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You are here: Home / Sweets & Breads / Dorayaki 

June 26, 2018 By Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles 38 Comments

Dorayaki 

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Dorayaki is absolutely my guilty pleasure. Two pancakes sandwiching sweet ‘anko’ (sweet bean paste) is an irresistible sweet and a favourite for Japanese people!

Two dorayaki on an oval shaped plate with a bowl of azuki bean paste

What is Dorayaki?

Dorayaki is one of the well-known and popular traditional Wagashi (Japanese sweets). Many Japanese people, young and old, love Dorayaki. Even a famous Japanese cartoon character called Doraemon loves this treat. Dorayaki looks like a little pancake sandwich filled with sweet azuki bean paste.

Dorayaki ingredients 2 eggs, flour, honey, irin, sugar and baking powder

What’s in it?

However! Dorayaki is not pancakes. Contrary to what many people think and the look of them, they are not two pancakes filled with azuki bean paste. Those pancake like Japanese cakes are actually more similar to another Japanese traditional cake called “Kastera” in terms of cake batter and texture.  The cake batter of Dorayaki contains honey and mirin and the texture of Dorayaki is more like sponge cake like Kasutera.

8 photos showing the first 8 steps of amaking dorayaki

Origins of the name of Dorayaki

There are a few theories of this. One is that the origin of the name comes from the fact that the shape is similar to the gong of a Japanese musical instrument called “Dora”. Another theory is that the cake was baked on this musical instrument, hence became to be called “Dora Yaki”.

I am from the Kansai region of Japan. In Kansai, Dorayaki is known as “Mikasayama Manju”. Because the famous mountain Wakakusayama in Nara prefecture is also called Mikasayama and the round shape of Dorayaki look like the shape of the gentle slope of that mountain.

8 phoptos showing the second 8 steps of making dorayaki

Filling variations

Traditionally, Dorayaki filling is Anko, the sweet azuki bean paste. But I am aware that if you don’t grow up with that sweetness like me, some people don’t like it. Dorayaki has evolved and nowadays I see many different filling variations. The one quite popular filling is Nutella! My favourite is chest nuts in azuki bean paste. Other popular ones are custard, fresh cream, or a combination of those fillings. Be creative and find your favourite fillings!

The last three steps of making dorayaki

Freezable

If you are like the famous cartoon character, Doraemon, and want to make as many as you can and store them for longer so that you can enjoy Dorayaki everyday. Great news because you can! Many Japanese sweets can be stored frozen. Wrap them individually with cling wrap then put them in a zip lock bag. It can be stored in the freezer for a month.three photos showing three different dorayaki fillings,- azuki bean paste, azuki bean paste and cream, nutella

Here is my recipe for Dorayaki and If you liked it, please rate it and leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Youtube, Pinterest, Facebook , Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with all the latest happenings on Chopstick Chronicles. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ChopstickChronicles so I can see your wonderful creations!

two photo comparison of photo improvement of dorayaki

And don’t forget to check out Nagi’s Photo book. I have learnt so much from her photography book.

Two dorayaki on an oval shaped plate with a bowl of azuki bean paste

Dorayaki

Classic Japanese sweets Dorayaki recipe
4.32 from 25 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: dorayaki
Servings: 8
Calories: 271kcal
Author: Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles

Ingredients

  • 150 g flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs Large eggs weigh g each
  • 110 g caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp mirin
  • 40 ml water
  • 400 g sweet azuki bean paste *4
Metric - US Customary

Instructions

  • Sift flour and baking powder and set aside.
  • Place eggs, sugar, honey and mirin in a large mixing bowl and beat all together until the egg mixture becomes whitish in colour.
  • Wrap the mixing bowl with cling wrap and rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes. 
  • After 30 minutes rested in the fridge, add 40 ml of water to smooth the batter. *1 
  • Spray a frying pan or electric pan with oil and heat it up over low heat. 
  • Pour 2 tbsp of the batter into the pan. If you are using a frying pan, cook one or two at times and if you are using an electric pan, you can make a  little more at once. *2
  • Place a lid on and cook one side for one minute and 30 seconds or when you see bubbles start to form, flip it over with an egg flipper.
  • Cook the other side for about one minute. 
  • Remove the cake off the heat and place it between the folded kitchen towel to avoid the cake becoming dry. 
  • Keep making the cake until all batter is cooked. 
  • When the cakes are cooled down, spread sweet azuki bean paste on one cake and sandwich with another cake and repeat it to make 8 Dorayaki *3

Video

Notes

*1 The amount of water depends on the weight of each eggs and other ingredient measurement accuracy. You many need between 40-60ml of water. 
*2 I used an electiric pan so cooked about 6 at once, but if you are using a frying pan, make one or two at a time. 
*3 As it mentioned in the post, it can be frozen.  
*4 Store bought or homemade. If you are going to make one, check the recipe here

Nutrition

Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 218g | Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 36mg | Potassium: 98mg | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1.1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @chopstickchronicles or tag #chopstickchronicles!
Dorayaki

Filed Under: Sweets & Breads Tagged With: anko, dorayaki, pancake, red bean paste, snack, sweets

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. pablo says

    March 18, 2018 at 5:05 AM

    wow! i wanna try this for breakfast

    Reply
    • Chopstick Chronicles says

      March 18, 2018 at 8:36 AM

      yes what a delicious breaky xD

      Reply
  2. Ariasmith says

    May 4, 2018 at 3:51 PM

    Nice post, this dorayaki looks so yummy!!

