert empty frying pan over pancake and plate, grab both together tightly, and quickly flip the pancake back into the pan. Continue cooking until deeply golden underneath on the second side, about 3 minutes.
Shred/tear pancake: There are two ways to do this: You can use two forks or the edge of a sharp spatula to tear/chop the pancake into 1″ to 2″ pieces right in the skillet. However, I prefer to slide it back onto the plate I just used to flip the pancake and chop it there. This allows me to melt another tablespoon of butter in the pan for extra-buttery and lightly crisp edges in the final pancake. Return pancake shreds and any batter that has spilled out — it’s supposed to still be very runny in the center at this point — to the skillet and cook, stirring, until pancake shreds are mostly but not fully cooked through. A custardy center in each bite is ideal.
To serve: Scrape pancake shreds onto plate and sprinkle generously — and I mean generously — with powdered sugar. Serve with lemon wedges, jam, a fruit sauce (applesauce is a popular accompaniment), fresh berries or as shown, with stewed plums/plum compote (zwetschgenröster), directions below. Eat right away.
A quick plum compote (zwetschgenröster): Combine 1 pound fresh black or prune plums* (unpeeled, pitted, and cut into quarters or eighths), 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon (or more to taste) ground cloves over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until fruit is saucy and tender enough that you can break a piece in half with the side of you spoon, about 20 minutes (and up to 25 minute for fruit that’s more broken down). Stir in juice of half a lemon and set aside to cool until needed.
The wonderful kid’s audio story collection Around the World Stories has a great story about making Kaiserschmarrn in their Austria collection. You have to pay for the stories, but it’s worth it and would be such a fun thing to accompany this recipe if you have kids in the elementary (give or take) range. Not sponsored by them, but truly love their stories and think more people would enjoy listening!
https://www.aroundtheworldstories.com/
I love Kaiserschmarrn (and that’s not even in my top 10 reasons why I love living in Vienna). My version does not include baking powder but a tablespoon of vanilla sugar. And you heat the butter in the pan, pour the dough into it and then bake the Kaiserschmarrn in the oven (my Austrian cookbook says about 9 minutes, then flip it and bake it for another 3 minutes at 210 celsius). And always without raisins, I really hate those little things :D
Thank you for saying that. I can’t stand raisins, either, except sometimes in oatmeal cookies. They look like bugs and wreck the texture.
Can you use buttermilk instead of milk? It looks so good!
I don’t see why not.
I have made them with buttermilk and a 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in the dry ingredients.
An Austrian friend taught me to make this 20 years ago and I still love it! It is very delicious. I’m so glad to see it on your blog! (My recipe has it finished in the oven as well, just as noted in another comment.) I like to eat it with the Lingonberry jam from Ikea when plums aren’t at their best.
Can you just substitute gluten free flour?
I’m also curious about this.
Totally not the point but where is your daughter’s raincoat from?!
It’s from Hatley a few years ago. There were matching boots, too! We broke the umbrella and I’d do anything to find a replacement but they really get rid of patterns once they run them. :(
In rustic mountain restaurants it often is placed in the middle of the table in a HUGE pan so that a whole group can share it…
I am equally delighted that you should post a completely authentic Austrian recipe (team #noraisins btw) and sad that it’s not a new kitchen discovery for me this time. Kaiserschmarrn is typically served in mountain cabins. I love it with blackberries (In the batter)
I *might* have made my husband take me to Vienna just for Kaiserschmarrn.
At Christmas.
At the Christmas Market.
Twice.
WITH the rum soaked raisins.
(Promptly followed by a giant bratwurst in a chewy crusty bun and potato pancakes. OOF) Then I came home and recreated it. But something about being IN Vienna eating it on a cold winter day with a cup of Gluhwein is much more special.
Hi Deb,
Thank you for posting this delicious looking recipe. Until seeing this post I’d never heard of Kaiserschmarrn. Now, I can’t wait to make it.
I’m sorry for being a pest, but ghee and clarified butter are not the same thing. Ghee is essentially browned clarified butter. To me, it has a delicious funk that’s more suited to savory dishes than sweet dishes. Also, clarified butter is usually less expensive than ghee.
https://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/ButterGhee.htm
Good to know — but both work here. :) (I, personally, am currently obsessed with ghee and don’t know how I lived without it all of these years.)
