This year’s birthdays have been down scaled tremendously due to Covid19. Having no helper and my go-to Chateraise allergen friendly cake was is out of stock I panicked for hubs birthday? .
Luckily, my latest new ingredient to try, Free and Easy egg replacer had just arrived! I’ve made vegan pancakes in the past, which were ok, but lacked the height of a cake. I thought maybe the Japanese soufflé cakes might be an interesting challenge to veganise.
Trifecta of rising agents without eggs or dairy
Those who bake without eggs and dairy will know that it can be a challenge getting a nice rise. I decided to try a trifecta of rising agents of baking powder, buttermilk and also egg replacer.
The result did not disappoint!
Notes About the Wet Ingredients
The star has to be the Free and Easy egg replacer. It had an impressive frothy texture that I think that is second only to aquafaba. To get the froth though, does require a little elbow grease, so give those arms a workout ?! I got mine from Redmart online, its also available on Amazon.Sg (but sold out at the writing of this post).
The next important factor is the buttermilk. The thicker the plant milk, and fresher the acid component the better the separation that is characteristic of buttermilk. My choice of plant soy milk is Japanese brand Marusan. You can buy small 200ml packets to try if worry you wont finish using the big 1litre cartons. I used fresh lemons as my acid component which worked like a charm. You can also use vinegar.
Notes About the Dry Ingredients
To sieve or not to sieve? I find this step helps in making sure there are no lumps in the flour or icing sugar. So don’t skip this step if you have the time. If you don’t have the time it isn’t the end of the world, just use a spatula to mix the dry ingredients together till it looks even.
Also, use either cake or Hong Kong flour which will yield a fluffier texture for your pancakes. Remember to sieve the baking powder together with the flours! Sometimes I’m so busy juggling the different steps, I forget the baking powder which does help to get extra height. SO DON’T FORGET TO PUT IN THE BAKING SODA.
Putting The Batter Together
Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients mixture. Mix together till as even as possible. Then fold in the egg replacer mixture with a spatula or spoon till even.
The batter should be fairly thick. In fact, it is much thicker than the usual vegan pancakes I’ve made in the past. To test for thickness, scoop some batter with a spoon or spatula and see how fast it drops back into the bowl. For a thick mixture it should take around two seconds or more to drop. If the batter is too watery, add some flour to thicken it.
Cooking the vegan fluffy Japanese pancakes
On a medium to low fire, place a teaspoon of vegan spread of choice. If not available, any vegetable oil will also do. Carefully pour a scoop of batter using a soup spoon onto the pan. Because the batter is thick, you can use a spoon or spatula to even out the top and shape it a little even as the batter hits the pan. Try to make each pancake the same size so they will cook evenly and you can flip all of them at the same time. Mine are around 5cm in diameter and takes around 2 to 3 minutes each size on a low to medium fire.
The second photos show the air bubbles that forms as the pancake rises.
Other Useful Hacks For These Fluffy Pancakes
If you love perfectly round pancakes, you can make a mould from aluminium foil or metal cookie cutter on the pan. You would probably get an impressive height using a mould method. As you can see, I opted for the lazy method. They turned out ok, in a messy sorta way. This is perfectly fine for my hungry boys who are too impatient to put them into their mouths to notice fine aesthetics.
Can be frozen and made in big batches!
I can’t find a commercial brand of pancake mix that is safe for my egg and dairy allergic son. And with so many unpredictable covid restrictions, being able to make these in big batches ahead of time has been an absolute life safer.
Make sure they are completely cooled before freezing. I’ve tried warming them up using an air fryer and microwave. Both method works well, with the air fryer (or oven) being my preferred method.
There are many ideas of usage for these fluffy vegan Japanese pancakes. School lunchbox, quick snacks, and last minute dessert ideas. Topping with ice cream might be a yummy dinner idea that is ready in minutes. ?
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Project Simplicity YouTube Channel
Part 1: Make buttermilk Mix the soy milk and lemon juice and let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes. When the mixture has separated the buttermilk is ready. Use fresh lemon juice and thicker the plant milk to get the best results. Vinegar also works, but again I’ve had mixed results with old apple cider vinegar. Part 2: Sieve dry ingredients Sieve the cake flour, baking powder and icing sugar in a large bowl. On lazy days I don’t sieve, but I’ve noticed that taking this extra step is important to incorporate more air into the batter and it does help with the rise. Part 3: Make the vegan egg The brand I used is Free and Easy. The instructions on the box called for 2 teaspoon of vegan egg mixture to 30 ml of water. Whipping it with a fork or small whisk till frothy. Part 4: Putting batter together Add the soy buttermilk to the dry sieved ingredients. Then gently fold in the vegan egg mixture. The batter should be thick. You can test this by using a spoon or spatula to lift the batter, if it takes 2 seconds to run off the spoon then you are good. If its too watery, add in a bit more flour to thicken it up. Part 5: Frying pancakes on a non stick pan Use a Low to medium fire, add a teaspoon (or more if you you like) of vegan butter. Once melted, spoon a portion of batter onto the pan. Patience and trial and error here is important to ensure you get the golden pancakes that rise and are crusty on the outside but soft and airy on the inside. I recommend starting with as low a fire as you go and work your way up so you can try out what fire works best. Mine are mini pancakes around 5cm in diameter so it takes round 2 to 3 minutes on each side on a low to medium fire. Serve with honey or maple syrup and top with fruits and enjoy! I intentionally reduced the amount of sugar as i let my kids decide how much ones and syrup they want. You can increase it if you prefer a sweeter pancake. 
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
