Aebleskiver/Takoyaki/Pancake Spheres

Let's pause for a moment of silence as I mourn the loss of the KitchenAid mixer. After 17 years, the motor finally quit on us. I made my first chocolate chip cookies with that machine...it has a special place in my heart. It's been replaced by a sleeker, slightly fancier model (the bowl has a HANDLE!) but I will always never forget the classic model I grew up with. 

On to brighter subjects. I made solid balls of pancake! Pretty cool, right? My mom bought this pan on a whim, and I remember using it exactly once. The result was amusing, but time consuming and tedious. Since I currently attend a VERY Scandinavian school, I've crossed paths with aebleskiver again recently. They weren't tedious at all! I filled some of mine with a mixture of cream cheese and powdered sugar, others with nutella, and some were left plain.

I love finding out that certain foods are enjoyed in different ways all around the world. Aebleskiver go by the name takoyaki in Japan and are commonly enjoyed as a savory street food, filled with octopus. Mm. Food connects everyone. Isn't that a lovely thought? 

Aebleskiver

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or ground cinnamon
1 large egg 
1 cup milk 
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine 

In a bowl, mix flour with sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. In a small bowl, beat egg to blend with milk and 2 tablespoons butter. Add liquids to dry ingredients and stir until evenly moistened. Place an aebleskiver pan over medium-low heat. When pan is hot enough to make a drop of water dance, brush pancake cups lightly with melted butter (or cooking spray) and fill each to slightly below the rim with batter. In about 1 1/2 minutes, thin crusts will form on bottoms of balls (centers will still be wet); pierce the crust with a slender wood skewer and gently pull shell to rotate the pancake ball until about half the cooked portion is above the cup rim and uncooked batter flows down into cup. Cook until crust on bottom of ball is again firm enough to pierce, about another minute, then rotate ball with skewer until the ridge formed as the pancake first cooked is on top. Cook, turning occasionally with skewer, until balls are evenly browned and no longer moist in the center, another 10 to 12 minutes. Check by piercing center of last pancake ball added to pan with skewer--it should come out clean--or by breaking the ball open slightly; if balls start to get too brown, turn heat to low until they are cooked in the center. Lift cooked balls from pan and serve hot . Repeat to cook remaining batter.