Aaaaahh Kaiserschmarrn, we Love it. If you can’t turn it in one piece, quarter the pancake with your spatula and flip the quarters separately.
My recipe for the 5 of us uses 8 eggs, 60 grams sugar, 750 ml milk and 250 grams flour. No leftovers :)
Do you really use 750ml of milk to 250g of flour? That seems a very high milk to flour ratio, but I’m keen to make this in a larger quantity that would serve 3 adults and 2 children, so I’d love to follow your upsized recipe! (I was an Erasmus student in Vienna and Kaiserschmarrn remains my best food memory of all!)
Yes the amounts are correct. It is a very liquid batter with lots of beaten egg white floating in it.
I also beat the egg yolks with 60 grams sugar, until creamy and fluffy. Then add the milk and flour, then fold in the egg whites.
I use a big non-stick pan and bake it in 3 batches. It’s very fluffy due to the many eggs. With us, it feeds 2 adults and 3 Kids :)
Thanks! I’m going to try this as an alternative to our normal “pancakes for dinner” treat night tomorrow, the dinner-eating kids are currently 3 and 5 but we also have 3-month-old twins…so we’re going to need cheap and easy meals to feed a crowd in the coming years!
The recipe you’ve provided us actually more complicated than is necessary. You can ditch the fruit and juice in the crepe/pancake recipe along with the baking powder and simply add 1.5 tsp vanilla extract. Also, I’ve made this for years and never added powdered sugar – simply applesauce or other compote.
You can also make this savory by skipping the vanilla and adding grated gruyere or emmental cheese and serving it with a lemony salad like we had on the slopes in Kitzbuehel. It’s delicious!
Just made this morning after the picture scrolled by in my news feed! I’ve never made anything like it before but I think it came out well! I even used gf flour with a successful outcome. Very light and delicious.
I am of Mennonite descent and we call this Rührei (or I just call it scrambled pancakes. We keep it simple, though – 3 eggs, 1/2 c milk, 1/2 c flour. Mix, pour in a pan, scramble when the bottom starts getting cooked. AND LOTS OF BUTTER!
In German, Rührei is simply scrambled eggs, so no flour involved :-)
What you’ve described would be very different from what Deb’s recipe produces. I make what you described when I use up my excess French toast batter. It is eggy and delicious, but very different from kaisersmarren, like crepes are different from pancakes.
Should the batter be allowed to rest again, after adding the whites, while the pan warms up? Or should the pan be pre-warmed so the batter can be added immediately after adding the whites? Or does it not matter?
No, you can use the batter right away after the whites go in.
Okay, dumb question, but what do you do with the fruit stuffs? Do you dip it in the applesauce? Drizzle it on top? Bite of one, bite of the other?
I just ate them together, some spooned on, some dipped.
Yes! This was one of the highlights of our trip to Vienna last year (where it was served with both applesauce and plum sauce). I will definitely have to make this! Will you be posting shredded pancake in beef broth next, lol? That was another surprisingly good one :)
How is it I’ve spent time in all of those countries and never once ate this? I feel like I missed a key experience. Plum are sadly long gone now, but I have some quince languishing in my fridge that I’m sure would make a lovely accompaniment.
Yessssssss. I grew up eating kaiserschmarrn and love all types of pancakes. I also totally do the plate thing to flip pancakes and now I only made plate sized pancakes. 😊
Flädlessuppe :) you don’t need a recipe for that. Good beef broth, pancakes in thin strips, chopped parsley. Wonderful…
Sorry, that was meant as an answer to another post.
I’ve made a version of this twice in the past year. one I tried putting the pan in the oven because Wolfgang Puck does it that way. After watching a bunch of YouTube videos and trying different ways I also skip the extra plate flip. Instead, once the bottom browns, I cut into quarters and flip those pieces as best I can. Then I let that brown a bit, slipping butter pats under. Then cut / tear into smaller pieces, sprinkle with more butter and sugar, and let caramelize a bit. It’s tasty for sure!
