Dorayaki (どら焼き) is one of the most popular Japanese pastry. It is a sandwich of two sweet pancake-like patties with Anko (sweet red bean paste) in the middle.
If you have never had Japanese sweets, Dorayaki is perfect for beginners. It is sweet and simply delicious!
This recipe of mine isn’t completely traditional, I tweaked it a little bit by adding some salted caramel and fresh berries for a Scandinavian Twist!
In Japanese, dora means gong, and I read somewhere that the first Dorayaki was made when a samurai named Benkei forgot his gong (dora) when leaving a farmer’s house where he had been hiding. The farmer then used the gong to fry the pancakes, thus the name Dorayaki. Dorayaki originally only had one layer, but the current shape was invented in 1914 by Usagiya in the Ueno district of Tokyo.
Anko or Red bean paste is a dark red, sweet bean paste and often used in Japanese pastries. It is prepared by boiling and mashing azuki beans with sugar or honey. I buy my anko in an Asian specialty store.
I mashed my anko with some salted caramel sauce to give the filling a little more edge. Without the salted caramel it becomes a little too sweet for my taste.
I recommend enjoying Dorayaki with a hot cup of Matcha or your favorite tea!
Recipe: Dorayaki
You can find my Recipe for Salted Caramel Sauce HereIngredients
- 3 dl (1 1/4 cup) Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 dl (1/2 cup) Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tbsp Honey
- Anko (Sweet Red Bean Paste)
- Salted Caramel Sauce*(see link above)
- Thinly Sliced Fresh Strawberries/Blueberries
Directions
- Mix flour and baking powder in a bowl and set aside
- Whisk the eggs, sugar and honey until light and fluffy
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat
- Scoop up 1 tbsp of batter and drop to the pan (I make 4 at a time)
- Flip the "pancakes" over when the sides look dry and air bubbles have formed and cook for one more minute
- Place on a plate and cover with wet paper towel to keep moist
- Mix Anko and Slated Caramel Sauce together, I use 4 tbsp Anko to 4 tsp Caramel
- Place a tsp of Caramel/Anko onto a pancake
- Press blueberries or thinly sliced strawberries on top. Then cover with another pancake to make a sandwich
- Wrap in plastic film and press well together, and pinch the edges so the filling doesn't come out. Keep the cakes wrapped in plastic until ready to serve.
- Serve with a steaming hot cup of Matcha or other Green Tea
- Store in the fridge for up to 2 days
