Authentic Kaiserschmarrn Recipe (Austrian Torn-Up Pancakes) (2024)

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We Love Kaiserschmarrn And This Pancake “Mess” Is Very Easy To Make!

Looking for a dessert that is easy to make and where it definitely doesn’t matter if you mess it up? Try Kaiserschmarrn (sometimes also written as Kaiserschmarren)!

This “messy pancake” is a delicious dessert – made from a sweet batter – that has been popular for almost two centuries!

Served with powdered sugar and various fruit jams (compotes), it’s a classic Austrian dish you can find if you travel around Europe near the Alps. Given that it’s such a regional dish, it can be hard to find a Kaiserschmarrn recipe in English. Well, that’s where we come in!

Authentic Kaiserschmarrn Recipe (Austrian Torn-Up Pancakes) (1)

That said, Kaiserschmarrn has a great back story – in fact, it has many versions. What is agreed upon is the fact that it got its name from being a favorite dish of AustrianEmperor Francis JosephI.

The name Kaiserschmarrn is made up of two words. “Kaiser” means Emperor and “Schmarren” is a loose, colloquial term to mean “mess” in the south of Germany and Austria.

How the Emperor got to tasting Kaiserschmarrn for the first time is up for debate: from having a wife looking to lose weight to having a nervous farmer cook it up for lunch when the Emperor stopped by. Whatever the story, the broken apart pancake is delicious!

Authentic Kaiserschmarrn Recipe (Austrian Torn-Up Pancakes) (2)

Kaiserschmarrn is a dessert that is close to our hearts, too. Lisa grew up eating Kaiserschmarrn because even though it is Austrian, it is also popular in Bavaria in the south of Germany (where she grew up).

She often made it when she was a kid old enough to use a stove – but she left out the rum raisins!

Eric’s first interaction with Kaiserschmarrn was in Vienna at an authentic Viennese restaurant a few years back. Let’s just say that eating Kaiserschmarrn in the Austrian capital (complete with plum compote) was an unforgettable experience.

Honestly, Eric still raves about how that dessert was one of the best he has ever tasted. Yeah, it was that good.

Authentic Kaiserschmarrn Recipe (Austrian Torn-Up Pancakes) (3)

To whip together your own broken pancake, just follow the recipe below. It is very easy to do and is perfect for those cooks just starting out who maybe haven’t honed their skills yet!

The original recipe includes rum-soaked raisins but they can be left out or substituted for other kinds of dried fruit.

As for the toppings, a hearty dusting of powdered sugar is a must when it comes to Kaiserschmarrn. It is also often served with a fruit compote (which is slightly different from jam – but jam also tastes great if you don’t have any compote).

It was originally done with plum compote but apple sauce also works very well with the eggy, doughy, sweet pancake! We hope you enjoy this recipe – have fun making a mess of things!

Related Recipes

If you liked Kaiserschmarrn, there are other great Austrian desserts or (or just desserts that are pancakes) that you may like!

  • Apple Pancakes – These German pancakes are sweet, thick, and fluffy!
  • Mohnnudeln – Austrian potato noodles covered in poppy seeds and sugar
  • Apple Strudel – A classic Viennese dessert that goes great with vanilla sauce

Authentic Kaiserschmarrn Recipe (Austrian Torn-Up Pancakes) (4)

Kaiserschmarrn (Austrian Pancakes)

Sweet and doughy, Kaiserschmarrn (literally "Emperor's Mess") is a delicious Austrian dessert that is so easy to prepare. Made from eggs, flour, milk, and sugar, this messy looking pancake is best served with a sweet plum jam, apple sauce, or just powdered sugar!

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup raisins, optional
  • 2 tablespoons rum or water, if using raisins
  • 4 medium-sized eggs
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • powdered sugar and/or plum jam, to garnish

Instructions

  • If you want to include raisins into your recipe, soak them for around 15-30 minutes in 2 tablespoons of rum. If you don’t like rum and/or are sharing this meal with kids, just use water instead.

  • Separate the eggs – egg yolks into a large mixing bowl and egg whites into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Make sure that no egg yolk gets into the egg whites as this would make it harder to beat the egg whites in the next step.

  • Beat the egg whites in their bowl for a few minutes until stiff. When tilting the bowl, the egg whites should barely move/slide. Another way to test that the egg whites are stiff enough is to raise your beaters. If the egg whites create a little "mountain" in the bowl, your egg whites are stiff enough.

  • In the bowl with the egg yolks, add sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat with your electric mixer until the batter is smooth.

  • Add in the milk and the flour interchangeably into the egg yolk mixture in small increments while beating the batter on the lowest setting.

  • Set your electric mixer aside and carefully fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture with a spatula. Also add the raisins (optional).

  • Heat butter in a large frying pan and pour the batter in. If you have a smaller pan, you might want to fry the batter in two batches. We usually use a pan with a 10-inch diameter and prefer to fry it in two intervals as it makes it easier to flip and rip. Fry the pancake on low-medium heat for around 5 minutes until the bottom is slightly golden brown.

  • Break/rip your pancake into a couple of big pieces with a spatula and flip. The top of the pancake might still be uncooked which is fine – it will cook quickly once flipped. After flipping the pancake wait for around 2 minutes for it to cook lightly, then start ripping the pancake into even smaller pieces. Keep moving the pieces until everything is golden brown and fully cooked through.