A less risky flipping method: use TWO plates. Slide the pancake onto one, then put the other plate over it bottom up, invert, slide pancake back into pan. I think having two plates to wash, instead of one, is a small price to pay for not having to flip something in a pan right off the stove.
I can’t envision how that would work, the top being fully uncooked and wet at that stage. You’d loose half the batter!
@Ria: hmm. I guess I was assuming the top would be sorta set, like the top of a frittata. (Also tricky to flip.) As you can probably tell, I’ve never made kaiserschmarrn (though I may try some this weekend) and should probably not offer suggestions until I actually know, um, what I’m talking about.
John, your response sets a great example for all of us!
I came upstairs to my computer after making strawberry rhubarb compote and now this!! Yes, I think Kaiserschmarm will taste delicious with that compote, so I will just have to try it. We ate Kaiserschmarm in a little town just outside of Munich and that was for dinner! So good and thanks for the memories!
Spelled wrong twice…please forgive me! Kaiserschmarrn. Delicious spelled any way.
This was delicious, my 7 year old agreed with the description of it as scrambled pancakes. A side of bacon and fried eggs and voila dinner is served. Breakfast for dinner has become our Thursday thing here for some reason, not that anyone is complaining so this post was perfectly timed!
I am German and live in Germany, albeit not in the South, where you are more likely to see Kaiserschmarrn on the menu. But no holiday in Austria would be complete without having Kaiserschmarrn at least once (along with a few other dishes – Marillenknödel. Germknödel, Wiener Schnitzel….), and I have made it at home many times. With rum-soaked raisins for me, please. I have also seen it with toasted almond slivers.
But in Germany/Austria I don‘t think anyone would have Kaiserschmarrn for breakfast. It is either eaten as a dessert (often shared, portion sizes being what they are) or as a sweet meal for dinner or sometimes lunch (the Austrians are really good on sweet dishes as main courses, not that their savoury dishes are anything to sniff at…)
Kaiserschmarren is gorgeous and everybody loves it over here in Europe, especially when skiing in the Alps. Sorry to say :) but you missed one very important step: when you return the pancake shreds to the pan you have to add a little bit of sugar (lets say 1 tablespoon for your amount of batter) to caramelize them by swinging the pan around a little bit. It adds a slight caramel crisp to the “glorious golden-edged, custardy-centered nuggets”. Delicious!
My recipes also do not include baking powder but a tablespoon of vanilla sugar.
I never had Kaiserschmarren with rum soaked raisins – igitt. They are normally added unsoaked (and in a smaller quantity) on top of the pancake batter after it was poured into the pan. Maybe you give that another try.
I did! I will suggest this. I did it the first time, forgot the second somehow.
I’ve cooked Dutch Babies for years and love their light, fluffy makeup. Your recipe for the Austrian torn, fluffy pancakes was intriguing. So I tried it, cooking the large pancake in butter in one of my non-stick fry pans. Then after tearing it into small pieces, I browned them in more butter. Butter makes everything taste better! I love how each piece had it’s own lightly crusted edges. I served them with powdered sugar and a small sprinkling of fresh lemon juice.Needless to say, the Austrian Torn, Fluffy Pancake recipe was a big hit. THANKS!!!
Oh, I’m in love with Austrian torn, fluffy pancakes! Made the pancakes in my non-stick fry pan. Then coated another non-stick fry pan with butter (Butter always makes everything better!) and toasted the pancake bites, turning carefully, until all the edges were crispy. I served them topped with powdered sugar and lightly dribbled fresh lemon juice. YUUUUUUM! I know this will be a staple on our breakfast list!
this looks amazing!! should i be concerned about it sticking to the pan at all?? looks like you used a plain stainless pan and it slid off beautifully. i’d love to try it out for brunch this sunday but a bit worried it will fall to pieces and i’ll be left with not enough food for my people.
Butter is the answer :-)
Omg! Kaiserchrmarrn brings back so many memories of family skiing in St. Johann, Austria! The kids in ski school would always have it, at the mountain restaurants, for lunch. That and a plate of fries (chips) !! Even when we went back a few years ago, our 23 year old daughter wanted Kaiserschmarrn and nothing else for lunch!
