Kaiserschmarren

On the trail of Austria's culinary history

Kaiserschmarren. Who doesn't know it? Delicious, fluffy pieces of dough served with stewed plums or apple sauce. Mmh, a poem!

There are many stories about the origins of this dish. Whether it was a failed omelette, the cooks created something soft because Empress Sisi had dental problems or whether the emperor understood "Kaiserschmarren" instead of "Kaserschmarren" and mistakenly believed that a dish had been named after him. What is really true will probably never be fully clarified. The fact is, however, that today it is one of Austria's most popular desserts and, alongside boiled beef, was Emperor Franz-Joseph's absolute favorite dish. *

If you've never actually tried this dessert, you should definitely change that. Kaiserschmarrn tastes particularly good in a mountain hut - whether in winter or summer! However, if you don't have the opportunity to make it so quickly, you can easily prepare Kaiserschmarren at home with this recipe tip.

There's just one question left to answer: With or without raisins? We're sorry to disappoint anyone who doesn't like raisins, because the original Kaiserschmarrn is made with raisins. They taste particularly good in Kaiserschmarrn when soaked in rum.

Recipe for 4 portions

Ingredients:

  • 4 eggs
  • 60 g sugar
  • 250 g wheat flour
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 pkg. Vanilla sugar
  • 500 ml whole milk
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2-3 tbsp raisins
  • Optional: Rum
  • Stewed plums or apple sauce
  • Optional: Granulated sugar and a little to caramelize, powdered sugar for garnish

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 220 °C top/bottom heat.
  2. Optional: soak the raisins in rum for a few minutes.
  3. Separate 4 eggs and beat the egg whites with the sugar until stiff.
  4. Mix the flour, egg yolks, salt, vanilla sugar and milk into a smooth batter, then carefully fold in the snow.
  5. Melt the butter in an ovenproof pan over a medium heat on the stove.
  6. Then pour the batter into the pan, spread the drained raisins on top and bake for 3-4 minutes over a medium heat.
  7. Then place the pan in the oven and bake for approx. 15-20 minutes.
  8. Using two spoons, pluck the Kaiserschmarrn into bite-sized pieces.
  9. Optional: Sprinkle with flakes of butter and a little granulated sugar and allow to caramelize again briefly in the oven.
  10. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with apple sauce or plum compote.

* Source: Österreich Werbung