Dorayaki Recipe: The Original Whoopie Pie

If you’ve never sampled the sweet Japanese snack dorayaki, you’re in for a real treat. Picture a pancake. Now, top it with a generous dollop of sweet filling--in this case, raspberry jam--and sandwich it with a second pancake on top.

Dora translates as “gong” from Japanese; while this likely refers to the round shape of the cakes, I like to think it’s a shout-out to their resounding deliciousness. Once you’ve mastered the method of making these sweet, fluffy pancakes on the Baking Steel Mini Griddle, you can experiment with different fillings. In Japan, it’s customary to fill them with sweet red bean paste, but you can follow our lead and use jam, or experiment with something else entirely—maybe even ice cream. 

Makes about 12 sandwiches

Recipe from Baking With Steel

4 large eggs

150 grams (2/3 cup) sugar

22 grams (1 tablespoon) honey

150 grams (1 ¼ cups) all purpose flour, sifted

1 gram (¼ teaspoon) baking powder

10 grams (2 teaspoons) cold water

325 grams (1 cup) raspberry jam

Canola oil, for greasing the surface

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and honey for about 2 minutes, making sure that everything is well combined. The mixture will be somewhat foamy. 
2. Add the sifted flour and baking powder to the bowl; whisk to combine, then let the bowl sit for about five minutes, undisturbed.
3. Add the cold water, and whisk briefly to combine. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator; let it rest there for 10-15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, position your Baking Steel or Baking Steel Griddle on the stovetop. Preheat on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, looking for a surface temperature of 200-250 degrees F. 
5. Oil the griddle lightly with canola oil; it should begin to bubble when it hits the surface. Immediately (and very carefully; the surface is hot) swipe it off using paper towels to leave the very thinnest layer of oil possible. 
6. Pour about 2-3 tablespoons of batter on top of the heated Griddle to form each pancake, cooking a few at a time as space allows. After about 60 seconds, bubbles will begin to form; this is a good indication that it is time to flip. 
7. Flip, and cook for about 15-20 seconds on the second side.
8. Remove the pancakes and transfer to a plate while you continue with the remaining batter.
9. To assemble, spread your jam on the top of one pancake, and sandwich a similarly sized pancake on top. Serve immediately.