I prefer it with a much, much lesser amount of sugar, but love the applesauce. And your plum compote looks like an amazing pairing.
Oh my goodness! This is something my husband remembers from his childhood. His mom made something similar when he was very young (Swiss – Chirkle) but, by the time I came along she had forgotten the recipe. It was always just something in her head from when her mother made it. Thank you!! I can’t wait to make it for him.
Kaiserschmarren is my comfort food. It is unthinkable to go on a mountain hiking tour without having a kaiserschmarren at the mountain cabin.
I learned to make this from my mother (born in Germany). After the batter has set, she would fold/stir in the pan, sort of like making scrambled eggs, rather than flipping like a pancake. Much easier, just as delicious. Yes to raisins (though not rum-soaked), yes to powdered sugar. Still a special treat!
I was told these were the Emperor’s favorite but when they all sat down when the Emperor was done with his breakfast, EVERYONE was done – even if they weren’t. I think those at the end of the table learned to eat quickly!
Have you ever attempted to make aebleskever? no idea if that’s how it’s spelled, but it’s a type of pancake made in a special pan – they end up being little balls. My mom had a special pan that you poured the batter in and then slowly shifted it around. I haven’t seen a pan since… These sound really good – I basically love pancakes in any form, so might have to make this and see how grandkids like it. :)
You can get an aebleskiver pan on Amazon. I make them often, we like to make traditional ones, and also with cornbread batter and cheese inside. Yum!
I’d love to but would need to buy a special pan and probably never will, or at least as long as my kitchen is the size it is. I reserve the right to update my opinion if I have them in Denmark and then must urgently buy a pan to restore the vacation-y feeling as needed.
Can you make this ahead of time? Maybe set the cut pieces aside and chill in fridge the night before and in the morning reheat in the pan with ghee?
Or would it be better to make the batter ahead of time and store in the fridge?
I’d probably make it and flip it, then do the chopping/finish cooking it the next day. Or you can reheat it. It’s fine, just has a little less nuance in the texture.
Thank you!
I tried this last night for dinner. 1/2’d everything. I would caution that the heat needs to be medium-high (on my electric stove) in order to brown the first side without cooking too far though. Mine ended up a bit dry from the over-cooking. I’ll just HAVE TO make it again to see if I can’t get it right! Even over-cooked it was pretty tasty.
Fresh plums now (May), though? How about upcoming strawberries, and skip the compote?
What does the asterisk next to “plums” in the compote recipe refer to?
Oops, I’d originally written it with the varieties as a footnote but changed it, will edit/fix. Prune-style plums are traditional here. I used wildly out of season black plums from the grocery store and it was still incredibly delicious.
my family loves pancakes, so I can’t wait to see what they think about these ones
love love this recipe
Yes, this is THE dish to order when in or near Austria! The Austrian recipes we’ve always used say to sprinkle the sugar onto the torn pieces while it’s still in the pan, and then to continue cooking a bit to allow the sugar to caramelize. This adds to the delicious crispy crusty exterior of each delicious bite!
ooo this sugar tip seems key – thanks!
my thrifty German grandma would take cold leftover pancakes and fry them in sugar and butter the next day. This recipe brought back that memory.
So happy you made this! We eat it with apple sauce in Slovenia and it’s such a treat!
I made this using gluten free flour and it turned out beautifully. I typically use the America’s Test Kitchen mix, but used “Cup 4 Cup” flour this morning. The mix includes xanthum gum.
If you are going to shred up the pancake anyway, why bother with the “perfect” pancake flipping technique? Just split it up in the pan, and flip it in quarters. Just a thought.
Delicious, and I had everything on hand. I just served it with the bits of preserves I had sitting in the fridge. Sort of reminds me of abelskever in texture (at least what I remember of it from, oh, 30 years ago as a kid?). I’ve sent it around to a bunch of friends this morning already, especially the ones with kids. Keep these kinds of simple, international recipes coming!
I have a family recipe for Kaiserschmarrn which is more or less the same
and absolutely delicious.
More milk (1 cup) and they didn’t use any baking powder which
I think is the whole point of beating the egg whites until stiff.
