Kaiserschmarrn
Kaiserschmarrn takes the familiar American pancake and elevates it to new levels with fluffy egg whites and rum-soaked raisins.
Create the perfect breakfast or brunch treat with this unique Austrian pancake recipe!
Kaiserschmarrn is quite similar to German Apple Pancakes. Eggs, sugar, milk, and flour are transformed into a light, airy batter. The added rum-soaked raisins add flavor and texture.
Fried golden in butter. This pancake recipe takes everyday staples and turns them into a truly royal dish!
Ingredient Notes
For this old-world spin on pancakes, you’ll just need a few basic ingredients.
To Make Rum Soaked Raisins
- 1/2 cup RAISINS
- 2 tablespoons of RUM (brandy or bourbon works as well)
To Make The Batter
- 4 EGGS – separate egg yolks and egg whites
- 1/4 cup SUGAR
- 1 1/2 cups MILK
- 1 cup FLOUR
- 1/4 teaspoon SALT
To Cook The Pancakes
- 4 tablespoons butter – to cook the pancakes. Be sure to use unsalted butter.
How To Make Kaiserschmarrn
These pancakes are unique because the pancake mix doesn’t include any baking powder.
- Soak raisins in rum. Mix two tablespoons of rum and half a cup of raisins. Set aside and allow raisins to soak for 15 minutes.
- Mix eggs and sugar with a hand mixer for 2 – 3 minutes until creamy.
- Add milk and flour, beat on low speed till creamy.
- In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.
- Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter. Add rum-soaked raisins and fold in carefully.
- Melt butter in a skillet. Add pancake batter and cook over medium-low heat until the bottom has lightly caramelized. Flip. Cook on the other side. Use a spatula to tear/cut the pancake into bite-sized pieces.
- Transfer onto Kaiserschmarrn Pancake onto a plate. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve with a side of applesauce.
The egg whites are the secret to a light fluffy and airy pancake batter, unlike most others.
Food Culture
This dessert has a rich origin story. There are variations to the story. But most of them suggest that this Austrian dessert is most likely of royal origin.
The dish was a favorite of an Austrian Kaiser (Emporer) named Franz Joseph II who was married to Kaiserin (Empress) Elizabeth, better known as ‘Sissi’.
And if you have some downtime and you want a real feel-good movie from the 1950s, try and find the movie ‘Sissi‘ with Romy Schneider. It’s a love story of a young Austrian emperor finding his ‘Kaiserin’. In Germany, it’s a classic. But, I might be a bit biased. Watching this movie is one of my guilty pleasures!
But now to the story of Kaiserschmarrn.
Throughout her lifetime the empress was concerned about keeping a slender figure. This often caused the palatial chefs to be upset when she would refuse to indulge in their creations.
On one such occasion, the patisserie chef presented the Kaiserin with a brand new dessert creation. She tried it but refused it on the basis that it was too rich for her taste.
Despite this, the emperor tried the dish himself and instantly exclaimed ‘Schmarn! (‘Craziness’) This is food is delicious.’
As the tale goes, it became one of the Kaiser’s favorite dishes. And so it was known ever after as ‘Kaiserschmarrn’.
Historical Note: This recipe has so much history, that this is only one of the multiple origin stories. But it’s the one I learned and I’m sticking to it!
More Brunch Recipe Ideas
Kaiserschmarrn
Ingredients
Rum Soaked Raisins
- ½ cup raisin
- 2 tablespoons rum
Instructions
Rum Soaked Raisins
- Put the raising into a small bowl add two tablespoons of rum. Allow the raisins to soak raisins for at least 15 minutes.
Making The Batter
- Combine egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer and beat on medium-high speed until creamy. About 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly pour the milk into the batter. Continue to beat on medium-low speed.
- Add the flour to batter and mix on low speed until well combined.
- Use a separate mixing bowl and whisk the egg whites first on medium speed. Increase the speed and whisk until they egg whites form stiff peaks.
- Carefully fold the whipped egg whites into the batter. Be sure not to over beat.
- Fold in the rum soaked raisins.
Making The Pancakes
- Use a 10-inch skillet and melt the butter over medium heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add ¼ of the batter into the batter. Cook the batter until the bottom half begins to caramelized. Carefully flip the pancake. Repeat on the other side.
- Once the batter has cooked through use the spatula to tear the batter into bite sized pieces.
- Transfer the shredded pancake onto a serving plate. Dust with a light layer of powdered sugar and serve with a side of apple sauce for dipping.
Nutritional Information
Nutritional Disclaimer
Cheerful Cook team members are not trained nutritionists or medical professionals. Calorie information and nutritional values are estimates. If you have nutritional concerns, we recommend using a nutritional calculator.
Maike Corbett is the founder and food blogger of Cheerful Cook, a popular recipe website featuring comfort food recipes from the US and Germany. She has been featured in numerous media outlets, including the AP Wire and MSN.