{"id":206095,"title":"Authentic Kaiserschmarrn","modified":"2026-11-14T19:29:39+01:00","plain":"A thick, airy Austrian pancake, torn apart with a fork in the pan, caramelized with butter and sugar, and served with a prune plum compote.\n\n\n\nIt’s cold out, the walk has been long, and nothing sounds better than a warm dessert shared straight from the pan. Kaiserschmarrn comes to the table in big, golden, irregular pieces under a veil of powdered sugar. \n\n\n\nYour fork first breaks through a crisp, caramelized edge, then into a soft center that smells of butter and vanilla. Add a spoonful of warm, tangy prune plums on top, and the pan is empty within minutes.\n\n\n\nFor a more classic breakfast: American pancakes\n\n\n\nWhat Is Kaiserschmarrn?\n\n\n\nKaiserschmarrn is a thick, very airy pancake that is torn into pieces in the pan, then caramelized with butter and sugar. Its batter combines eggs, milk and flour, like the batter for American pancakes, but with more eggs than flour. Egg whites beaten to soft peaks make it light without any baking powder, and its texture is reminiscent of Japanese souffl\u00e9 pancakes.\n\n\n\nIn German, Kaiser means “emperor.” Schmarrn is a colloquial word from Austria and Bavaria for a dish of batter broken into pieces, and also, in everyday speech, nonsense. So the name can be translated as “the emperor’s mishmash.”\n\n\n\nThe same beaten egg white idea in fluffy Japanese pancakes\n\n\n\nFrom Alpine Huts to the Legend of Franz Joseph\n\n\n\nKaiserschmarrn belongs to Austrian cuisine, and it is also very popular in Bavaria. It descends from the rustic Schmarrn of Alpine farmers and woodcutters, batter dishes made with whatever was on hand: flour, milk and eggs. It is linked to the Viennese pastry tradition of the 19th century, with no precise date for its first appearance.\n\n\n\nSeveral legends connect it to Emperor Franz Joseph. In the best known, a cook botches a pancake meant for the emperor, tears it up and sugars it to save it, and the emperor likes it. In another, Empress Elisabeth, known as Sisi, refuses this overly rich dessert and her husband eats it in her place. None of these stories has been verified.\n\n\n\nToday it is eaten for dessert, as a sweet meal in its own right, or after a day of skiing. In mountain huts, the eggs are often beaten whole and the batter is cooked gently with a lid on, which gives a denser Schmarrn. The Viennese version in this recipe separates the eggs and finishes with caramelizing over high heat for nice, crisp edges.\n\n\n\nThe Main Ingredients in Kaiserschmarrn\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe eggs do most of the work. The yolks enrich the batter, and the whites, beaten to soft peaks, give it volume, as in Japanese cheesecake. Milk, preferably whole, hydrates regular all-purpose flour (T45, T55 or 00), and a little sugar, vanilla and salt are enough to flavor it all.\n\n\n\nThe unsalted butter is used twice: for cooking, then for caramelizing with the granulated sugar, which clings to the torn edges. The powdered sugar goes on at the very end. Raisins soaked in rum are traditional but optional, and apple juice replaces the rum for an alcohol-free version.\n\n\n\nFor the compote, you need prune plums, sugar, a cinnamon stick, two whole cloves and the juice of half a lemon.\n\n\n\nZwetschkenr\u00f6ster and How to Serve It\n\n\n\nZwetschkenr\u00f6ster is a compote of halved prune plums cooked almost dry in their own juice, with no water. The pieces stay intact and tender, not very sweet and slightly tart, which balances the butter and caramel. Prune plums are in season from August to October; the rest of the year, applesauce takes their place.\n\n\n\nKaiserschmarrn is served straight off the heat, right in the pan set on the table, with the compote alongside. It deflates quickly, like a souffl\u00e9. Leftovers reheat well in a buttered frying pan.\n\n\n\nAnother warm dessert made with eggs and milk: French toast\n\n\n\nTechnical Pointers for a Light Kaiserschmarrn\n\n\n\nA heavy-bottomed frying pan 26 to 28 cm across is right for 4 eggs. A smaller pan makes the layer of batter too thick, and the bottom burns before the center sets. Fold in the whites with a rubber spatula in three additions, stopping while a few white streaks are still visible. Then tear the pancake apart with two forks, never a knife, so the ragged edges catch the caramel.\n\n\n\nA Japanese version, filled with red bean paste: dorayaki\n\n\n\nFor more warm desserts, Korean hotteok are filled with sugar and cinnamon, and air fryer bugnes are eaten warm. Egg custard, cinnamon rolls and gulab jamun round out the list, along with dorayaki.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tAuthentic Kaiserschmarrn\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tZwetschkenr\u00f6ster (Italian plum compote)500 g Italian plums80 g granulated sugar1 stick cinnamon2 whole cloves0.5 lemon, (juiced)Batter4 eggs (medium)250 ml whole milk, (at room temperature, or 2% milk)30 g granulated sugar1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 pinch salt120 g flour (T45 or T55 wheat flour, or 00 flour)Rum raisins50 g raisins, (optional)2 tablespoons rum, (optional)Whipped egg whites1 pinch saltCooking40 g unsalted butterCaramelizing and serving2 tablespoons granulated sugar2 tablespoons powdered sugar\t\n\t\n\t\tZwetschkenr\u00f6ster (Italian plum compote)Cut the plums in half.Remove the pits.Put the plum halves in a saucepan with the sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves and lemon juice, without adding any water.Cover the saucepan.Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time, until the fruit is tender but still whole.Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves.Set the compote aside until serving.BatterSeparate the whites from the yolks.Set the whites aside in a clean mixing bowl, ready for whipping.Put the yolks in a large mixing bowl.Add the milk, vanilla, sugar and the pinch of salt.Whisk.Add the flour.Whisk just until the batter is smooth, and no longer.Let the batter rest for 15 minutes.Rum raisinsWhile the batter rests, put the raisins in a bowl.Pour the rum over them.Let them soak until it's time to cook.Whipped egg whitesAdd the pinch of salt to the whites.Beat the whites with an electric mixer until they form soft peaks that curl over at the tip of the whisk.Gently fold the whites into the rested batter in three additions, using a rubber spatula.Stop while there are still a few white streaks in the batter.Cooking in the panDrain the raisins.Melt half the butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed, ovenproof frying pan, 26 to 28 cm in diameter.Pour the batter into the pan.Scatter the drained raisins over the batter.Cover the pan.Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the underside is golden and the top is just starting to set around the edges.Cut the pancake into quarters in the pan with a spatula.Flip each quarter.Add the rest of the butter to the pan.Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the second side is golden.Tearing and caramelizingTo caramelize under the broiler, preheat the oven broiler while the pancake is cooking.Tear the pancake into irregular, bite-size pieces in the pan using two forks.Check the inside of the pieces: it should still be slightly moist, since it finishes cooking during caramelization.Sprinkle the pieces with granulated sugar.Toss the pieces over high heat for 2 minutes, or slide the pan under the very hot broiler for 60 to 90 seconds.Stop when the edges of the pieces are crisp and caramel brown.ServingDust generously with powdered sugar.Serve immediately, straight from the pan, with the Zwetschkenr\u00f6ster or with applesauce.\t\n\t\n\t\tTwo schools of thought: in mountain huts, the eggs are beaten whole without being separated and the batter is cooked gently with the lid on, which gives a denser Schmarrn. The Viennese version in this recipe separates the eggs, rests the batter and finishes with caramelizing over high heat or under the broiler, for really crisp edges.\nFlipping in quarters or finishing in the oven: this recipe flips the pancake in four pieces in the pan, the way it's done at home in Austria. Some Viennese kitchens finish it in the oven instead, pan and all, without flipping it. Either way, use an ovenproof frying pan, since the caramelizing can be done under the broiler: be careful, the handle gets scorching hot.\nThe pan: 26 to 28 cm in diameter for 4 eggs. In a smaller pan, the layer of batter is too thick and the bottom burns before the center has set: in that case, it's better to cook the batter in two batches.\nThe 15-minute rest relaxes the batter and makes the Schmarrn noticeably lighter. The batter (without the whites) can be made up to 2 hours ahead: whip and fold in the whites just before cooking.\nA dense Kaiserschmarrn almost always comes from overmixed whites. Fold them in three additions with a rubber spatula and stop while a few white streaks are still visible.\nTear with a fork, never with a knife: the pieces should be irregular, and their torn edges catch the caramel.\nThe rum raisins are traditional but optional. You can soak them in apple juice instead of rum, or leave them out. Scattering them over the batter once it's in the pan keeps them from sinking to the bottom or burning.\nFlour: regular wheat flour, T45 or T55 in France, Type 405 in Germany, glattes Mehl in Austria, or 00 flour. Milk: whole milk gives the best result, but 2% milk works too. The Kristallzucker in Austrian recipes is ordinary granulated sugar.\nZwetschkenr\u00f6ster isn't jam: it's Italian plums cut in half and cooked almost dry in their own juice with a little sugar and spice, tender but whole, not very sweet and slightly tart. Italian plums are available from August to October. Applesauce is the usual alternative to serve with it. No syrup: the caramel and powdered sugar are enough.\nKaiserschmarrn won't wait: it falls like a souffl\u00e9, so serve it the moment it comes out of the pan. Leftovers reheat well in a buttered frying pan.\n\t\n\t\n\t\tDessertAutrichienne","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206095"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206095\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}