I think Kaiserschmarrn is a more or less forgiving recipe.
This recipe is so good! Also a great midnight snack : )
Do you think an all purpose gluten free flour would work with this? Or any particular grain free flour?
It might! Most of the texture comes from the eggs and butter, so I have hope for it. Update: See here!
Thanks!
Made this for breakfast – kids absolutely destroyed it. However, I did have problems cooking in my deep cast iron pan. The center was far too dark by the time the sides were set enough to flip. I simply cut off the dark portions & finished as instructed. Next time we’ll attempt in another pan. Do you recommend stainless steel or nonstick?
If it got too dark, too fast, reduce the heat next time. I love cast iron, but you can use any kind of skillet here.
My daughter and husband have deemed this our new favorite pancake! It was surprisingly easy and fun to make. Thanks for another awesome recipe! LOVE your blog!
How do I download and print the recipe without having to print all the pictures and stuff before the recipe actually appears?
At the bottom of the recipe there is a line that says DoThis: and there are a few symbols including a printer to chose from. That is what you are looking for!
Nancy, every time I see this comment, I want to hire you. :)
(To be fair, it’s hard to find, and will definitely be made easier when this site is next redesigned.)
I made these this weekend for my family, and they were a hit! So easy and I had all the ingredients on hand. My only mistake was turning it in the pan with a plate about the same diameter as a pan-choose a larger pan if you want to avoid four letter expletives in the early morning hours!
Oh, I never heard of kaiserschmarrn before I saw this recipe, even though I have family from Austria, but I knew immediately I had to make it. I made it this weekend for breakfast for my husband and I. I only have jumbo eggs (I bought them by mistake) so I only used three eggs and it came out wonderful. I had a bit of trouble flipping the pancake, but I saw someone’s suggestion above to break it into sections and then flip them and I will try that. I warmed up and added some water to some store bought raspberry preserves I already had in the house to make it more of a sauce and it was so good. Next time I’ll make some bacon or Canadian bacon to go with it and maybe some cut up fruit to round it out, but it was delicious and my husband loved it. Another winner!!
Your description of these pancakes makes me want to make it right now! Putting this on my weekend to do list!
Favorite thing I have eaten in some time. Sooo good! I think I made the mistake of cooking it a bit long on the first side hoping to get that darker golden brown look, but it still tasted mighty yummy. Next time I will stick to 3 minutes as suggested by Deb (instead of 4 minutes). My husband and I finished it off with that strawberry/rhubarb compote mentioned above and I think it is the best topping ever, although not traditional in any way.
A question about these delicious sounding pancakes…….why not use maple syrup with them? You mention lots of other things but not syrup. Is there a reason? That would be my go-to.
No reason you cannot; I was suggesting what they’re more traditionally served with.
What skillet is that?
It’s pretty old, but is probably closest to this one.
Oh man, I don’t think you will convince him to tear up my beloved pancakes. ;)
I made japanese pancakes for my german mother on mother’s day and they went over well so guessing these would too. but they really are a cultural thing – the tearing is not an intuitive move for me lol.
https://www.chopstickchronicles.com/extra-thick-and-fluffy-japanese-style-pancakes/
When I was a child, more than 60 years ago, my Aunt Gertie, originally from southern Germany, made schmarrn for dessert after a dinner of hearty soup. She always served it with canned peaches in heavy syrup. So delicious. I have made schmarrn without separating the eggs, but look forward to trying your recipe. Thank you.
Well, if you want to go to heaven and back and happen to live alone (or are alone because your mate is traveling) please feel free to try Kaiserschmarrn for one, as I did. Follow Deb’s instructions but use a small skillet (I used a 6″ nonstick) and perhaps, cook for a minute or two less time.
Use the following:
1 egg, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoons butter for the pan, a teaspoon more later (I did not add salt to the recipe because I used salted butter).
Plenty of powdered sugar to serve and if you are like me, strawberry rhubarb compote to top it off. Totally nontraditional, but totally yummy. Enjoy!
YUM!!! I can’t wait to make this!
