Dorayaki Cake (Japanese Pancake)

Adapted from: Nintendo DS – Personal Trainer Cooking, Ezine Articles
Made by: Cathy & Gary

So, Gary got the DS Personal Training game. He looked through and found a recipe he wanted to make. We've eaten the Japanese pancakes fresh from the Japanese supermarket, as well as packaged from the Chinese grocery stores. Fresh is always better.

So Gary went and bought the beans, he made it as instructed…it turned out fine. The next step was to make the pancakes. I ended up making it because, of course he initially thought he needed a CUP of BAKING POWDER! Give him a stovetop, and he’s fine, but baking is not his forte, so he handed it over to me.

I started out with the original recipe from the DS, and from reading it, I knew it was already a disaster in the making. First of all, there was too much flour to liquid ratio. The batter ended up thick and did not pour well out of the ladle. It was a mess! I was really annoyed and yelled at him the whole time I was mixing it. The pancakes turned out thick, hard, overcooked on the outside, and undercooked on the inside. Into the garbage it went.

So, of course, we couldn't let the beans go to waste. We left it in the fridge to try again the next day.

I googled the recipe for the cake. I found several, but went with one that used about the same ingredients as the DS version, but with much more accurate measurements. The result? Edible pancakes!

Ingredients:
Bean Paste:
2/3 cup azuki beans
2/3 cup white sugar

Pancakes:
3 eggs
2/3 cup of white sugar
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 cup of water
1 cup of all purpose flour – sifted

Directions:
Preparing the bean paste:
1. Wash the azuki beans and soak overnight.

2. Transfer the beans to a saucepan. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, pour the water out, then replace with fresh water. Place over high heat again and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down a little and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn the heat down low and simmer for 45 minutes, cooking off the water until it barely covers the beans.

3. Add 2/3 cup sugar, stir well, then simmer until almost all the water has completely evaporated. Continue to simmer and mix the beans thoroughly over medium heat. Once the mixture takes on a glossy sheen, turn off the heat.

Preparing the pancakes:
1. Whisk together the eggs and sugar.

2. Dissolve the baking soda into the water. Add the water into the egg mixture.

3. Gradually sift the flour into the egg mixture while continuing to whisk.

4. Heat a skillet or a hot plate and put a little bit of oil into it. I used my indoor griddle, so I sprayed a little nonstick spray.

5. Scoop about half a ladle of batter into the skillet to form a small pancake (about 3" in diameter).

6. Turn the pancake over in the pan when bubbles begin to form and appear of the surface of the cake. Repeat this process to make about 16 pancakes.

7. Let the pancakes cool. Scoop about a tablespoon of the bean paste onto the flat side of the pancake, then sandwich with another pancake.

This recipe makes about 8 dorayaki cakes. You will need a double batch to use up all the bean paste. You can also make these bigger than the size indicated. We definitely spoiled our dinner by eating more than one of these.