One Egg Matcha Soufflé Pancake

This one egg matcha soufflé pancake recipe makes the perfect amount of jiggly matcha pancakes for an afternoon snack or after lunch dessert. Not only is it easy to make, the soufflé pancake is well balance with matcha flavor and can be easily paired with whipped cream, fresh fruits, jams, you name it!

Since the last time we made the classic Jiggly Japanese Soufflé Pancakes, we've been working on this matcha flavored version. But we thought, you can easily adjust the original recipe and add some matcha powder to make matcha soufflé pancakes. So to make this matcha soufflé pancake recipe special, we made it so that you don't have to go through the hassle of having an extra egg yolk left behind!

Here are some some FAQs and troubleshooting tips for making this one egg matcha soufflé pancake recipe.

How do I keep my matcha soufflé pancake jiggly?

The secret to make any Japanese soufflé pancakes jiggly is all in the height of the pancakes. The taller the pancakes, the more promising and impressive those soufflé pancakes will jiggly and wobble. But to achieve that height, the batter for the pancake must be light and stiff, and all of that comes down to the stiffness of the meringue and whether it's incorporated properly. So the trick? Make sure the meringue is at stiff peak and DON'T overmix the batter.

What kind of matcha should I use for this matcha soufflé pancake?

You can use any grade of matcha you'd like to make this one egg matcha soufflé pancake. However, the grade of matcha will make a difference in the flavor and the color of the matcha soufflé pancake. If you're concerned about the color and flavor of the matcha, then I recommend getting minimally the culinary grade matcha or treat yourself to some ceremonial matcha. The higher the matcha grade, the vibrant green the color will be and the flavor will, of course, be more fragrant as well.

Do I use cake flour or all-purpose flour for the soufflé pancake?

We made this Japanese soufflé pancake recipe all-purpose (A/P)  flour friendly because we know A/P flour is what's most accessible at home. But feel free to swap the A/P flour out for cake flour if you wish.

How many matcha soufflé pancakes can I make with one egg?

For this one egg matcha soufflé pancake recipe, you make exactly one standard, large soufflé pancake, about 4 inches wide. However, you can easily divide the batter to make 2 to 3 smaller ones. If you want more regular size pancakes, feel free to multiply the recipe by the amount of soufflé pancakes you want.

We tried piping our pancake batter, and it worked great. You just may see more ridges in the sides of the pancake.

Why does my matcha soufflé pancake deflate so fast?

There are quite a few reasons to why your matcha soufflé pancakes deflate super fast after removing from the pan. The three common reasons are undercooking the pancakes, overmixing the batter, or under-mixing the meringue.

Here are a some more common troubleshoots for our one egg matcha soufflé pancake:

Don't let the meringue sit idle for too long

For anything that uses meringue, don't let the meringue sit idle for more than a few minutes. When meringues sit idle, they tend to start breaking down and become watery. This bad for anything that requires the meringue's airiness, which is very crucial for maintaining the structure of soufflé pancakes.

Make sure the meringue is at stiff peak

To ensure that the soufflé pancake's batter is as stiff as possible, the first thing to do is make sure that the meringue is at the stiffest peak. Stiff peak meringue provides the most stable structure while soft and medium peak meringues are good for certain things like Japanese Cheesecake, but not soufflé pancakes.

Don't add to much meringue at a time

Another rule for meringue based batter is to never add a lot of meringue to the batter, especially in the beginning. Meringues are much lighter than any batter base, including the batter base for this matcha soufflé pancake. If too much meringue is added, it'll become really difficult to efficiently incorporate, and it'll be more likely to deflate the meringue.

Add the flour and baking powder at the last minute

We find that for this recipe, it is important to complete each step as quickly as possible so that neither the meringue nor the batter base have to sit idly. The longer the batter base sits, the thicker it will become and harder for the meringue to be incorporated.

So if you want to be extra cautious, I highly recommend adding the baking powder and flour at the last minute, right before you are ready to incorporate the meringue to prevent the batter from turning too thick.

Keep the batter as stiff as possible

The importance of keeping a stiff batter is so that the pancake can stay tall and jiggly. If the batter is loose, it'll spread out and lose its height. To keep the batter stiff, just remember to whip the meringue to stiff peak and don't overfold the batter because that will deflate the meringue.

Gently flip the pancakes

When it's time to flip the soufflé pancake, make sure to flip it gently. If you drop the pancake with a lot of force, the air that you want building up inside the pancake will escape and deflate the pancake. So dunk your pancake like a basketball!

Cook the pancakes all the way

Lastly, it is very important to cook your pancake all the way. Even if you completed all the previous steps perfectly, if the pancake is not cooked thoroughly, it will deflate a bit because the interior structure of the pancake is not set. Granted, the pancakes will always deflate slightly, but this will prevent dramatic deflation.

To ensure that soufflé pancakes are cooked through, always cook the pancakes on low heat so that the outside browns nicely while the inside gets cooked. We found that when cooking on gas stovetops, low heat is sufficient. However, if you're cooking on electric stoves, it is best to keep the heat at medium low.

If you're looking for other Asian dessert recipes, you may like these:

• Jiggly Japanese Soufflé Pancakes
• Ube Mochi with Black Sesame Filling
• Sweet Potato Mochi Pancakes/ Hotteok
• Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

Cook with love!
Mei ❤️

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