I teacher at an international school in Germany, and this is served in the cafeteria for lunch every once in awhile (with applesauce). When I moved here, I was like, “What? This is lunch?” but the kids here (aged 3-7), LOVE it, for obvious reasons!
Random question: Can I make this ahead, freeze, & then take it camping where I’d reheat and serve for breakfast (to about 8 kiddos and 8 adults)? Would that work, or is there any tweaking I could do to make it work? Or should I just stick with your always welcome buttermilk pancakes for that? These sound amazing, & I think the kids would love this fun twist to pancakes.
I would stick to the classics for camping. Thawing in the cooler could end up a mighty mess. We make a sauce out of freeze dried fruit and a little sugar to up the ante for camping pancakes. Molly Wezenberg@ Orangette had oatmeal pancakes that I love for car camping (rather than backpacking, etc.). You soak them over night. So I mix em up when I’m getting out the s’mores stuff.
I had a bit of trouble with the transition from the pan to the plate for flipping, but looking at the pictures it appears maybe the center should be a bit more cooked than mine was in order to avoid the mess. My stove runs hot, so the next time I make this (and there will be a next time), I think I’ll cook for only 1-2 minutes after flipping in order to preserve the “custardy” center. Even cooked all the way through, this was delicious and so much easier than making traditional pancakes, as I hate making them individually.
I tried this yesterday for the first time and then made it again this morning. My 7 year old said this is the best thing I’ve ever made in the history of cooking! I think this will become a Saturday tradition for sure.
This looks positively delicious! I am going to have to give this recipe a try.
I just made this but I increased the ingredients by 1 1/2 and cooked it in my straight side sauté pan. It worked out pretty well, but I couldn’t remove it from the pan to flip. It ended up in two pieces, but since it’s messy I figured it wouldn’t be an issue. It wasn’t. Turned out the same as when I used my skillet last week with the recipe as is. The family wants this for our special breakfasts now. There are six of us and the smaller amount barely fed the 4 kids.
This was so yummy! Super fluffy and easy to make. Overcooked it by a minute so I was able to flip it without it falling apart. Definitely gonna try a savory version next time with some nice herbs and cheese.
Miam miam!
I always eat kaiserschmarrn whenever I am in Austria!
Being based in Stuttgart and addicted to the Austrian alps, I go often there and try also to enjoy that sweet food :D
Now much better: I learned how to do it!
Thanks for sharing
Best, Ach
I grew up eating this but we called it smorn (might be spelt incorrectly) and my background is Slovenian. What a great recipe to have, thank you!
As old as I am I’ve never heard of Austrian Torn Fluffy Pancakes but my family and I will try this recipe out this Memorial Holiday. We love Dutch Babies so I’m certain we’ll enjoy these. Reading through the comments below, I need to go learn about ghee as well. I learned about clarified butter from The Galloping Gourmet – Graham Kerr back in the 60s!
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This looks incredible! I love crepes and this looks like a crepe on steroids. I think I might try it with blueberry compote.
I just made this (eating it while I type) and a) yum, b) it reminds me so much of aebleskivers, but in a much easier way than using the sphere pan! My 3 year old is loving it too (we skipped raisins and are using a generous amount of applesauce to dip it in) and is asking for a second helping! Thanks!
Hi Deb,
So I wish you were a fly on the wall for breakfast with my teenage boys this morning. (14 and 19) They were literally stealing pieces off of each other’s plates and fighting over it! Clearly next time I’ll need to double the recipe. It’s amazing how something so simple can taste so incredibly delish! Thanks a million for the recipe!
Love it! Looks like a perfect family weekend brunch dish!
Sounds so delicious!
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I love this recipe! I sprinkled cinnamon, icing sugar and zested an orange over the top. Oh my goodness! So tasty.
I’m currently in Vienna for work and have been eating this every day at the hotel breakfast with great enthusiasm. I vaguely remembered you posting some kind of cubes pancake on Instagram and am so happy that it was indeed this wonderful dish! I can’t wait to try it after I get back home to the US!
This looks delicious and definitely something I will have a go at making as a weekend treat!
I love Kaiserschmarrn! We used to holiday in Austria when I was little and Kaiserschmarrn was our reward after long hikes. Great memories!
