Kaiserschmarrn (Austrian Shredded Pancake)

Discover How to Make Kaiserschmarrn (Austrian Shredded Pancake)! Kaiserschmarrn is a very popular dish in Austria and Bavaria (Southern Germany). It’s a fluffy giant pancake that is torn into bite-size pieces and served hot sprinkled with powdered sugar accompanied by plum compote as a dessert or for breakfast, brunch, or even lunch.

Kaiserschmarrn
(Austrian Shredded Pancake)

Bring a Touch of Austria to Your Kitchen! I’ll show you how to make ‘Kaiserschmarrn’ an easy way at home from scratch. Here you’ll find an easy-to-follow recipe with step-by-step pictures, helpful info plus top tips. A very good recipe to make when you are bored of the regular breakfast. The fun part is that it doesn’t matter how nice your pancake looks, in the end, you are going to tear it into pieces. I hope it becomes one of your favorites, just as it is one of mine.

What is Kaiserschmarrn?

Kaiserschmarrn (or Kaiserschmarren) originated in Austria and is also known as Emperor’s Mess, scrambled pancake, shredded pancake, torn pancake, or Emperor’s Pancake.

The dish is named after the Austrian emperor Kaiser Franz Joseph I (1830-1916) who was very fond of sweet treats like this. The name is composed of the words ‘Kaiser’ which means ‘Emporer’ and ‘Schmarrn’ which can be translated as “chopped or shredded baked goods”. (‘Schmarrn’ is also a colloquialism to ‘nonsense’)

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. For the quantities of each ingredient, check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Flour– Plain or all-purpose flour
• Sugar– Adjust the amount of sugar used depending on how sweet you like it
• Salt– Add a pinch of salt for a nice taste
• Eggs– Use eggs at room temperature
• Milk- Whole milk
• Butter for cooking
• Powdered Sugar for dusting
• Flavoring (optional) – vanilla extract (or vanilla sugar)

How Do You Make Kaiserschmarrn?

The base for this recipe is a fluffy pancake and the pancake gets its fluffiness from the beaten egg whites not by baking powder.

First, you separate the eggs and mix the egg yolks with most of the other ingredients. In a separate bowl, the egg whites are beaten until soft stiff peaks form. Then whipped egg whites are folded into the egg yolk mixture in two batches to make the batter.

After the batter is cooked in butter, the pancake is torn into bite-sized pieces using two forks. You can caramelize the pancake pieces with powdered sugar adding more butter or serve them with powdered sugar on top.

This pancake gets its special flavor from the rum-soaked raisins. The raisins are soaked in rum while you make the batter. When the pancake begins to cook through, you add the drained raisins before turning the pancake. You can also make it without adding raisins.

Variation

You can cook the Kaiserschmarrn on the stovetop only or bake in the preheated oven (200 °C) in an oven-proof skillet for about 10 minutes after pre-cooking it on the stovetop for a few minutes. This time depends very much on your oven and the temperature you used to pre-cook your pancake on the stovetop.

Serving Suggestions

After the pancake is torn into bite-sized pieces, you can caramelize the pancake pieces with sugar using more butter or just serve sprinkled with powdered sugar on top.

You can serve it for breakfast, brunch, or as a sweet dessert or light meal. It is traditionally served warm and sprinkled with powdered sugar accompanied by plum compote or applesauce. You can also serve it with various jam or fruit compotes, ice cream, or yogurt – the possibilities are endless!

Useful Tips For Making Fluffy Pancakes

Making the Batter

Whip the egg whites until a soft stiff peak forms – Don’t over-beat the egg whites. When it has the right consistency, it is pretty easy to fold it into the egg yolk mixture which will prevent the over-mixing of the batter.

Gently mix the egg whites with the egg yolk mixture – To prevent over-mixing, the whipped egg whites are added to the egg yolk mixture in two batches. First, you mix in one-third of the egg whites just to lighten up the egg yolk mixture so that it will fold in more smoothly with the rest of the egg whites. When you mix the rest of the egg whites, do it gently without breaking the air bubbles in the egg whites.

