Japanese Soufflé Pancakes with Sake Poached Plums
Prep. Time:
15 minutes
Baking Time:
25 minutes
Total Time:
40 minutes
Serves:
4–6 soufflé pancakes (serves 2)
Philli Armitage-Mattin created this dish for Masterchef UK Professionals Season 18 as a Skills Test demonstration. Cloud-like Japanese soufflé pancakes made by folding a stiff French meringue into a pancake batter and cooking gently with a lid, served with plums poached in sakura-flavoured sake reduced to a glossy syrup. Monica Galetti observed that Philli made it look incredibly easy but it requires a lot of skill. The key techniques involve maintaining meringue volume through careful folding with a metal spoon, managing very low heat with a lid, adding water in drops only to create gentle steam, and building height by layering batter in two stages.
Chef's Notes
The skills test challenge - what Philli expected from the contestants:
This demo dish is deceptively demanding. Monica identified it perfectly: it looks easy in Philli's hands, but requires mastery of several distinct techniques working in concert:
Meringue construction: A classic French meringue whisked to stiff peaks with cream of tartar for stability. The difference between soft peaks and stiff peaks is the difference between pancakes that hold their height and ones that collapse into regular crêpes.
Folding technique: The most critical transfer of skill. Overfolding deflates the meringue; underfolding leaves streaks that cook at different rates. A metal spoon is Philli's specified tool - its thinner edge cuts through the batter more cleanly than a spatula, preserving more air.
Heat management: These cook on the lowest heat your stovetop can manage. Too much heat browns the outside before the inside sets, leaving raw batter in the centre. The lid-and-steam method gently cooks from all sides simultaneously.
The two-stage build: Adding batter on top of partially cooked batter is the technique that creates the distinctive height. Timing matters. If the first layer hasn't set enough, the weight of the second layer will compress it. If it's set too much, the layers won't fuse.
Water addition: A few drops only. This creates a brief burst of steam to help the pancakes cook through without direct heat. Too much water creates a soggy bottom and can shock the delicate meringue structure into deflating.
About sakura sake:
Sakura-flavoured sake is sake infused with cherry blossom petals, giving it a delicate floral sweetness. Philli chose it specifically because, as Matt noted during the demo, regular sake can be quite neutral in flavour. The sakura variety adds "that extra sweetness" and a gentle floral note that complements the plums beautifully. It can be found in specialist Japanese groceries, some well-stocked wine shops, and online from retailers like Japan Centre or Tippsy Sake.
Substitutes if you can't find sakura sake: A regular junmai sake with a tablespoon of rose water added at the end will approximate the floral quality. Alternatively, a plum wine (umeshu) diluted 50/50 with water gives a fruitier result that's still distinctly Japanese. In a pinch, a sweet white wine (Moscato or late-harvest Riesling) with a splash of kirsch will capture the stone-fruit-meets-floral spirit.
Troubleshooting
Pancakes are flat and dense: The meringue either wasn't whipped to stiff peaks or was overfolded into the batter. Check your bowl is scrupulously clean (even a tiny amount of yolk will prevent whipping). Fold less. Stop as soon as no white streaks remain, even if the mixture looks slightly uneven.
Pancakes brown too quickly on the bottom: Heat is too high. These must cook on the absolute lowest setting. If your hob doesn't go low enough, use a heat diffuser (or a heavy cast-iron pan that holds steady, low heat well).
Pancakes collapse immediately after cooking: This is normal to a degree - they will lose 20–30% of their height within a few minutes. Dramatic collapse means the inside was still raw. Cook longer with the lid on, and ensure the water-steam step is happening.
Pancakes stick to the pan: Not enough fat, or the pan isn't truly non-stick. Wipe a very thin layer of oil rather than pouring - excess fat pools under the batter and interferes with cooking.
Plums fell apart during poaching: They were overripe or the heat was too high. Use firm-ripe plums and keep the liquid at a bare simmer - bubbles should lazily break the surface, not a rolling boil.
Sake syrup tastes too boozy: Continue reducing. The alcohol cooks off and the flavour concentrates and sweetens. If it's already reduced but still sharp, a tiny pinch of salt will round it out.
