Japanese
Dorayaki
Tender honey-scented Japanese pancake sandwiches filled generously with smooth, not-too-sweet red bean paste.
10 servings · 40 minutes prep · 100 minutes cook
Ingredients
Tsubuan
- 8 oz dried azuki beans
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Cakes
- 4 large eggs
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp hon mirin
- 1 tsp Japanese soy sauce
- 1 1/3 cups cake flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 to 3 tbsp cold water
- 1 tsp avocado oil, for the pan
Directions
Make the Tsubuan
- Rinse the azuki beans and combine them with 4 cups cold water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, boil for 5 minutes, and drain. Return the beans to the pan with 5 cups fresh cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer gently until completely tender and crushable between two fingers, 60 to 75 minutes, adding hot water as needed to keep them submerged.
- Drain the tender beans, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Return the beans to the pan with the sugar and cook over medium heat, folding frequently with a silicone spatula, until glossy and thick enough that a line drawn across the pan remains briefly visible, 10 to 15 minutes. Add reserved liquid by the tablespoon only if the beans become dry before the sugar dissolves. Fold in the salt.
- Spread the tsubuan on a tray and press plastic wrap directly against its surface. Cool completely, about 45 minutes; it will firm as it cools.
Mix and Adjust the Batter
- Whisk the eggs and sugar gently until smooth and slightly thickened, without making a dense foam. Whisk in the honey, mirin, and soy sauce. Sift the cake flour and baking soda together over the bowl and fold just until no dry flour remains. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
- Stir 2 tablespoons cold water into the rested batter. It should fall from a spoon in a thick, continuous ribbon; add the final tablespoon water a teaspoon at a time only if needed.
Cook the Cakes
- Heat a smooth nonstick griddle over medium-low heat to about 325°F. Rub it with the avocado oil, then wipe it completely clean so no visible oil remains. Portion 2 tbsp batter with a cookie scoop from a fixed height for each cake, allowing it to spread into a 3 1/2-inch round.
- Cook until the surface is covered with bubbles and the edges lose their shine, 75 to 90 seconds. Flip once and cook the second side 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer to a tray and cover immediately with a barely damp towel. Repeat to make 20 evenly sized cakes, wiping and lightly re-oiling the pan only if sticking occurs.
Fill and Rest
- Pair cakes of similar size. Place about 2 1/2 tbsp tsubuan in the center of the pale side of 10 cakes, leaving the filling slightly domed, and top with the remaining cakes, pale sides inward. Gently pinch the edges together.
- Wrap each dorayaki tightly and rest 15 minutes before serving so the cakes soften around the filling.