Cooking the Pancake

It’s a thick pancake, so you need to cook it for longer over medium-low heat covering the pan with a lid. Adjust the heat so as not to burn the bottom of the pancake.

It’s a thick pancake, so, flipping can be a little tricky. First, quarter the pancake and then flip each part individually and cut them further into pieces with two forks.  

Tips for Whipping the Egg Whites

To successfully whip the egg whites, there are many important things to consider.

1. Use a dry and very clean mixing bowl & whisk without any fat residue.
2. Use a stainless steel or glass bowl and don’t use silicone or plastic bowls or utensils.
3. Use large egg whites at room temperature as it will help the eggs to whip up to their fullest.
4. Keep your whites free of yolk. If you break your yolks as you’re separating the eggs the whites won’t whip up.
5. Cold eggs are easier to separate. Separate the eggs immediately after they’re out of the fridge and then let them come to room temperature.
6. Make sure you have 2 small bowls. Break each egg separately into small bowls before adding the whites to the mixing bowl. This ensures that no shell or yolk gets in.
7. Beat at a medium speed and finish up at a low speed. Beating at a medium speed for a longer time will create smaller and more evenly sized bubbles. Beat at a low speed during the last 30 seconds to eliminate all the bigger air bubbles.
8. Beating the whites at high speed will result in larger air bubbles, which will also cause the batter to deflate more easily when mixing the batter. 
9. Don’t over-beat the egg white. When it has the right consistency, it is pretty easy to fold it into the egg yolk mixture which will prevent the over-mixing of the batter.
10. Do not let the whipped egg whites sit too long. Fold it into the egg yolk mixture right away after whipping.

More Sweet Pancakes To Try

Pancakes are one of the oldest, simplest, ubiquitous, and remarkably versatile foods, so every culture has ‘pancakes’ that they are proud of. “Around the World in Pancakes & Buddies” is one of the fantastic food journeys I am bound on. Would you like to join me?

Kaiserschmarrn (Austrian Shredded Pancake) Step-by-Step Recipe

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Yield: 20 cm pancake

Tools

20cm nonstick frying pan

Ingredients

2 large eggs, separated
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp granulated sugar
100 milk
125g all-purpose flour
2 tbsp raisins (soaked in rum)
1 tbsp butter for cooking
Powdered sugar for dusting
Plum compote (or any compote/jam) for serving

Note – You can use one or two more eggs to make a fluffier and richer pancake if desired.

Instructions

Gather the ingredients and separate the eggs.

Whisk together egg yolks,  half of the milk, and 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Stir in flour until you get a smooth thick mixture. Add the rest of the milk and whisk until you have a smooth batter. This way you can make a smooth batter without lumps.

Whip the egg whites with salt and 1 tablespoon sugar until soft peaks form.

First, lighten the batter with one-third of the whipped egg whites using a spatula. Next, carefully fold in the rest of the egg whites without breaking the air bubbles. This will ensure the fluffy pancakes in the end!

Heat the butter over medium heat in a frying pan (20cm). Make sure not to overheat and brown the butter. Pour the batter into the hot pan, and spread evenly. If using raisins, scatter them over the batter.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the pancake is fully cooked. Adjust the heat as needed so as not to burn the bottom of the pancake.

Remove the pan from the heat and tear the pancake into small pieces with two forks while the pan is still hot. (Before removing the pan from the heat, you can caramelize the shredded pancakes by sprinkling them with powdered sugar and adding more butter, if desired.)

Place the shredded pancakes on a plate and dust them with powdered sugar through a sieve. Traditionally, Kaiserschmarrn is accompanied by a fruit compote made with plums. However, you can serve it along with any fruit compote or jam in season.

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Delicious Crepes & Pancakes to Try

Pancakes are one of the oldest, simplest, ubiquitous, and remarkably versatile foods, so every culture has ‘pancakes’ that they are proud of. “Around the World in Pancakes & Buddies” is one of the fantastic food journeys I am bound on. Would you like to join me?