Pannukakku is the Finnish oven pancake — batter poured into a hot tray and baked thick and custardy rather than flipped in a pan. A homely dessert or sweet supper, it is the classic finish to a bowl of pea soup.
Crisp, golden edges give way to a soft, eggy, custard-like middle that tastes of butter and vanilla-sweet milk. A dusting of sugar and a spoon of berry jam make it feel like dessert. Simple, soft, and faintly caramelized at the rim.
A high oven heat sets the egg-rich batter quickly so the edges rise and brown while the interior stays moist and custardy. Plenty of butter in the hot pan crisps the bottom and prevents sticking.
Variations
Plain with a dusting of sugar; topped with whipped cream and strawberry or cloudberry jam; baked with apple slices in the batter. In Ostrobothnia a version called kropsu is baked thinner and crisper, sometimes with barley flour instead of wheat; a savoury version scatters crisp-fried pork cubes over the batter before baking.
On the Palate
Where Pannukakku (Finnish Oven Pancake) sits in the Finnish flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
7 steps · 10 min
- 13 min
Whisk eggs with sugar and a pinch of salt until smooth.
- 24 min
Whisk in milk, then sift in flour and beat to a thin, lump-free batter.
- 33 min
Let the batter rest while the oven heats fully.
- 45 min
Put a generous knob of butter in a baking pan and melt it in the hot oven.
Watch outMelt the butter in the hot pan until it's foaming and just starting to brown — the batter has to hit sizzling butter to crisp the bottom.
- 52 min
Pour the batter into the buttered pan, swirling to coat evenly.
- 625 min
Bake until the edges are puffed and golden and the center is just set.
Watch outBake until the edges puff up tall and golden and the center barely jiggles — pull it while the middle still looks custardy.
- 75 min
Cool slightly, cut into squares, dust with sugar, and serve with jam or berries.
