Swedish oven pancakes (Ungspannkaka) | No-fuss Nordic recipe
Swedish oven pancakes “ungspannkaka“, the yummy and simple Swedish classic is beyond compare. This easy no-fuss breakfast recipe takes about ten minutes of active making and then the oven will work for you the half an hour to get the steaming hot square pancake to slice into pieces to serve.
Tips for making the Swedish oven pancake
- Before pouring the batter onto the oven pan whisk well again to help the cardamom and flour spread evenly around the oven pan.
- Make sure the parchment paper covers the edges evenly, before pouring the batter so that it doesn’t slide underneath the paper.
- If you see the pancake rise heavily to create a crazy-looking bubble or hit, poke it down with a fork and continue baking, otherwise the top will burn and the bottom will remain raw.
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What is the difference between pancakes and Swedish pancakes?
Unlike their American friends, American pancakes, Swedish pancakes have a higher ratio of eggs to flour. The batter is very liquid when poured into the oven pan before baking the Swedish pancake in the oven.
So are a Dutch baby and a Swedish pancake the same thing?
The Swedish pancake is very similar to the Dutch baby pancake. Dutch baby pancakes are though more often made in a round cast-iron skillet that is put in the oven, and Swedish pancakes are made in a rectangle oven pan and are thinner in style. Both differ from pan-fried pancakes for they don’t contain at all or only a little baking powder.
Insider: A peak into Nordic living
Oven-baked pancakes are very common in Finland. There is something special about the combination of Thursday, pea soup, and oven-baked pancakes. If the school or canteen at work in Finland is serving pea soup, I guarantee it’s Thursday and you’ll get pancakes as a dessert. They will be the square-formed pancakes that have been cut from a pancake baked in the oven in a square oven pan.
With the oven-baked pancake most commonly is served some smushed lingonberries “puolukkasurvos“, which is something between fresh whole lingonberries and juice. There are no sweeteners used, it is just lingonberries.
Nowadays many sweet tooths enjoy some raspberry jam or strawberry jam instead of lingonberries. But oh my – serve the oven-baked pancakes with some cold lingonberries and some hot ooey-gooey “kinuski” the Russian candy. Kinuski is like liquid fudge made with sugar, butter, and cream – mm-mm, that’s too good to be true.
Ingredients you need for
- Milk: I use cow milk, but you can use the milk of your choice.
- Wheat flour: Can be substituted with all-purpose flour
- Eggs
- Salt
- Cardamom: optional, in a traditional pancake recipe there is no cardamom nor sugar, but I love to add the cardamom to give a bit more flavor. And well – I love cardamom. You can find it in many Finnish bun recipes like in the Finnish cinnamon buns (korvapuusti) for example.
You can find the exact measurements on the recipe card.
Tools you may need
- Large bowl
- Ball whisk
- Oven pan with edges or other rectangular pan
- Parchment paper
How to make the Swedish oven pancakes
Step one: Measure and mix the ingredients
Set oven to 225°C (437°F). Measure milk in the large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, flour, cardamom and salt and whisk together. Pancake batter should be more liquid than regular pan-fried pancake batter.
Step two: Line an oven pan
Line a deep oven pan with parchment paper, so that it covers the edges too. If you prefer not to use parchment paper you can heat the oven pan in the oven, place a piece of butter on the bottom of the pan, and let it melt. Use the melted butter to butter the pan.
Step three: Bake in the oven
Pour batter into the oven pan. Bake the Swedish pancake in the oven in the middle griddle for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
Step four: Cut into squares
When the oven pancake has cooled down a bit cut it into square slices to serve. If you own a pizza cutter, it is a perfect moment to use it!
Serving the oven pancake
Serve the Swedish oven pancakes traditionally with some smushed lingonberries, lingonberry jam, or with your favorite jam and a cup of coffee or tea.
Storage
When the Swedish pancake has cooled, store air tightly In the fridge for up to four days. You can also freeze the pancakes. Just place every now and then a piece of parchment paper between the pancake layers to ease up the detaching. Simple trick if you want to take only a few slices out from the freezer. Swedish pancakes freeze for up to six months when stored airtightly.
How to tweak this recipe
- Add 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla sugar instead of cardamom for sweet flavor pancakes.
- To deepen the spicy flavor add 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp powdered ginger.
- Serve with fresh fruit and some honey or maple syrup.
- Enjoy them with some homemade almond butter and fresh berries.
What is your favorite breakfast recipe?
Have you tried this one or my other recipes? Let me know in the comments what is your favorite breakfast recipe or tag me on Instagram with @blue.tea.tile, I would love to know how you are rocking your breakfast time!
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More breakfast recipes
If you like this recipe you might like these breakfast recipes too:
- Kefir crêpes
- Finnish rice porridge
- Apricot granola
- Oven baked waffles
- Square Moroccan pancakes
- Moroccan semolina bread
You can find the recipe card below!
Swedish oven pancakes (Ungspannkaka)
Swedish oven pancake "ungspannkaka", the yummy and simple Swedish classic is beyond compare. This easy no-fuss breakfast recipe takes about ten minutes of active making and then the oven will work for you the half an hour to get the steaming hot square pancake to slice into pieces to serve.
Ingredients
- 600 ml milk
- 170 g wheat flour
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cardamom (optional)
Instructions
- Step one: Measure and mix the ingredients
Set oven to 225°C (437°F). Measure milk in the large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, flour, cardamom and salt and whisk together. Pancake batter should be more liquid than regular pan-fried pancake batter. - Step two: Line an oven pan
Line a deep oven pan with parchment paper, so that it covers the edges too. If you prefer not to use parchment paper you can heat the oven pan in the oven, place a piece of butter on the bottom of the pan, and let it melt. Use the melted butter to butter the pan. - Step three: Bake in the oven
Pour batter into the oven pan. Bake the Swedish pancake in the oven in the middle griddle for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. - Step four: Cut into squares
When the oven pancake has cooled down a bit cut it into square slices to serve. If you own a pizza cutter, it is a perfect moment to use it!
Serving
Serve the Swedish oven pancakes traditionally with some smushed lingonberries, lingonberry jam, or with your favorite jam.
Storage
When the Swedish pancake has cooled, store air tightly In the fridge for up to four days. You can also freeze the pancakes. Just place every now and then a piece of parchment paper between the pancake layers to ease up the detaching. Simple trick if you want to take only a few slices out from the freezer. Swedish pancakes freeze for up to six months when stored airtightly.
Notes
- Scroll up into the post to the header "How to tweak this recipe" to adjust it to your liking
- Check at the top of the post the "Tips for making the Swedish oven pancakes".
- If you want to know more about the traditions look for the Nordic Insider info box in the post.
- Find more breakfast recipes on the post before the recipe card.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 101Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 145mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 5g
These calculations are generated automatically by Nutritionix based on the ingredients shown in the recipe. The nutrition information is an estimation and may include errors. All nutritional information presented and written within this site (blueteatile.com) is intended for informational purposes only. The writer is not a certified nutritionist or registered dietitian and any nutritional information should be used as a general guideline only.
