Speciality of Ærø

Ærø pancakes

Løvtens Paa'kar

Thick, airy, crisp and unmistakably Ærø. The traditional Ærø pancakes are one of the island's culinary specialities. Unlike thin crêpes, they are made with yeast, left to rise at leisure and fried as small oval cakes in plenty of fat until golden.

Ærø original Two Ærø pancakes dusted with icing sugar on a blue-patterned porcelain plate
Preparation
20 min
Cooking/baking time
20 minplus 1 h resting time
Servings
4 people
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

For the batter

For frying and serving

Method

  1. Warm the milk until lukewarm and dissolve the yeast in it.
  2. Add the flour, egg yolks and salt and stir everything into a smooth batter.
  3. Cover and leave the batter to rise in a warm place for about an hour.
  4. Just before frying, whisk the egg whites until stiff and gently fold them into the batter.
  5. Heat plenty of lard in a frying pan. Use a spoon to drop small oval pancakes into the hot fat – roughly the size of a Danish meatball.
  6. Fry the pancakes on both sides until golden and drain briefly on kitchen paper.
  7. Serve warm, ideally with gooseberry compote.

The story behind the dish

On Ærø the pancakes are called “Løvtens Paa'kar” – yeast pancakes that rise. They used to be known as løvtenspandekager too. Ærø is one of the few places in Denmark where this kind of pancake has survived to this day; versions from other regions have largely been forgotten.

In the past they were also made with barley flour and pieces of pork belly and eaten as a main course. Today they are mostly served with compote, jam or apple sauce – at town festivals and markets as well as in some of the island's restaurants. There is no single recipe: many families swear by their own version, and the right accompaniment is a matter of lively debate.

Enjoy it at Dansk Cottage

For us, Ærø pancakes are the dish that tastes most of the island. The cottage kitchen has room to let the batter rise in peace while the day begins outside – and at the big dining table they are shared warm from the pan.

The cottage kitchen · Discover Søby · Experience Ærø

More recipes

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In the mood for Denmark?

Dansk Cottage in Søby can be booked from spring 2027 – with a spacious kitchen for exactly this kind of dish.

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