Aebleshiver

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 100°C/gas mark ¼ and put in a rack on a baking tray to keep the æbleskiver warm while you make them.

2. Put the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl and whisk until they form stiff peaks. Combine the icing sugar and cinnamon in a bowl for sprinkling later.

3. In another bowl, mix the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, salt, egg yolks, buttermilk and melted butter. Carefully fold in the whisked egg whites. Make the æbleskiver immediately.

4. Place the æbleskiver pan over a medium heat for a few minutes until it is really hot. Put 6 tablespoons sunflower oil in a small bowl. Using a heatproof pastry brush, liberally oil the base of each indentation.

5. Pour about 2 tablespoons batter into each hole, filling it about three-quarters full. The batter should sizzle as it goes in. Cook for 1–2 minutes until the æbleskiver start to bubble on the surface and look as if they are starting to set around the edges. Immediately, turn a quarter-turn using a wooden skewer, a chopstick or a fork. The technique is to slide the skewer between the edge of the pan and the cooked edge of the puffed pancake, then to move it so that it turns and the cooked part is lifted out of the pan. The uncooked batter will run into the base of the pan. Continue cooking a bit more, twisting the æbleskiver three further quarter-turns to form a puffy ball shape, allowing 1–2 minutes to cook each turn to a light golden colour, and ensuring they don’t burn.

6. Repeat with the remaining batter, brushing each hole with a little more oil before cooking the next batch. Serve the æbleskiver rolled in the cinnamon sugar with blueberry jam and whipped cream.