  • Plate your pieces and serve your pancake with powdered sugar, plum jam, or apple sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 511kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 188mg | Sodium: 191mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 54g

This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Austrian

Author Recipes From Europe

Authentic Kaiserschmarrn Recipe (Austrian Torn-Up Pancakes) (2024)

FAQs

What is Kaiserschmarrn made of? ›

Kaiserschmarren is a light, caramelized pancake made from a sweet batter using flour, eggs, sugar, salt, and milk, fried in butter.

What is a fun fact about Kaiserschmarrn? ›

The name means “imperial mess” in German. The story goes that a frazzled farmer created the dish in a tizzy when Austria's Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife showed up hungry at his home. As a last-ditch attempt to save face, the farmer shredded his disastrous pancake and topped it with sugar and marmalade.

What makes pancakes fluff up? ›

Fluffiness Begins With Bubbles

Producing these air pockets requires, first, the formation of bubbles in the batter, and second, the solidification of those bubbles. The formation of the bubbles is caused by the release of gas, which in turn is caused by the fact that you added baking powder to your batter.

How to make homemade pancakes Paula Deen? ›

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Stir in the buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Pour ¼ cup of pancake batter for each pancake onto the griddle. Cook until the edges start to set and the pancakes are golden-brown underneath.

What is Kaiserschmarrn in English? ›

Kaiserschmarrn (Scrambled Pancake) is an Austrian dessert that's also very popular in Bavaria! A sweet fluffy pancake made with rum-soaked raisins is torn into bite-sized pieces, caramelized, and served sprinkled with powdered sugar, applesauce, and preserves.

Where does Kaiserschmarrn originate from? ›

A common dish found in published cookbooks and manuscript recipes from Jewish Vienna is Kaiserschmarrn, a kind of scrambled pancake with raisins. This Viennese recipe spread throughout the German-speaking world, and eventually appeared in cookbooks across German-speaking Europe.

What were pancakes invented for? ›

Pancakes were a good way to use up stores of about-to-be-forbidden perishables like eggs, milk, and butter, and a yummy last hurrah before the upcoming grim period of church-mandated fast. In the American colonies, pancakes—known as hoe cakes, johnnycakes, or flapjacks—were made with buckwheat or cornmeal.

What are some fun facts about Swedish pancakes? ›

A Swedish pancake is a thin, crepe-like, pancake is that is lacy and tender and traditionally served with lingonberries or lingonberry jam. In fact, they are even sometimes called Swedish crepes. They can be rolled up for folded into quarters and eaten with whatever toppings you love.

What is the secret to light fluffy pancakes? ›

The secret is in the egg whites!

To give your pancakes that fluffy text, beat only the egg whites for 3 minutes on medium speed. They'll start turning creamy, which means it's time to add them to the pancake mixture. Use a wooden spatula to incorporate everything. There you have it!

Can I use mayo instead of eggs in pancakes? ›

Note that mayonnaise contains eggs and oil, so it can replace oil or butter as well. This trick may not work as an egg replacement for an allergy or egg-free diet (unless it's a vegan mayo) but it works for those who don't have eggs on hand in a pinch.

How much is the most expensive pancake in the world? ›

People with deep appetite and deeper pockets can dig deep in to the world's most expensive pancake for $1,350 at Radisson Blu Edwardian hotel's Opus restaurant. Head chef Matthew Downes has produced this ultimate flapjack to mark…

How to make Queen Elizabeth pancakes? ›

Beat two eggs with 4 tablespoons of sugar and about one teacup (or 3/4 of a cup) of milk. Add 4 teacups of flour and mix in another teacup of milk "as required" Mix in 3 teaspoons of cream of tartar and 2 tablespoons of bicarbonate soda (baking soda) Fold in 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

What not to do when making pancakes? ›

Don't let the lumps fool you into overmixing!
  1. You ignore the heat during cooking. If you are not using an electric skillet, you must pay attention to the heat when you start cooking the pancakes. ...
  2. You've been using the wrong pan. ...
  3. You flip your pancakes too soon. ...
  4. You don't fully preheat your pan.

Does milk instead of water make pancakes better? ›

Can I Use Water Instead of Milk in Pancakes? Milk adds both flavor and texture to pancake batter, so if you are looking to make pancakes without milk, a simple swap to water doesn't always do the trick. For pancakes made without milk, you'll want to add some flavor through melted butter and vanilla extract.

What is Japanese pancake made of? ›

At their base okonomiyaki consist of flour, water, egg, and shredded cabbage which is mixed into a batter and cooked similar to a pancakes on a grill until both sides are golden brown, crispy and good! They are so easy to make!

What is a Dutch baby pancake made of? ›

Eggs and milk: This light and fluffy Dutch baby recipe starts with two eggs whisked with milk. Flour: All-purpose flour lends structure and helps hold the batter together. Seasonings: These sweet Dutch babies are flavored with nutmeg and a pinch of salt.

What are Chinese pancakes made of? ›

Ingredients
  • Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Nicotinamide, Thiamine),
  • Water,
  • Rapeseed Oil,
  • Potato Starch,
  • Salt.

What is Swedish pancakes made of? ›

The batter for Swedish pancakes contains a higher ratio of milk, butter, and eggs to flour, resulting in something that's lighter and fluffier than crêpes. Swedish pancakes are also traditionally served with jam (lingonberry or strawberry) and whipped cream, although these days, anything goes.

References

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