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4.65 stars (182 ratings)Jan 25, 2016246
This easy German pancake recipe is a breakfast staple! Five basic ingredients for a perfect baked pancake. Those craggy, golden edges are the best!
This simple German pancake is a staple breakfast around here, especially on the weekend!
Puffy and golden, it’s a classic, and this recipe has been in our family for years.
Blender Recipe
Five basic ingredients go into a blender:
- eggs
- milk
- vanilla
- salt
- flour
Process until smooth and well-combined. You don’t want to over blend here, but at the same time, you don’t want flour bits and lumps.
Best Pan for German Pancake
I always use a glass 9X13-inch dish for this recipe.
I’ve tried baking in a metal pan, and while it worked ok, it was much harder to clean the metal pan of the egg-based batter than the glass pan.
A cast iron skillet could also be used, although you’d likely need to cut down the recipe to use for a 9- or 10-inch skillet.
One word of caution for glass pans: after removing the baked pancake from the oven, ALWAYS set the hot glass pan on a trivet or hot pad and NOT on a cold countertop (even if it’s a material that can withstand heat). I’ve learned the hard way that the glass pan will shatter in to a million pieces.
Puffy Golden Pancake
German pancakes are notorious for their puffy, golden edges and wavy middles.
Our house is deeply divided on which section is best. Several of us fight over the craggy edges while the others try to sneak seconds on a middle piece before anyone notices.
What to Serve with German Pancake
This German pancake is delicious served with maple syrup, jam, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
But when we’re feeling like we want to treat ourselves in a special way, I’ll make the buttermilk syrup featured here. It’s also included with the recipe below.
It may seem unusual to simmer butter, buttermilk, baking soda, and sugar together to make syrup, but I promise it works.
I mean, if you are morally opposed to eating caramel for breakfast, you might want to look away, but otherwise, this is the breakfast dreams are made of.
A Special Breakfast
Brian makes this recipe more often than I do. It’s his signature recipe for weekend breakfasts, and we all love him for it.
For our family of seven, one pan isn’t enough anymore. So we (or rather, Brian) doubles the recipe and splits between two 9X13-inch pans.
It’s gobbled up lickety split, and it will definitely be a recipe that is passed down to future generations!
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Baked German Pancake
Yield: 6 Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 30 minutes mins
Total Time: 45 minutes mins
4.65 stars (182 ratings)
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Ingredients
For the Pan:
- 2 to 4 tablespoons butter
Pancake:
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose or white whole wheat flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Syrup:
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
For the pancake: preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the butter in a glass 9X13-inch baking dish and pop the pan in the oven while it preheats (if it's taking a while to mix up the batter, keep an eye on the dish so the butter doesn't burn; take it out when the butter is melted). Swirl the melted butter to coat the bottom of the 9X13-inch pan and set aside.
Combine all the pancake ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and well-combined, 20-30 seconds.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and immediately return to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes until the pancake is puffy and lightly browned on the bottom and edges.
Serve immediately with jam, butter syrup, maple syrup or whatever else your heart desires.
For the syrup: in a larger than you think saucepan (it will foam and triple in volume at the end), combine the sugar, buttermilk and butter and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla and baking soda until well-combined. Serve warm over pancakes. For an extra caramelly version, add the baking soda at the beginning with the buttermilk.
Notes
Oven Temp:the original recipe had a temperature of 400 degrees F. If that’s worked for you, continue to use it! The last couple of years I’ve set the oven to 425 degrees F – the pancake puffs better and the edges are especially golden and yummy.
Author: Mel
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Method: Bake
Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 477kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 241mg, Sodium: 558mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 37g
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Recipe Source: pancake recipe from my Aunt Marilyn, syrup a combined recipe from Aunt Marilyn + Lindsay, a reader who emailed me her favorite butter syrup recipe eons ago
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Breakfast Gluten Free Adaptable The Best Breakfasts
posted on January 25, 2016 (last updated May 3, 2024)
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246 comments on “German Pancake {Whole Grain Option} with Butter Syrup”
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Trish — Reply
Absolutely delicious!!! And very easy to make! I think we have enough caramel left to use over ice cream!
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Amy — Reply
I made it to the ripe age of 50 before ever eating or making German pancake. Then I saw you post the recipe in your IG story, and I had to try them. I made it with the syrup. Wow, wow, wow! What a treat!!! Thank you for always having amazing recipes that I can count on.
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Mindy — Reply
Love this recipe for the pancakes and syrup! Wondering if tips for storage of leftover syrup, though? Thanks!
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Mel — Reply
I store in a covered jar in the fridge and then reheat on low in the microwave for serving again.
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Deb — Reply
OMG! So good light and fluffy!
My family has a tradition to make Eierkucken( pancakes) which takes time to make each one….. this was easy and less time consuming… I used apricot and blueberry preserves on mine … next time I think I will try making the recommended syrup
New tradition for me ….I do like the edges best but all was delicious -
Samantha — Reply
Just here to report that I’ve been making this recipe for years because it’s AMAZING, but I experimented with it tonight and discovered a variation tonight that my family loved.
I made the pancake recipe as normal, but I decided to leave out the vanilla extract. As soon as I pulled it from the oven I topped it with some lunchmeat (ham on half, salami on the other side) and then put a layer cheese. I put it under the broiler long enough to melt and bubble the cheese. Served it with some berry compote for the ham side (like a Monte Cristo) and I had pepperoncini and mustards for the salami side. The family devoured it.
And thank you so much for all of your work that you pour into your recipes and blog. I’ve been following and enjoying your recipes for about ten years now.-
Mel — Reply
I love the savory variation, Samantha! Thanks for sharing!
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Britt — Reply
I’m actually making this as I type out this review (10 year old girl sleepovers!) and have been making this, following this exact recipe for YEARS. It’s the most asked for breakfast at sleepovers and family get-togethers. I make the butter syrup with the baking soda added at the end (I do only half the recipe, the full version makes A LOT) and it’s always a hit.
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Amber — Reply
The syrup is a must! So good! It worked with homemade buttermilk (lemon juice and milk).
This is a great recipe for an extra large Dutch baby. I normally follow NYTimes recipe for a cast iron pan.
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Aurora Walker — Reply
This was perfect and the syrup was amazing!! Love both, yum!
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