Storage
Soufflé pancakes: Cannot be stored. They must be served within minutes of cooking. This is a make-and-serve dish.
Sake poached plums: Refrigerate in their syrup for up to 3 days. Gently rewarm before serving.
Meringue batter: Cannot be stored. Once mixed, cook immediately - the meringue begins to deflate from the moment it's folded.
Variations
Matcha soufflé pancakes: Sift 1 teaspoon of matcha powder into the flour before adding to the yolk base. The slight bitterness pairs beautifully with the sweet poached plums.
Yuzu syrup: Replace the lemon zest and juice with yuzu juice (or yuzu kosho for a savoury-sweet edge) in the poaching liquid for an intensely Japanese citrus note.
Summer stone fruit: When plums aren't in season, peaches, nectarines, or apricots all poach beautifully in sake. Adjust sugar according to the fruit's sweetness.
Chocolate version: Fold 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder into the flour and serve with a dark chocolate sauce instead of poached plums - less Japanese, but spectacular.
Savoury direction: Omit the sugar from the batter (keep it in the meringue for stability), and serve the pancakes with smoked salmon, crème fraîche, and dill. The soufflé technique works brilliantly either way.
Ingredients
Instructions
MAKE THE SAKE POACHED PLUMS (Can Be Done Ahead)
1. Combine the sake, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a gentle simmer.
2. Add the plum quarters and reduce the heat to low. Poach gently for 8–12 minutes depending on ripeness — you want them tender but still holding their shape. Very ripe plums may need as little as 5 minutes.
3. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the plums to a plate. Return the poaching liquid to medium-high heat and reduce by about two-thirds until syrupy and glossy — it should coat the back of a spoon. Remove the lemon zest strip and set the syrup aside.
MAKE THE PANCAKE BATTER BASE
4. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the milk and vanilla extract until combined.
5. Sift the flour and salt over the top — dust the flour in lightly so it aerates and creates a really nice light, fluffy batter. Whisk gently until just smooth. Do not overwork. Set aside.
MAKE THE MERINGUE
6. In a spotlessly clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar using an electric whisk. Start on medium speed until frothy, then increase to high and gradually add the sugar a teaspoon at a time.
7. Whisk to stiff, glossy peaks — the meringue should hold its shape firmly when the whisk is lifted, with the tip pointing straight up without flopping. The cream of tartar stabilises the meringue, preventing it from weeping or deflating during folding and cooking.
FOLD THE MERINGUE INTO THE BATTER
8. Take about a third of the meringue and stir it into the yolk batter quite vigorously — this sacrificial third loosens the base and makes subsequent folds easier. It will lose its volume; this is expected.
9. Add the remaining meringue in two additions, folding with a large metal spoon using a figure-of-eight motion, scooping from the bottom and folding over the top, rotating the bowl a quarter turn each time. Stop as soon as no white streaks remain. The batter should be thick, mousse-like and hold soft peaks.
COOK THE PANCAKES
10. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over the lowest possible heat. Add the tiniest amount of oil or butter and wipe out the excess with kitchen paper.
11. Spoon a generous dollop of batter (about 3–4 tablespoons) into the pan, letting it mound naturally into a tall disc rather than spreading it out. Leave plenty of space between pancakes.
12. Cover with a lid and cook for approximately 4 minutes.
13. After 4 minutes, add a second spoonful of batter directly on top of each pancake to build height. Add a few drops of water only to the pan (not onto the pancakes) and immediately replace the lid. Too much water can deflate the pancakes — barely a teaspoon is enough.
14. Cook for another 4 minutes with the lid on. The pancakes are done when they are puffed, set around the edges and jiggle like a jellyfish when gently prodded.
15. Carefully flip each pancake using two spatulas and cook uncovered for a final 1–2 minutes. Do not press down.
ASSEMBLE AND SERVE
16. Stack 2–3 pancakes per plate, slightly overlapping. Arrange the sake-poached plum quarters around and beside them.
17. Drizzle the reduced sake syrup generously over the plums and let it pool slightly on the plate. Dust the pancakes with icing sugar through a fine sieve. Add a quenelle of whipped cream or crème fraîche if desired. Serve immediately — the wobble is part of the presentation.