In my perfect world there would be a few things that would be de rigeur. Firstly daily massages would be on the agenda as would be a driver at my beck and call. I would have enough power and influence to commission non stop episodes of Dexter, Mad Men, 30 Rock and Glee so they would never go on hiatus and I would resurrect Arrested Development, the only show on tv to make me feel like I have a normal family. Shoes would never hurt, clothes would always fit and the sidewalk would be made of that wonderful spongy stuff that you find outside of pubs.
And I would never overcook or burn anything.
Sadly this isn’t a perfect world and in my haste to perfectly caramelise these little babies, I may have gone just a leetle beet overboard with the caramelisation in parts. I should rewind and explain what these are. Kaiserschmarrn are Austrian pancake squares, where Kaiser of course means King and Schmarrn means “mish mash”. I have become rather fiaxated on Austrian food ever since my trip to Austria. Of course like many things with a history, there are many legends about it and one of them has Elisabeth of Bavaria, the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph rejecting these when she was given them as they were too rich for her as she wanted to maintain her small waistline. So instead Emperor Franz Jospeh ate them after saying “Now let me see what “Schmarrn” our chef has cooked up” and liked them so much he finished both serves.
I know I’m hopeful suggesting that you get out the heavy equipment for breakfast but since you’re probably on holidays, you may eat it like we did, for brunch. It is a bit of trouble with the cutting but it is a time saver in that the whole thing is cooked within about 10 minutes and you don’t have to stand at the stove flipping pancake after pancake.
Cherries from Young
It’s usually served with a plum compote but I was sent a wonderful 5kg box of delicious Young cherries from the Cherry Grower’s of Australia and they were fabulously sweet, meaty and firm. I knew immediately that I wanted to use them for this dessert as I prefer cherries to plums. The pancakes were gorgeous and the entire lot which really could feed 3-4 was wolfed down in no time by Mr NQN and I. Even the over caramelised bits were not too overcooked so they gave it a caramel edge and the syrup from the compote was soaked up into the pancake give it an added sweetness.
It’s raining sugar!
Of course Mr NQN and I ate a good 4.5 kilos of the fresh cherries. I will preface it by saying that we did share around our bounty with others and it was over the space of a week and not a day. After all I have a bit of the Elisabeth of Bavaria in me too.
So tell me Dear Reader, does at least one of your New Year’s Resolutions involve either getting fit or losing weight?
Kaiserschmarrn with Cherry Compote
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
Serves 2-3
- 150grams flour
- 4 eggs, separated
- 50grams butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 150ml milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 30grams butter and 2 tablespoons sugar extra for caramelising
- 2 tablespoons icing sugar to decorate
Cherry Compote
- 1 cup pitted fresh cherries
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
1. Make cherry compote first. Place all 3 ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on medium heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes stirring gently until the cherries are slightly cooked.
Folding egg whites into batter
2. Preheat the oven to 220C/428F. Whisk the egg yolks, melted butter, milk and salt in a bowl. Add flour and mix together until combined. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites and sugar until stiff but not dry. Fold the egg whites into the batter.
Prior to oven cooking
3. Using a pan that can be placed in the oven and can withstand cutting with a knife (I used a cast iron dutch oven but a rectangular or square one would be better for the little square pieces), heat on medium heat on the stovetop. When heated, place a pat of butter in the bottom of the pan and pour the pancake liquid in this. Place in oven for 5 minutes to puff up (keeping the stovetop warm as you will return this to the stovetop after it’s had its 5 minutes in the oven. Have a knife ready to cut the pancake into squares.
After 5 minutes in the oven, add butter and sugar
4. After 5 minutes, carefully remove it from the oven, keeping an oven mitt handy at all times as it will be very hot. Place another pat of butter on top and a spoonful of sugar and then flip over. Cook lightly but do not overcook and while it is cooking, cut into rectangles or squares. Add another pat of butter and some more sugar and then toss the pieces to brown and caramelise the edges of the pieces.
