Japanese Pancakes (Dorayaki)

Here is my version of a delicious 7-11 Japanese snack: Japanese pancakes sandwiched with thick black sugar syrup and margarine. Perfect for an on-the-go breakfast or snack!

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Black sugar: Adds a rich, deep sweetness to the syrup while giving a thick consistency. It has a complex taste with hints of molasses, which contributes to a more robust flavor compared to regular granulated sugar.
• Pancake syrup: Helps balance the rich black sugar.
• Sweet rice flour: Sweet rice flour, also known as glutinous rice flour, helps give the pancakes a chewy texture. Make sure to use sweet rice flour and not white rice flour.
• Honey: Honey adds natural sweetness and a distinct flavor to the pancakes. It also contributes to the moisture of the batter, helping to create a tender texture.
• Milk: Milk is essential for hydrating the dry ingredients and creating a smooth batter. It contributes to the pancakes' tenderness and fluffiness, ensuring they cook evenly.
• Margarine: Used for sandwiching the pancakes. You can use butter but butter will melt into the pancakes unlike margarine.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Make pancake syrup

Before we dive into the pancakes, let's start by preparing the syrup. Unlike regular pancake syrup, this filling has a thicker consistency and richer flavor. What's the key difference? Using black sugar.

Black sugar may look like dark brown sugar but the two taste different. Black sugar has a rich, intense, malty, salty, caramel flavor while brown sugar has a deep, caramel or toffee-like flavor. You may recognize black sugar from boba milk teas.

You can find black sugar at large Asian supermarkets or online.

To make the pancake syrup, combine black sugar, granulated sugar, and water in a heavy-bottomed sauce pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and continue to simmer for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove the syrup from heat and let it cool. It'll continue to thicken as it cools.

Add regular pancake syrup or maple syrup and set it aside.

Step 2: Make pancake batter

Now let's move on to the Japanese pancakes. Pancakes are relatively easy to prepare. Mix the dry ingredients, usually flour, sugar, and a leavening agent, with wet ingredients, milk, butter, and egg. Make sure not to over-mix, combine ingredients, and pour ladles onto a hot griddle. Flip when ready and cook until golden browned. The process is the same for these Japanese pancakes, also known as Dorayaki. The main difference between the two breakfast staples is the type of flour used.

I prepared 5 different batches when trying to figure out the right combination. Japanese pancakes are light and most importantly, chewy. The first batch made with all-purpose flour did not have enough chew factor. The second with cake flour was light but too airy and had no chewiness. The third with sweet rice flour had the chew factor but was a little too dense and had a certain graininess.

After tasting the difference between the flours, I opted to combine sweet rice flour and all-purpose. All-purpose gave the right weight but not enough chew; that's where the sweet rice flour came in. With the addition of another leavening agent, using both baking soda and baking powder and the mixture of the flour, I came out with the right combination. Happy dance time!

Step 3: Cook pancakes

The same rules for when preparing American pancakes apply. Do not over-mix - just mix until the ingredients are just incorporated.  Use a griddle if you have one as they are the preferable choice of equipment. No need to use butter or oil to grease the pan. In fact, if there is too much oil or butter, the pancakes will not evenly brown. I found that the best solution was to spray cooking spray onto the pan, wiping away the excess with a paper towel.

Pour ¼ cup batter per pancake onto the griddle, dropping the batter about 6 inches above the pan. Pouring the batter high above allows the pancake to form perfect circles.

Almost everyone says to flip the pancakes when you see bubbles. However, you should flip them when the bubbles come to the surface and pop, forming holes.

Another handy tip to get the perfect even color: know where your hot spots are on the pan. Heat almost never distributes evenly on a pan: wherever the flame source is where the pan will be the hottest.

When I cooked 4 pancakes at a time, I realized the pancakes closest to the edges of the pan were not cooking evenly. Uneven heating will produce uneven coloring. The solution? Rotate the pan every 30 seconds or so to allow even heating. An easier fix can be to cook only 2 pancakes at a time in the center of the pan. Sure this takes longer but it also means every pancake will come out beautifully golden brown.

Step 4: Assemble sandwiches

Spread margarine, drizzle the pancake syrup, and sandwich together. It's important to use margarine rather than butter since margarine spreads easily and won't melt into the pancake.

The margarine also acts as a barrier, preventing the syrup from soaking into the pancake. This way you can bite into the sandwich and get syrup oozing out from the sides.

I finished all my Japanese pancakes including all the test batches and still found myself wanting more. These are delicious even without the margarine and syrup!

You may be wondering, there are a ton of dorayaki recipes out there, what makes this one different? Most, if not all, dorayaki recipes are intended for a heavier filling such as red bean or cream, thus leading to a slightly denser pancake without the chew. Even if you have a favorite dorayaki recipe, give this one a try and see the difference!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: You can prepare the syrup up to 3 days in advance. You can also assemble the pancakes and enjoy them later in the day.
• Store: Wrap leftovers individually in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Frequently asked questions

More Japanese recipes

Looking for more Japanese dishes? Try these:

Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Japanese Pancakes (Dorayaki)

10 3-inch dorayaki sandwiches

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: pancakes

Servings: 10

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Syrup

• 1.75 ounces black sugar (50 grams)
• .75 ounces granulated sugar (21 grams)
• ¼ cup water (60 ml)
• 2 tablespoons pancake syrup

Dorayaki

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (140 grams)
• ¼ cup sweet rice flour (35 grams)
• ½ cup sugar (100 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ¾ cup milk (175 ml)
• margarine

Instructions

• Combine black sugar, granulated sugar, and water in a small saucepot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not disturb mixture while simmering. Remove from heat and let cool. Mix with pancake syrup and set aside.
• Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl (flour, sweet rice flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar). In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, honey, and milk. Stir dry ingredients into wet, mixing until just incorporated.
• Heat non-stick griddle over medium-low heat. Spray cooking spray, wiping away excess. Pour ¼ cup batter onto the pan to form one pancake. When bubbles arise, and pop, flip the pancake. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove and repeat with remaining batter.
• Let pancakes cool slightly. Spread margarine on one side of each pancake. Drizzle syrup in the center of the pancake and top with other half. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

The syrup can be prepared up to 3 days in advance.