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      May 6, 2018 at 10:13 PM

      Thank you. Ariasmith 😀

      Reply
  3. Sues says

    June 15, 2018 at 7:15 AM

    I would totally fall into a trap involving these, too! I love red bean paste. And yes, that pouch would come in handy so much 🙂

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      June 15, 2018 at 5:34 PM

      😀 Thank you Sues

      Reply
  4. Britni says

    June 15, 2018 at 7:56 AM

    Yum! These look delicious, can’t wait to try!

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      June 15, 2018 at 5:34 PM

      Thank you Britni 😀

      Reply
  5. Wilhelmina Wessel says

    June 19, 2018 at 9:35 PM

    These look so amazing! Can’t wait to try out this recipe!

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      June 19, 2018 at 11:29 PM

      Thank you Wihlemina 😀

      Reply
  6. Liz says

    June 19, 2018 at 9:46 PM

    You share the BEST recipes! These are delicious!

    Reply
  7. Stephanie Simmons says

    June 27, 2018 at 6:58 AM

    These are incredibly delicious and so easy to make!

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      June 27, 2018 at 4:24 PM

      Yes They are easy to make and delicious 😀

      Reply
  8. Lindsay F says

    June 27, 2018 at 7:17 AM

    Oh my gosh, these are heaven. Thank you for a great recipe.

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      June 27, 2018 at 4:25 PM

      You are welcome Lindsay 😀

      Reply
  9. Domi says

    June 27, 2018 at 8:33 PM

    I love dorayaki so much! Thank you for the recipe! I was trying to find a store in Kyoto, where the would sell them fresh, but so far no luck, so I am gonna make them myself! Looking forward! 🙂

    Reply
  10. Aimee Shugarman says

    June 27, 2018 at 10:27 PM

    What a fantastic recipe, as I’d never tried Dorayaki before! So delish.

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      June 28, 2018 at 6:28 AM

      Hi Aimee Thank you, try Dorayaki very soon 😀

      Reply
  11. Cindy says

    June 27, 2018 at 11:45 PM

    This looks great! I think my kids will love it! Can I use chocolate chips instead of nutella for the filing?

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      June 28, 2018 at 6:28 AM

      Hi Cindy Of course! you can add anything you fancy 😀

      Reply
  12. Lello Pasta Bar says

    June 28, 2018 at 3:34 PM

    Your dorayaki is amazing. It’s perfect for a breakfast pair with Caffè mocha.

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      June 28, 2018 at 6:45 PM

      Hi Lello Pasta Bar 😀 yes it will be the perfect match ;D

      Reply
  13. Krissy says

    June 29, 2018 at 10:26 PM

    These are perfect! They remind me exactly of the traditional recipe.

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      June 30, 2018 at 4:38 PM

      Hi Krissy 😀 yes it is authentic traditional recipe ;D

      Reply
  14. Audrey says

    July 3, 2018 at 9:59 AM

    Your Dorayaki look lovely! They sound like an amazing but elegant treat. I loved that you included the history of this dish along with all of the different recipe step photos. I am really looking forward to trying your recipe!

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      July 3, 2018 at 6:43 PM

      Thank you Audrey 😀

      Reply
  15. Wilhelmina Wessel says

    July 3, 2018 at 9:43 PM

    These look delicious!

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      July 4, 2018 at 7:38 PM

      Thank you Wilhelmina

      Reply
  16. Doug says

    July 7, 2018 at 9:50 AM

    Ohaiyo Shihoko-San.

    Regarding your ingredients; what is the significance of: *4 ???
    as in: 1.06 cups sweet azuki bean paste *4

    In theU.S. *4 could mean “multiply by 4”
    But when I change the quantity.. *4 doesn’t change.

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      July 7, 2018 at 6:19 PM

      Konbanwa Doug san, It means there is a not and look *4 in recipe note section 😀

      Reply
  17. Kathleen says

    August 16, 2018 at 1:49 AM

    I wish the ingredients were in US measurements. I did the switch and it calls for 25 cups of baking powder. Would love to try this recipe.

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      August 16, 2018 at 9:16 PM

      Hi Kathleen, I will have a look, that is not right. Thank you for bring my attention to it.

      Reply
  18. dv8 says

    August 16, 2018 at 10:50 PM

    your recipe has two small issues:
    in an illustrated guide you say to add the water and then to refrigerate the dough and in the written guide you say to refrigerate first and add water afterwards.
    in the written guide you also did not include a step when to add the flour.

    nonetheless, i made these pancakes for breakfast today. i did not like the amount of sugar used and omitted this ingredient altogether: honey and mirin add enough sweetness, not to mention the filling. i added water after refrigerating the dough and used sparkling water for an extra boost.

    it’s a good recipe and yields tasty results, will definitely use it again, maybe in matcha or cocoa flavour.
    thanks.

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      August 18, 2018 at 7:33 PM

      Hi dv8 Thank you for your feedback. It is my mistake. I will fix the recipe. Thank you 😀

      Reply
  19. Arun Shori says

    September 2, 2018 at 9:37 AM

    Just saw the movie AN… tried your receipe… with Nutuella.. just whow. Many thanks.

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      September 2, 2018 at 8:59 PM

      Hi Arun, That is the movie I would love to see!! how was it?

      Reply
  20. aimee uchida says

    March 19, 2019 at 3:53 PM

    can the dorayaki batter be kept sealed overnight in the refrigerator like pancake batter?

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      March 19, 2019 at 7:05 PM

      Hi Aimee, I have not tried but I think it will work.

      Reply

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KONNICHIWA

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