5. Divide pancake pieces onto plates and then spoon over cherry compote and dust with icing sugar.
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62 Comments | Add your own
Even gently burnt, it still looks rather yummy though I must say.
Even if they were burnt they still look great. I am also addicted to mad men – just finished season 3 – amazing! Cannot wait for season 4…
Love this recipe… how can you go wrong with sweet caramelized pancake bits and cherries… great photo too… and I really love the idea of creating a perfect world… and making it so!
This looks yummy! What a great way to use up all of those delicious cherries.
I am not into making resolutions, but one thing I want to focus on is to make really good French macaroons. It has become an obsession now.
I’m not usually one for NY resolutions like that, I make the (unsuccessful) undertaking to eat less all year!
It’s a shame cherry season is over…
I’ve frozen some pitted ones, might preserve some too..
Just what I needed Lorraine, thanks. Of course I only going to enjoy looking at these while I eat my big bowl of fruit. I have just lost 11kg for a wedding and my resolution is not to put it all back on, at least not in the first month. Being fit is pretty new to me and I highly recommend it for feeling good
I bet they weren’t overcarmilized at all! These look lovely!
Though I’ve never seen the squishy stuff outside pubs.
These look incredible! The cherry compote sounds delicious with the little pancake pieces.
Happy New Year!
I had piklets with a cherry dessert sauce just the other day around Christmas. It was awesome!!!!! These sound just as perfect. Would love to see more Austrian food
oh boyyyy those look to die for! i can’t do cherries (such a wuss) but pancakes I can do!
I find german/austrian pancakes only need a little icing sugar and they’re perfect as they are.
so much better than american pancakes…
Oh! These sound divine!
My trip to Austria got me intrigued about their cuisine too, but I have yet to try anything. This sounds perfect! 
Does eating more butter and homemade bread count towards weight loss? Hmm.
That is a speciality I really love! your Kaiserschwarm looks fantastic!
Cheers,
Rosa
Haha! over caramalisation huh? Nothing a good dusting of icing sugar cant fix!
And yes Dear Writer, weight loss AND getting fit are on the agenda … =(
looks amazing lorraine
once, i went on a crazy cherry eating spree after dinner (i would have atleast 7 or 8 cherrries in my mouth at a time)
only to be woken up in the middle of the night feeling really sick and vomiting it all out again. that teaches me to chew my food properly lols
i still love cherries & wish they weren’t expensive
Yes! One of my resolutions is to combine both…by doing more ballroom dancing, and thus maybe have an excuse to nibble on above beautiful Kaiserschmarrns before, during a pause or afterwards…I reckon that’s part and parcel of the historic but so exhausting Viennese waltz…
also its probably small time stuff but ive left u an award on my blog
ohmy This looks wonderful. Your pictures are so beautiful. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
This looks divine – thank you for sharing the recipe! I’d love Elisabeth’s waistline except I’ll probably snap in half at the waist when I try to walk.
these look great – even if you say they were a little over caramelised! I always have the resolution to get fit and lose weight, but it never lasts! i like my sweets far too much for that!
Oh my gosh I want to eat that right now. Yuuumm….
Shame I dont have a pan that can go in the oven and on the stove. Really need to get one of those.
Ach Kaiserschmarrn! Always the first thing I eat when I come back to Munich. In Germany we usually serve it with apple sauce and caramelized walnuts- delicious!
Funny enough “schmarrn” has the conotation of “bullsh*t”, so I like to think it was the emperor’s bulsh*t that actually turned into a famous dessert.
Happy New Year from The Foreign Kitchen!
Martina
This is exactly what I want to make for breakfast on a weekend!
What do you mean by “that wonderful spongy stuff that you find outside of pubs”
I’m confused
ps: I’ve made New Year’s suggestions to myself rather than resolutions. That way I can’t kick myself for not following through!
