Taiyaki Cakes

Serves 4-5
30 minutes

Rated by 143 people

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Indulge in a favourite Japanese street sweet food with this easy taiyaki recipe. Filled with sweet azuki red beans, taiyaki are delicious fish-shaped snacks described as a cross between a waffle and a cake. A familiar sight at school fairs and street stalls across Japan, cooked on the hob in the shape of a bream (or ‘tai’ in Japanese) these snacks are great fun to make and to eat.

Ingredients

150g wheat flour
2/3 tbsp baking powder
1 egg
180ml milk
40g sugar
250g azuki red bean paste
vegetable oil
any other fillings of your choice (optional)

How To Prepare

In a bowl combine the flour and baking powder, stirring 2-3 times to make sure that it’s evenly mixed.
Lightly beat egg in a separate bowl. Add the sugar, creaming it together with the egg, then add the milk and mix well.
Add the egg mixture to the flour and mix until combined. Do not overmix.
Lightly oil a taiyaki pan and pre-warm over a medium heat. Pour a thin layer of batter into both fish on one side of the pan. Spoon some azuki red bean paste into the centre of the batter fish halves, then spoon a little more batter on top of the red bean paste until covered. Close the taiyaki pan.
Reduce to a low heat and flip over the pan every two minutes to make sure the taiyaki is evenly cooked on both sides. Once cooked, serve and enjoy.

Tips and Information

- Don’t worry if the batter spills a little when the taiyaki pan is flipped over. The spilt batter can easily be cut off the taiyaki once it is cooked.
- We used red bean paste for our recipe, but you can use any filling you like, savoury or sweet. Popular alternatives to red bean paste are ham and cheese, custard cream, chocolate, curry or even okonomiyaki.
- If you’re short on time you can substitute pancake mix for the taiyaki batter.