Dorayaki / Japanese Pan Cakes / Dora Cake

If you have little kids at home, I am sure you are aware of Dora cakes. One of the famous cartoon character Doraemon's favorite snack. It is a Japanese pancake made of 2 equal size pancakes with bean filling or a sweet filling. It is a favorite among Japanese adults and kids. It's a yummy snack for kids and adults.A simple recipe that can be made in 30 minutes.

Kids are a big fan of the cat robot Doraemon. My son has been telling me to make Dora cakes. I used to laugh it off thinking it is just a cartoon. I thought that there may not be a cake in that name. I was so thrilled when I came across this recipe on cafegarima. The actual recipe is adapted from Just one cookbook. 

This pancake can be made as a snack item for kids to school. It is traditionally supposed to be made with sweet bean paste. In Japanese 'Dora' means gong  a musical instrument. The pancake is in the shape of a gong. ' Yaki' means cooked or grilled. So go ahead and surprise your kids!

Dorayaki / Japanese Pan cake / Dora Cake

INGREDIENTS
Eggs - 4 large
Sugar - 140 g
Honey - 2 tbsp
All purpose flour - 160 g
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Water - 1 tbsp
Vegetable Oil - 1 tsp

METHOD
In a wide bowl add in sugar, honey and eggs. Mix it with a whisk till its fluffy.
In a separate bowl, tip in the flour and the baking powder. Mix with a spoon.
Pass through a sieve in to the egg mixture.
Mix well with the whisk. It will become very smooth and shiny batter.
Place it in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Heat a small pan on medium low flame. Take one tbsp vegetable oil and smear on the pan.
Take a piece of kitchen tissue and wipe off the oil.
Remove the pancake mix from the fridge and mix well. Depending on the size of the eggs and flour used  add one tbsp water (maximum 2 tbsp) to reach flowing consistency.
Scoop a ladle ( 3 tbsp measure ) and pour it onto the heated nonstick pan.
Let it cook for a minute until you see bubbles.
Flip the pancake and cook for approximately 20 seconds.
Remove the pancake from the pan and transfer it to a plate.
Cover it with a damp towel to avoid it from drying.
Make sandwiches using red bean paste or nutella or cream.
If you would like to use it later wrap it in a plastic shrink wrap and store in a cool place.

Tips:
1. Always fluff up the all purpose flour before measuring.
2. If you don't have a kitchen scale then fluff flour and measure 1 1/3 cup.
3. Use 4 large eggs.
4. Use fresh stock of baking powder.
5. Make sure the flame is on medium low or lower. I kept it on low flame. Flip it in one minute else it will get burnt.