Hi L, at home we had Kaiser Schmarren as a sweet main meal after soup. My Mum served it with home made Zwetschgenroster (medium thick plum preserve with a slightly sour note). It’s in the quick-food category for Austrians.
Glad you like it
they still look great even if you said they are not perfect
get fit and lose weight? nah… those are for “next year”’s resolution (and they have been for the past 10 yrs or more) hahaha.. :p
What a gorgeous box of cherries! I agree – cherries over plums any day! I have never had this type of pancake, but it definitely sounds like my kind of breakfast! xoxo Mum
These look delicious – I’m with the Kaiser, and I’d eat them, waistline or not.
i think i need to make friends with the cherry growers of australia right now
OH my gosh. Look at those fresh Cherries!!! I’ve never been to Austria… would you say the culture is close to German?
Those cherries look beautiful! That sounds like the perfect breakfast with a large cup of coffee.
YES YES YES. To massages and all of those shows, though I would add new episodes of SeaChange and Firefly while you’re at it!
Oh, and the dessert looks great too
Mmm.. those pancake bites look so heavenly especially with cherries – they would be gone within seconds at my house too!
Cherries always remind me of christmas and new years! We used to stay up and play monopoly eating cherries till the midnight countdown as kids!
Not really into the whole new years resolution thing though – Hoping it will be a good one for all!
By the way, great sugar rain picture!
They look divine Lorraine – they don’t look overcooked or burnt at all! The wonders of icing sugar and really ripe juicy cherries! I must try the compote one of these days!
Beautiful recipe!
I hadn’t thought about fit or thin as a resolution–more like happy and functioning…could be overrated though…do you think?
And I do vote for your version of a perfect world, by the way!
Arrested Development!
I love this blog so much more now..
That looks beautiful! You’re right in ideal world there’d be no burning – perhaps no mistakes at all.
What a fantastic way of using Juicy Plump Cherries. I love cherries. I adore pancakes especially when they have crunchy sides so I think I would love this recipe.
Sounds like my perfect world too although I’d leave out 30 rock! the cherries look perfect to me. A lovely recipe indeed. I’m going to take advantage of all these cherries around at the moment and try my hand at bottling. Happy New Year Lorraine!
ah! This looks tartingly delish. And beacuse its broken up in pieces…it’s likley that I’ll over eat! again…..LOL
Being n Canberra, we get heaps and heaps of cheap cherries from Young, which is awesome. My local grocer sells them .. too hard to resist!
OMG *drool*
I wish it wasn’t so hot, or I would make them immediately.
Good cherries are hard to find here, what about the frozen kind?
Oh my goodness, Lorraine – this looks amazing! I used to eat this very dish as an exchange student in Germany, so your post brought back a lot of memories.
This one’s going under to ‘Recipes to Try’ bookmark! Thanks
I can completely appreciate your fascination with Austria. It’s a great country. Great dessert. I have never eaten this before. I often kick myself when I burn something, too, but sometimes, the miracle of icing sugar takes the edge off!
Oh, and no goals re: weight loss of fitness. Gave up on that some years ago!
oh boy – they look so so good. I love CHERRIES and what a great way to serve them
delicious 
I love your intro to this piece! You set the scene and I am transported from my work computer desk to a fantasy land of home, and a wonderful cooked breakfast!
Delightful, Lorraine!!
MMMMM,….how lovely & very inviting too!
Happy New year!!
gently burnt = caramelised = yummy! They look wonderful although I generally like my fruit fresh and untampered with, why add extra calories to something already perfect?
He he, in my perfect world, you’d come over and make me these for breakfast! I so wish there was more seasons of Arrested Dev. too (saw Gob on Sesame St the other day and nearly wet myself laughing).
OMG they look so wonderful!!! I will definitely give this one a go… after at least a week of eating healthy (I’m starting to look a bit like a barrel these days). As for non-stop TV, I’d go for House MD, Bones and maybe Scrubs, but a daily massage is a 100% MUST.
