breakfast/brunch/recipes/restaurant recipes/tokyo

How to Make Extra Tall Extra Fluffy Japanese Soufflé Pancakes like Gram Cafe and Pancakes

Posted June 23, 2019 by Stephanie

Mike and I watch this youtube channel where this dude v-logs his days with his corgi. It’s infinitely cute because I love corgis and even more cute because sometimes he makes his corgi dog-friendly food. This post has nothing to do with dog friendly food. But, the youtube dude did inspire me to try my hand at Gram-style Fluffy Japanese pancakes.


I’ve been on the fluffy Japanese pancake bandwagon for a while now but even though I’ve been busy making loads of pancakes, today was the first time I tried making the kind of pancakes they serve at Gram.

Gram, just in case you didn’t know, is one of the premier pancake places in Japan. I’m sure you’ve seen them floating around the internet: three impossibly jiggly, tall pancakes that are almost like pancaked shaped angel food cakes. Gram is notoriously busy – they only serve their pancakes 3 times a day and they only sell a certain number of pancake plates. I think it’s because they take so long to make.

Anyway, there is finally a Gram open stateside, in San Francisco. And if you don’t want to wait in line to snag one of the 90 orders of pancakes a day, try making your own at home!

Skip the flight to Japan and make Gram Pancake extra tall fluffy Japanese soufflé pancakes right at home. #soufflepancake #pancakes #japanese #recipe #grampancakes

Skip the flight to Japan and make Gram Pancake extra tall fluffy Japanese soufflé pancakes right at home. #soufflepancake #pancakes #japanese #recipe #grampancakes

Skip the flight to Japan and make Gram Pancake extra tall fluffy Japanese soufflé pancakes right at home. #soufflepancake #pancakes #japanese #recipe #grampancakes

Skip the flight to Japan and make Gram Pancake extra tall fluffy Japanese soufflé pancakes right at home. #soufflepancake #pancakes #japanese #recipe #grampancakes

As far as I can tell, the batter for Gram pancakes are made much the same as other Japanese soufflé pancakes: with a well whipped meringue. The main difference is that theirs are piped into little parchment paper molds.

I looked really closely at the molds that they use, thanks to this Eater article, and it looks like they’re regular parchment, stapled together using a staple-less stapler. We bought the one we used over at our local Daiso, but they sell them online too. From there it was just a question of piling the batter in and hoping for the best.

I did hit one little snafu, and that was that I only had enough batter for two pancakes instead of the classic three stack at Gram. But, all-in-all, not a bad mistake to make.

I held my breath as I flipped them and peeled off the foil and then the parchment. SUCCESS! I wish I had those giant fluffy plush pancakes they they have at Gram because I would just sink down into them with the satisfaction that Gram-like pancakes can be made at home.

I think Gram says it best: [The] premium pancake with texture sensations you’ve never experienced before, these soft and fluffy pancakes will melt in your mouth. We hope [these] pancakes can make you happy.

I was happy indeed :)

Skip the flight to Japan and make Gram Pancake extra tall fluffy Japanese soufflé pancakes right at home. #soufflepancake #pancakes #japanese #recipe #grampancakes

Skip the flight to Japan and make Gram Pancake extra tall fluffy Japanese soufflé pancakes right at home. #soufflepancake #pancakes #japanese #recipe #grampancakes

Skip the flight to Japan and make Gram Pancake extra tall fluffy Japanese soufflé pancakes right at home. #soufflepancake #pancakes #japanese #recipe #grampancakes

Skip the flight to Japan and make Gram Pancake extra tall fluffy Japanese soufflé pancakes right at home. #soufflepancake #pancakes #japanese #recipe #grampancakes

Gram Cafe and Pancakes Recipe
makes 2 pancakes


Yolks

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 3 tablespoons (30 grams) flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Whites

  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Make the parchment paper molds. Cut out strips of parchment about 2 inches high. Shape into a round about 4 inches and staple with a stapleless stapler.

