This pin test was originally posted on CraftFail!
I have to admit, I saw these on Pinterest and went, “No effing way,” so I was pretty sure this was going to be a big fat fail from the very beginning.
Image from Real Mom Kitchen
Also, I’ve had bad luck making things in muffin tins and doing mini versions of things, so I was prepared for disaster.
I was not wrong.
Luckily, I cut the recipe in thirds, which involved some ninja math skills, and a little bit of not caring how much 1/3 of 1/4 cup of butter is and just effing guessing. So I only had to throw away 8 of them instead of 24. Small blessings.
Because the post warns that these little bastards stick like hell, I made sure to grease the cupcake tin like my mom taught me, way before partially hydrogenated things were considered “unhealthy.” I used Crisco.
Living on the EDGE… of hypertension.
Throughout the baking process, my skepticism began to rise, puffy and sponge-like, until it was a nice golden brown. So did the pancakes.
I was expecting them to cave a little when I took them out of the oven. They caved less than I thought they would. I was actually kind of proud of the stoic little things.
But how did they taste? Well, not like pancakes. More like French toast made with stale Wonderbread drowned in way too many eggs that had already sort of begun to scramble before you cooked it. So… not good. When I was done with my taste test, I got one wet and used it to scrub out the muffin tin, so that gives you an idea of the texture, too.
It’s true, I didn’t have any delicious preserves or anything to put on them, but honestly, it would have been a waste of delicious preserves.
My recommendation? Skip this one, unless sponge pancakes don’t sound gross to your family.
54 Comments
I really enjoyed the picture of Ryan Gosling so much more…and you’ve totally talked me out of mini German pancakes, so thanks!!
I love your blog—just found it the other day and it is “pee in your pants funny”!! I have a request… I saw a recipe on Pinterest that you should totally try. Campfire Orange Cakes or something like that… It’s chocolate cake baked into hollowed out orange peels. Looks like it would be fun to fail.
@carolinelguy Wow, those look heinous. I’ll add them to my possibilities list. 😉
@Pintester I have a recipe on my pinterest that I would love to see you try. too. Really, I’d love to see anybody try it as long as they have your sense of humor and penchant for saying ‘fuck’. The recipe is Cherpumple. It’s the turducken of the dessert world. It’s a cherry pie baked into a chocolate cake, a pumpkin pie in a spice cake, and an apple pie in a yellow cake. Then stacked up all cake-like and iced. It looks insane.
@Pintester I’m not even sure that’s legal in some states.
THAT sounds heinous, Joanna.
@carolinelguy It is. I still kind of want to make it. I don’t know if I could actually eat it, I’m one of those people who can’t stand for food to touch. Here’s a link if you want to see what it looks like and all. vittlemonster.com/2011/09/07/how-to-make-a-cherpumple-successfully/
I have no idea how I stumbled upon your blog, and I typically never comment, but I have to say thank you for providing the most entertaining part of my morning routine at work!
I had so much hope for those suckers. Foiled again.
I feel this blog should come with a disclaimer that just because I tried them and fucked them up, it doesn’t mean they’re bad. Someone obviously made them work. Just not me. Ever.
You’re a hoot. Keep on keepin’ on, Girl! You are the sunshine to my morning!
Yeah I would have seen that and automatically went for HELL NO. but I admire your perseverance! You are hilarious.
They may taste awful, but I like your picture better than theirs. Yours look like beignets and make me want to sit outside and turn on some jazz.
I know, I’m totally Silver-Lining Girl. Plus, I notice we have the same knife block, so I got that going for me, which is nice.
@Bette Noir I have that knife block too! I’m cool like you!
Re mini things and muffin tins, I have one that worked out ok – From Pinterest! Gasp! Try the mini lasagnas. ( http://pinterest.com/pin/60165344991450708/ ) My only problem was that the outermost layer of “pasta” (ie wonton wrapper) didn’t cook well and was kind of raw, but I probably screwed something up. They were still good enough to eat and make again IMO.
This pancake thing though… I won’t be going down that road! Thanks!
haha but they look so good till you got a hold of them!
This is one of those pins that never interested me…
yeah i’m not too fond of fruit-filled pastries, but i can’t help wonder if they could be used as edible shot glasses.
@rfoust I like the way your mind works!
Wish you would try this, it seems wayyyy too good to be true. http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/?p=21990
Good times. I love the pic. “nailed it”. Very amusing.
Damn! That pic looked so yummy!
I’ve made the bigger version of these. It’s really easy. Not exactly like a normal pancake, more eggy, but good, especially for less than five minutes of prep. My husband loves it.