Re your comment about Dexter – weird I had the same thought about wishing I had enough money/ influence to commission not stop episodes. Love that show!!!
In my perfect world I would have pancakes for breakfast every day – just like these ones – they look gorgeous – and I would also have lots and lots of cherries
these pancakes look fantastic despite being over caramelised. well at least you’ll know for next time!
and yep, for sure, i’ve finally finished eating all the leftover x’mas food, and one of the many resolutions is to work it off
what a nifty and unique pancake idea! the cherry compote is beautiful and the perfect accompaniment.
two other things i love–the raining sugar shot and all things arrested development.
Oh Lorraine, this is bittersweet… I am annoyed that I managed to not try these when I was in Austria myself, but I am happy you have shown me how to do it at home
I’m also very happy to say I have no new year’s resolutions regarding my weight or fitness except that I want to maintain both of them exactly how they are right now
Living in bavaria, Kaiserschmarn is highly addictive and served as a dessert. Most servings are ‘just enough’ for two but can be easily tucked away by one with determination. I like the cherry option, but am not sure I could pass up the apple sauce and sultanas with the servings here.
Until you told us, I had no idea that it was a little over-caramelized in parts…it looks perfect to me! (Besides, powdered sugar (or any garnish) on top hides all flaws! Why do you think I’m more than a little parsley-crazy?
)
P.S. I’m jealous of your cherries!
It still looks amazing! I’m so lost nowadays without all my tv shows…
Love this – but then again when I’m not thinking salads and light food – all I want is Austrian lovelies – sugar, cream, and cooked seasonal fruit.
My resolution for 2010 – down one dress size please – maybe not too ambitious??
Yes. I need to lose some calories. Beach body – that is what I need.
Hi The Asian Pear-Thankyou! I think I caught it jut in the nick of time
Hi Gourmet Chick-Oh yes I’m in the middle of watching Season 3!
Hi deana-true true! Hehe thankyou!
Hi Heavenly Housewife-Ahh great idea! Such a challenge too so I’m sure you’re in for fun!
I know the feeling most definitely 
Hi Liss -It’s a hard one that isn’t it! What with all this good food around
Yes we have some remaining but not many in the shops now!
Hi Amy-Wow what an achievement and you look fantastic! Good idea, that’s the hardest bit I think. Absolutely, I’m so happy for you!
Hi Blond Duck-Aww shucks thankyou Duckie!
Oh maybe it’s an Australian thing, it’s the footpaths just near where they load all the beer kegs near the cellar? They roll them onto the squishy stuff so that it doesn’t damage the footpath (and it’s nice and squishy 
!)
Hi Lisa-Thankyou so much and Happy New Year to you and your family!
Hi Anita-Hehe brilliant minds!
Absolutely, will do 
Hi A Girl Called E-Oh no how come? I am an equal opportunity eater
Hi Krista -Thankyou! Yes isn’t it funny how little Austrian food we get over here-lots of German but not much Austrian! Hehe I hope so!
Hi Rosa-Oh fantastic, thanks so much!
Hi Rob-Icing sugar cures everything
Yes it’s the same every year! 
Hi Betty-Hehe you are so funny!
You poor thing! Yes now they’re a pretty good price!
Hi Howard-What a fabulous way to do it! Absolutely, you’re painting a beautiful scene there!
Hi Betty-Aw thankyou so much Bets! Don’t be silly, I’m so excited!
Hi Lea Ann-Thankyou so much!
Hi Rose-You’re welcome! Yes I would too although it does look rather precarious!
Hi Sarah-Thankyou!
I know how you feel exactly! Sigh…
Hi Esz-Yes they’re so useful! That’s one of my only ones!
Hi Martina-Ooh I love apple sauce! ROFL I love it! That’s so funny
Happy New Year to you and your family!