Whisk the egg yolk with 1/2 tablespoon of sugar until pale and frothy. Mix the milk in batches. Sift the flour and baking powder over the yolk mixture and whisk well making sure everything is incorporated.

Whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until frothy and pale, adding in the sugar in bit at a time until the whites are whipped into a glossy thick meringue that holds a peak. Be careful not to over whip.

Take 1/3 of the whipped egg whites and whisk it into the bowl with the yolks until completely incorporated. Add half of the remaining whites and whisk into the yolk batter, being careful not to deflate. Transfer the egg yolk mixture to the remaining egg whites, whisk and then use a spatula to fold together.

Heat up a large non stick frying (with a lid) pan over low heat. Very lightly brush with oil and use a paper towel to rub it around. You want a very light film.

Place the parchment molds onto the pan and fill about 80% of way. Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes. If you have a crepe maker or griddle with a lid that will cover the entire thing without touching the pancakes, use that on the lowest setting.

Lift the lid and use a spatula to gently peek under the pancake. The pancake should release easily – don’t force it. Flip, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes. Once the pancakes are golden and cooked through, gently remove and peel off the parchment. Serve on a plate with powdered sugar, butter, whipped cream, and maple syrup. Enjoy immediately!

Note: I was worried that the parchment wouldn’t be enough to hold the batter, so I made some extra foil support rings as well.

15 Comments

  1. Karen says:

    Corgi vlog??? Corgi??? Where is this magic and who is this man?!

    1. Stephanie says:

      it’s vlog after college LOL

  2. Janice says:

    Do you think these could be made keto-friendly with almond or coconut flour and granulated monk fruit instead of sugar? They look SO amazing! Would the proportions be the same?

    1. Stephanie says:

      i haven’t tired but the low flour content makes me think it’d be possible. the proportions would definitely change though – i haven’t really worked with monk fruit sweetener so i don’t know how much you would need. lmk if you give it a try! :)

  3. Liv says:

    would this be possible to make without the Cream of tartar?

    1. Stephanie says:

      hi liv,
      you can but the cream of tartar really helps the egg whites whip up and hold. if you don’t use it you might not get the same fluffiness. i’ve heard other people sub a bit of lemon juice but i’ve never tried it.

  4. Ethan says:

    What would the recipe be if I wanted to make 6 Pancakes? Can I duplicate the recipe? Will the baking powder amount be duplicated too?

    1. Stephanie says:

      hi ethan,
      if you want to double the recipe, double all the ingredients!

  5. Ethan says:

    I made these pancakes today and they were wonderful! I duplicated the recipe and made 4 pancakes. I made my own rings by using an almond milk carton, then lining it with parchment paper. Next time, I’ll try making the creme brûlée topping from your other recipe to put on top

    1. Stephanie says:

      hi ethan! so happy they worked out for you! yay to the almond milk carton rings :) i hope you get a chance to try the creme brulee ones, they’re seriously out of this world!

  6. Carolynn Butler says:

    I tried making the soufflé pancakes and the batter that includes the yolks seems too stiff but when I add the egg whites it gets really soupy. Is this a sign of being over whipped?

    1. Stephanie says:

      it sounds like you’re deflating the whites while you’re incorporating them into the yolks – most likely the whites might be a bit over whipped like you think!

  7. Patricia says:

    Dear Stéphanie, In the picture it looks like the molds are made from both parchment AND aluminium paper. Can you please confirm this ? Thanks a lot !

    1. Stephanie says:

      hi, yes, i used both parchment and aluminum :)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

$(function(){ var trigger = $('.hamburger'), overlay = $('.overlay'), isClosed = false; trigger.click(function () { hamburger_cross(); }); function hamburger_cross() { if (isClosed == true) { overlay.hide(); trigger.removeClass('is-open'); trigger.addClass('is-closed'); isClosed = false; } else { overlay.show(); trigger.removeClass('is-closed'); trigger.addClass('is-open'); isClosed = true; } } $('[data-toggle="offcanvas"]').click(function () { $('#wrapper').toggleClass('toggled'); }); bindBehavior.subscribe(); });