Japanese hotcakes, also known as Japanese soufflé pancakes or just soufflé pancakes, start with the same ingredients as American pancakes: flour, sugar, milk, leavening, eggs. But instead of mixing everything together at once, the eggs are whipped into a fluffy meringue and gently folded into the remaining batter. The result? Towering height and an airy, custardy texture.
Per The New York Times, the exact origins of soufflé pancakes are murky, but may be traced back to two shops in Osaka, Japan—Shiawase no Pancake (in English, a Happy Pancake) and Gram Cafe—which started selling the hotcakes in 2014. Eventually, these cafés opened outposts in Tokyo, and around 2016, the pancakes were overtaking Instagram.
What’s the difference between pancakes and hotcakes?
While the terms are often used interchangeably in the U.S., there is a slight difference between pancakes and hotcakes. Pancakes are generally considered to be a sweet breakfast dish, whereas hotcake is a more general term for griddled cakes across the board, sweet or savory. But it can also be a regional distinction, depending on where you are in the world.