Oh my…..funny as yell. You are great entertainment.
we made these, and while my edges were not as pretty…they came out pretty good. I agree with Jay, they are a more eggy pancake. My kids loved watching them “fall” We put cut up sausage in some drizzled with syrup, and then freash strawberry compote that I made in some and yum!! =)
I tried this one, and they turned out great. I made them again for friends and they raved… not sure why the difference between your trial and mine, but I’m sorry it didn’t work out as well as you hoped.
this is not german!! and im german!!
wie never do that never!!
mini german pancakes?? Emmm hellooo noo never
im german and our pancakes are totaly diff!!!
lol @ Miiieh who is now busy typing a rant about german chocolate cake not being german (it isn’t actually)My dad has this weird obsession with Dutch Babies which are pretty much full sized versions of this & I’ve found out through watching/taste testing quite a few of his trial and error sessions that the ratio of ingredients is SUPER important to the texture and if they make happy bowels or are sad flat thick things…kinda like yours haha. I honestly think that they’re like really bland crepes that are about one million times harder to make. Not sure what the attraction is :-p
I don’t think it was a total fail. Afterall, it was a self cleaning recipe. Can’t say I’ve bake many cakes that clean the pans they were baked in. LMAO.
I dont think it was a total fail. Afterall, it was a self cleaning recipe. I haven’t baked many treats that clean the pans they were cooked in.
Yeah, these aren’t german pancakes. At least not that I’ve ever seen. German pancakes (or pfankuchen) are really thin pancakes, almost like crepes.
@getgln Thanks for the share!
Made these and they turned out beautiful. Followed the recipe exactly, maybe that’s the difference? We call these Finnish pancakes and usually make the large version, but the small ones tasted the same.
I made these and they worked for me. I did the full batch too and didn’t let them get quite as dark. I’ve made one big one before and they tasted just like it.
i think they are actually Yorkshire puddings – you need to eat them with roast beef!! Love your blog BTW – nearly pee’d myself laughing!
I have been reading a lot of your posts and I think they are hilarious….mostly because I have had some righteous pinfails of my own, but I also think that a lot of your issues might come from the fact that you just kind of make up your own directions on a lot of things. Many of the the recipes (including this one) are not followed closely, which I think causes most of your issues. I am not the greatest baker in the world, but tired this recipe and they turned out amazing….so delicious and are now a staple for me when I need to take something for a pot luck/social. So, just saying as funny as your blog is, I think it would be better to see how bad things actually fail if you followed the recipes/directions a little closer!
I too, had a lot of good luck with this one, I’ve made them three or four times now and they turn our great, and are faster to cook than individual pancakes. I used my popover tins instead of muffin tins, they are much faster and less fussy than popovers!
I was thinking about making these but I wasn’t convinced they’d work. I’m going to learn from your example. Thanks 🙂
@BleuScooterGal I totally agree!! @rawhidevelvet
I LOVE German pancakes and they do not taste like regular pancakes, so that is there. But a good German pancake is best made in a cast iron pan.
Yorkshire Puddings! They’re better savoury though…
Most German things my German mother in law makes taste rather blah to me. When I say that she tells me they were poor and not allowed to have spices and you liked what you got and ate it or got beaten. SO I do love her German potato salad. She also says that it isn’t authentic German unless you cook it in cast iron.
I’ve also made these and they turned out delicious. Agreed with MM.
Anything with dough needs to have the appropriate amount of butter used as the recipe calls for. I’ve made homemade knoephla noodles (for the German soup), and you can always add a little bit more or less milk and water to it (water helps a lot with the right consistency) but you need to measure butter and four. In the picture, it also looks like powdered sugar was added to the outside after baking and the preservatives were baked into the dough after a short time. Maybe that’s why it baked differently. I would also say your oven was turned on either too high or they were baked too long.
When I tried making these they didn’t cave in. Tasted good though.
LOL we’ve made these a few times….they never look as good as the picture (of course) but they have always turned out pretty well and quite yummy!!!
I really have no Idea, why someone calls this a recipe of german pancakes, because it seems to have nothing to do with a kind of Pfannkuchen we would make here in Germany. o___O
Yorkshire puddings are made with roast beef pan drippings. These really are a type of pancake that is also called a Dutch Baby. No relation to Amerian pancakes, so they shouldn’t be expected to taste like them. I make a Finnish pancake in a cast iron skillet called Kropsua that is very similar. Not very sweet, but good with cherries as pictured originally.
I’ve made these quite a few times and they are a favorite in our house! Mine come out looking something between the original pic and yours. Did you use a food processor to make it? I think that makes the difference. I like to substitute the orange flavor for almond tho and its amazing!
@Notjustrocks
I’ve made them a ton of times and my huband loves them! If you follow the directions, you’ll be fine. I make them in the larger muffin tins and I substitute almond flavor. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you make them 🙂
I make these and they turn out exactly like the photo. I use butter (liberally) to grease the pan. I also use a large muffin tin. I save extra batter for a large pancake later in the week. I think your amendments are what was the issue. Try actually following the recipe and it will turn out.
Blanket response: http://pintester.com/oh-you-dont-like-it/
I made these and I was very surprised as they turned out exactly as in picture!! Looked good and tasted good as well!