Hi La Pastry Chef-Hehe cool! I hope you like it!
Oh it really must be an Australian thing. When pubs get kegs of beer delivered to them, it’s dropped onto this spongy stuff instead of the sidewalk 
Hehe I like that-NY Suggestions! 
Hi Big M-Hehe I can imagine it would be quick once I get the hang of cutting it up! Much faster than regular pancakes too
We loved it!
Hi YW-thankyou so much! Haha that’s what ends up happening
Hi Barbara-Ooh yes it’d be perfect for the cold weather you’re having mum!!
xxx
Hi Cakelaw-Haha good decision!
Hi justcooknyc-Hehe! Wouldn’t it be cool if they sent some to NYC!
Hi so Spiffy-It’s similar to German especially in some areas but it’s also quite distinct. The accent in Vienna is also quite different from other areas which I found interesting!
Hi Erica-Thankyou! Yes a nice cup of coffee would be purrfect!
Hi Hannah-Haha done!
Thankyou! 
Hi 5 Star Foodie-Thanks! They were here sadly, before I could say anything!
Hi LaiRe-Me too!
Aww what a sweet memory! 
Thanks, it was hard to capture! 
Hi Trissa-Thankyou! Yes icing sugar does wonders
Hi Mary-Thankyou so much! Hehe happy and functioning is good I think!
Cool! Well you’re definitely invited 
Hi Camila-Haha cool, another fellow fan! Did you see my Bluth’s bananas recipe?
Hi Arwen-Absolutely, and the ability to control Z everything in case of embarrassing situation etc
Hi Katherine-Thanks! Oooh yes then you’ll love these I think!
Hi Syrie-Oh, not a fan? Good idea! I should give it a go but the idea of pitting a lot of cherries without a cherry pitter isn’t so appealing
Happy New Year Syrie! 
Hi Adrian-Haha yes this is that dangerous free form portion control
Hi Fiona-OH you are very lucky!
I wish!
Hi Kelley-I’m sure they’d work in the compote as they’re just cooked anyway!
Hi Ladybird-Oh how fabulous! What great memories!
YAY I hope you like them 
Hi Julia-It’s lovely yes
Haha yes it just tasted caramelized which it was supposed to be 
Haha!
Hi Lisa-Thankyou so much!
Hi Vintage Macaroon-Aww thankyou so much! That’s such a nice compliment!
Hi Sophie-Thankyou Sophie!
Happy New Year! 
Hi Moya-Hehe thank! Well we had already eaten 4.5 kilos that way!
Hi shaz-Haha sure no problems!
LOL really? Sesame Street is kind of the last place I’d expect to see Gob 
Hi Miki-Thankyou!
Absolutely, why can’t every day have a massage? 
Hi Clare-Haha I bet we’re not the only ones! I can’t believe we have to wait until September 2010 for new Dexter
Hi Johanna-I became rather addicted to that compote I admit!
Hi Panda-Yes I’ll watch it like a hawk! Haha yes the leftovers, so tasty but so not good for you to have for breakfast!
Hi grace-Tell me why doesn’t it rain sugar in real life?
Oh yes I knew you were an AD fan! 
Hi Conor-Yay you can do this at home!
Oh good, well you’re very lucky!
Hi Nomes-Ahh of course I can imagine!
Haha I like that “ tucked away by one with determination”. How about both kinds? 
Hi Faith-Aww you are too sweet Faith! Haha no your stuff is perfect!
Hi pigpigscorner-Oh no, what happened?
Hi Bev-O yes all that lovely fruit and cream! Not at all! I think that it’s entirely doable!
Hi penny-Yes why oh why didn’t Santa bring one?
Woah, that is one long comment, my dear! These bites sound wonderful and I’m drooling over those cherries.
Yes, my resolution (if you can call it that) is to get fit. I’ve been doing 3k (just walking) the past week and it is so amazing. I feel really good too =D.
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