Thank you for posting! My Grandma was from Vienna and made her apfel schmarren as a mid-morning snack with her tea or for a light meal. Although almost 60 years ago, I still clearly remember watching her cook it up. It tasted so good and the curds were light and fluffy. She actually cooked the dough like scrambled eggs, and added tiny bits of apple. We ate it warm with a sprinkle of sugar. Of course, there is no recipe. I’m going to have to try this one.
Wanted to love this but 2/3 kids eating it found the taste way to eggy. Not sure I will make it again.
I made this today for brunch and it was delicious! It will go into rotation whenever I want french toast but don’t have the right bread (or any bread) on hand.
I’ve made these a couple times because my daughter loves it (first experience was with Dr Oetker mix), and now I’m wondering if anyone has used this batter for waffles? If I try it, then I will update this comment.
So, I tried it this morning. The outside didn’t get as crispy as I like my waffles to be. It still tasted good, but it’s easier to clean a skillet than a waffle iron, so I won’t do that again.
It’s very adaptable to gluten and dairy free. I make it using cashew milk, coconut oil and a GF flour blend and don’t have to change anything. Delicious!!!
Wow I was stunned when I came across this recipe. My Paternal Grandparent were from Slovenia and always made something we called gonces (no doubt I have spelled this wrong. I have never seen a recipe or ever heard of anything coming close. Ours only has 4 ingredients. Eggs, milk, flour and salt. You use 1 egg per person you are serving. You whisk all ingredients together, constancy should be that of a tad thicker than crepe batter but not much. You heat Crisco or as my grandmother did lard or bacon grease on high. Pour in the batter cook until a nice crisp has formed on the bottom. You then start chopping up into small pieces. You serve in a bowl with syrup and eat for breakfast. I was thrilled to see this recipe as it reminds me of my childhood! Thanks
I grew up loving this as a child in Bavaria, and now make it every Friday for my 3 year old! Your recipe looks pretty bang on, but you’ve forgotten one key thing: once you’ve shredded the pancake in the pan you need to sprinkle over some caster sugar. The shredded bits of Kaiserschmarrn will caramelise for that heavenly final touch :-)
thanks, i made this one
When my mother made this for us as children, we always had it with raspberry syrup (Himbeersaft). I don’t know why I never made it for my daughter when she was growing up, but when she is home from graduate school in a couple of weeks, I shall. Thanks.
This did not work for me…at all. It tastes like sugary eggs (so sweet that we didn’t use powdered sugar at the end or eat with anything to sweeten it further). Reading through the comments, I will try without the baking powder since the egg whites give volume and the extra volume from the baking powder made it impossible to flip before the bottom started to burn. I’d also look into the oven method to cook through evenly making flipping easier. Of course, would half the sugar.
I’ll try this again because I’m always looking for new breakfast recipes, but I was a bit disappointed as written.
Amazing! Made exactly as written. Had a little difficulty when I did the first slide onto a plate because it was still super runny but it turned out fine in the end. Served with powdered sugar and applesauce. Husband and kids LOVED it. I wasn’t sure because they don’t love love Dutch baby pancakes. But everyone adored this. Perfect on a cold snowy day!
Just made this and am proud of how it turned out. I overcooked it a bit but still nearly matched the desired results, normally my pancakes are rubbish. First time ever folding in peaked egg whites and managed to keep the peaks. I cut the recipe in half since it is just me, and it was still a lot of pancake. I didn’t skimp on the powdered sugar, which made it seem more perfect than it was. I had plum jam on hand so made a sauce mixing it with maple syrup.
I can’t believe you have this recipe. This was the best dessert of all time at Ottenthal in Berlin! I can still taste it. I sometimes wonder if Viennese cakes/desserts use a different flour. They reach a transcendence that I have rarely (actually never) experienced here.
Anyway, can’t wait to try this!
Hi Deb,
As usual your recipe was doable and delicious! I followed your recipe as written and it was a success. I was a little worried with all the flipping but it worked.
Thanks and Happy Holidays,
Peggy
Just made this and the texture is absolutely incredible.
I loved the tip to stir in some sugar in the pan at the end after tearing to get a little bit of caramelization. (or in my case being lazy and instead of tearing, using a pizza cutter to piece the pancake up).
