What Are Swedish Pancakes, And How Are They Different From American Pancakes?
When globally-paletted foodies think of the Swedish food scene, they might imagine a Midsummer spread with gravlax, pickled herring, and Scandinavian potato dishes. But our minds are on the breakfast table, and people all around the world enjoy different types of pancakes. Today, Swedish pancakes (aka pannkakor, or pandekager in Denmark) are on the Tasting Table menu — and they're a whole lot different from what American foodies probably think of as "pancakes."
The chief characteristic differentiating these two types of flapjacks is thickness. Tender, eggy, golden Swedish pancakes are thin with crispy edges. On the palette, it's all about the interplay of the slightly savory, egg-forward cakes with the bright, fruity jam topping. Compared to heavier American pancakes, their Swedish equivalents are paper thin, lighter, eggier, and less sweet. In fact, Swedish pancakes are fairly similar to French crepes.
By contrast, a stack of American diner hotcakes is fluffy, cakey, and toothy. They're substantially thicker than their paper-thin Swedish counterparts, about ½-inch thick per pancake. That fluffy rise is due in part to the presence of baking powder, an ingredient not present in Swedish pancakes. The cake-like batter also almost always includes sugar and vanilla extract and might also be made with thick, rich buttermilk, none of which are traditionally seen in less-sweet Swedish pancake batter.
Swedish pancakes are thinner and less sweet than American pancakes
Unlike classic American pancake batter, the Swedish version typically does not include sugar. Instead, these eggy beauties are made from a straightforward combination of milk, flour, egg, butter, and a pinch of salt to taste. Any sweetness in the mix comes from the jammy topping or filling. However, it's worth noting that recipes vary by home cook, and some preparations include sugar in the batter, as well as other ingredients often spied in American-style baking like vanilla extract and vegetable oil, although these are not traditional.
To assemble Swedish pancakes, beat the ingredients into a thin batter, then pour them in a thin layer across a hot buttered nonstick skillet, flipping after two minutes of cooking on each side (wicked similar to French crepe prep). For the smoothest, thinnest batter, many cooks enlist the help of a blender or food processor and rest the batter for two hours up to two days for the most uniform texture.
Compared to American pancakes, Swedish pancakes also use less flour, more milk, and no baking powder. While ¼ cup of batter in the skillet per pancake is the right amount for both versions, the resulting hotcakes look very different due to the respective thicknesses of the batters. One egg, one cup of milk, and ½ cup of flour are enough to make 15-20 Swedish pancakes, or roughly four servings. Meanwhile, four servings of American pancakes require about two eggs, 1¼ cups of milk, and 1½ cups of flour.
Where American pancakes are topped with butter and maple syrup, Swedish pancakes are topped with fruit and whipped cream
Now for the fun part: Toppings. Swedish pancakes are customarily topped with jam and whipped cream, yielding a less rich profile than American pancakes, which are customarily topped with maple syrup and butter. Swedish pancakes are also commonly filled with lingonberries, rolled up, and dusted with powdered sugar on top. Foodies can whip up a homemade sweet-tart lingonberry sauce simmered in apple cider vinegar, allspice, thyme, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Admittedly, lingonberries can be notoriously difficult to find, so fresh cranberries can be substituted in a pinch.
Other fruity toppings like blackberry jam, strawberry jelly, blueberry syrup, fresh raspberries, or sliced melon are all fair game too. Making Swedish pancakes for weekend breakfast can be a great opportunity for flexing (or using up) your homemade jams from last year's garden harvest. For a savory version, try filling your Swedish pancakes with smoked salmon, sour cream, and dill, or lean dessert-like with Nutella and vanilla custard.
Swedish pancake toppings might also be served on the side instead of directly on top of the cake. With American-style pancakes, flavorful ingredients like roasted berries, banana slices, chocolate chips, or M&Ms might be baked directly into the pancake batter. With Swedish pancakes, any additional ingredients are served as toppings or rolled-up fillings, never added to the batter itself.