æbleskiver are small cakes that are spherical in shape. They are traditionally eaten in Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Færøerne and Germany. The cakes are usually made with wheat flour, milk, sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla, salt, and sometimes with raisins.
A variant of the æbleskive is the German apple pancake. Æbleskiver is a traditional dish for the Danish Christmas dinner. It is known that Æbleskivers were sold by street vendors during the Christmas season. Æbleskiver are also popular in the United States, especially in the upper Midwest, where they are associated with Danish culture.
Æbleskiver are a traditional Danish and Norwegian dish in which several balls of dough are fried in a special pan.The pan that is used to prepare æbleskiver is called the æbleskiver pan.
The pan is a cast iron ring with a diameter of 6 – 12 3/4 cm and a depth of 2 – 4 cm. It is heated over a burner until it is hot enough to make an æbleskiver. Traditionally, the pan is coated with butter and sugar and the dough balls are dipped in the butter and sugar in the pan before frying.
The batter is similar to a normal pancake mix, but also contains eggs, sugar and lemon zest. It is usually round and has 7-9 cavities. These recesses are designed so that the raw dough balls can cook in the oil and the finished product can easily slide off.
The spherical pancakes are usually eaten for breakfast. In Denmark they are served with raspberry jam and whipped cream. In Norway they are usually served with powdered sugar and cranberries.