I ate the entire recipe by myself and I regret nothing lol. I made a little dipping buffet by diluting some jams with a bit of warm water and whisking. I had blueberry, lemon, curd, strawberry, and maple. I wished I had my apricot orange marmalade, that would have been perfect!
This would be absolutely wonderful in a savory format as well.
Thank you so much for an easy to follow and wonderful recipe. It was a fantastic after Christmas treat for myself :-)
Also, I put a little pinch of cream of tartar in the egg whites and that seem to help stabilize them. Loved this recipe!
For the people who love this, you should also try “Salzburger Nockerl”, which is a very similar batter , but gets baked in the oven.
I usually do a hybrid – start in the pan on the Steve, then pop it in the oven. I skip the shedding to preserve maximum fluffy-custardiness (also, less work).
This is fantastic! I served it with apple butter and it was lovely.
Delicious. I didn’t have plums but did have a couple apples so made a brown butter cinnamon apple maple syrup to serve with it. next time I will add a little vanilla to the batter.
My daughter begged for Austrian pancakes over chocolate waffles this morning! I have made this recipe a few times now and the first couple times I made it I used a normal-sized cast-iron skillet, but the last time I used a small cast-iron skillet that was my husband’s grandmother’s. It’s about six inches across and goodness gracious, it’s so much easier to flip the pancake, since there’s less surface area. I’ve also got a square-ish Victorinox spatula that has a sharp edge, so I can just flip, chop, and melt additional butter for the final step. I’m making two servings at a time if I use the other skillet, so it’s not that much more time/effort to make individual servings.
I just made the plum compote to go with a different pancake and it’s really good! I doubled it and it will serve 3-4. I may try cutting back on the sugar and water a bit next time. It was pretty runny so I added some cornstarch after simmering for 20 minutes to thicken it a little. I also added some lemon zest since I only had 1/4 lemon on hand but extra zest in the fridge.
Do I drain the raisins before putting in?
So delighted to see this recipe today! My Austrian mother made it for us when we were children. She made it from memory so we never had a written recipe. It was always served with applesauce and sprinkled sugar. No oven baking. She just chopped it up in the pan with her spatula before serving. I’ve been wanting to recreate this special dish for my grandchildren so I will be trying it soon! Thank you!
Made this and it was Devine. Easy but I did find my pan got too hot. I have to turn it down next time. It cooks quickly on medium for me, might be better at medium-low if you have a stainless steel pan.
Absurdly delicious though.
I have celiac and saw someone in the comments had success making this gluten free, so I thought I’d give it a try. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour, measured ingredients by weight, and it turned out great! I only had heavy whipping cream on hand, so used 1/4 cup of that, plus 1/4 cup of water, which seemed to work fine. Served it with store-bought applesauce, but will try the plum compote next time. Thanks for the recipe!
My first weekend brunch of 2024! I took one look at this and thought “A torn-up, twice-cooked Dutch Baby? Let me at it!” I love a boozy raisin, so definitely took that option. Didn’t think I wanted fruit compote with the raisins, so I just diluted some bitter orange marmalade and drizzled it over the final product.
I cooked it in a 10″ crepe pan, and it allllmost wanted to overflow, but didn’t. Instead of flipping, I let the first side cook til it was quite brown underneath, then slid it out onto a plate. When cool enough to handle, tore it up — the top was still a bit runny, which made for nice custardy pieces after the second dry. Yummy stuff, Deb!
I’m Hungarian and we call this smarni, and we also acknowledge that it’s Austrian, and totally the product of the Austro-Hungarian compromise, when we had the same king/emperor.
Just wanted to thank you for re-posting this! It was a perfect thing to try today in the NYC January rain – made it feel a bit more like the cozy snowstorm we were wishing for. I made 1.5x for 2 adults and 2 kids, split between two pans, and used a pan lid for flipping (as you described) which worked great.
Made this yesterday and LOVED LOVED LOVED it. It’s not too sweet, which I like, and I happened to have an Asian spiced plum compote on hand which was a weird but good compliment. Going to try a bit of whipped cream on the leftovers today.