Souffle Pancakes at Home!

4.20 from 10 votes

Take out two mixing bowls. Crack three eggs. Place 2 egg yolks in one bowl - we will not use the 3rd yolk. Then place 3 egg whites into another bowl (set this bowl aside - we'll use it later for the meringue)
To the bowl with 2 egg yolks... Add in Milk (1 Tablespoon) and Vegetable Oil (1 Tablespoon). Then give it a whisk. Next add in the Vanilla Extract (1 teaspoon). Give it another thorough mix!
Next, measure out the cake flour (3 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon). Place the flour through a sift and gently tap it through - onto the egg yolk mixture. Use a whisk and give it a through mix - until it turns smooth with no lumps

Measure out 4 Tablespoons of Sugar (50 grams).
Then, take out an electric hand mixer and let's whisk-up the egg whites!
1) First, turn on a high speed and whip the egg whites until you see foam.
2) Once you see foam, add-in ⅓ of the Sugar. Whisk on high-speed for about 20 seconds.
3) Afterwards, add in another ⅓ of the Sugar. Whisk on high-speed for another 20 seconds.
4) Now, add in the remaining ⅓ of the sugar. Whisk on high-speed for 30 seconds.
(After 30 seconds, check if your meringue has STIFF mountain peaks - the peaks should NOT fall over! If they do, please whisk your meringue for 10-20 more seconds)
5) Finally, place the mixer on a low-speed and whisk everything for 10 seconds. (This step removes any trapped air bubbles in the meringue. )

Add in ¼ of the whipped meringue into the egg yolk mixture. Give it a very thorough mix and make sure that the mixture turns smooth and creamy - no lumps!
Add in the rest of the whipped meringue. Use a baking spatula to combine the meringue into the egg yolk mixture. With the spatula, you want to carefully fold the batter up - in an upward motion (reference video)! This is to maintain the meringue's shape and volume. However, make sure that the mixture is evenly and thoroughly mixed through - there should be no white patches or clumps in the batter.

Place a non-stick frying pan on low heat. Give it a few minutes to warm-up. Once its hot, add in oil - not butter! Use a paper towel and wipe around to distribute the oil evenly onto the surface.
Then reduce the heat on your stove to its lowest setting. THIS IS IMPORTANT!
Now, use a spoon and carefully place 3 piles of batter onto the frying pan. Add an additional layer of batter on top of each of them - total of 2 scoops. This will form the base for our pancake. (Tip: If you have an ice cream scoop with a thumb release lever, use it to place-on ONE big scoop instead).
Place the lid on and set a timer for 1 minute.
After 1 minute, open the lid. Scoop-on an additional 1-2 layers of batter onto each of the pancakes. (Again, if you're using an ice cream scoop, place-on ONE big scoop). Afterwards, add a few droplets of water into the frying pan (reference video). This water will react violently with the oil and create hot steam. Close the lid and let it cook in this steam for 3 minutes.
After 3 minutes, carefully flip the pancakes over (be gentle!) Add in a few droplets of water again. Close the lid and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. (We ended up only needing 2 minutes - but time may vary depending on our stovetop!) Give it a quick check at 2 minutes to see if its ready!
Plate quickly. Serve with fresh strawberries, blueberries or other fruits. Drizzle some maple syrup over all of it. Add powdered sugar if it's your birthday! And most importantly, enjoy!!