Taiyaki Recipe: Tips for Making Japanese Taiyaki Cakes

Taiyaki is a cakey, golden dessert from Japan, made in a fish-shaped mold. You can fill the sweet pancake-style batter with various ingredients, from red bean paste to custard. A more recent trend also finds taiyaki topped with scooped or soft-serve ice cream.

Taiyaki, which roughly translates to “baked sea bream,” became a popular Japanese dessert in the early 1900s and is now popular worldwide.

Here are some common fillings for this crispy Japanese dessert:

1. 1. Red bean paste: Also called anko and made from cooked and sweetened azuki beans, sweet red bean paste is the most classic taiyaki filling. You can buy the paste at the grocery store or make it at home.
2. 2. Chocolate hazelnut spread: A highly popular filling, this creamy spread is a worldwide favorite, especially when topped with ice cream. Try making chocolate hazelnut butter at home.
3. 3. Custard: Vanilla or pandan custard add a sweet floral note to these simple cakes. Learn how to make custard.
4. 4. Matcha: A matcha-flavored custard is a bright green addition that combines the delicious flavors of green tea with sweet custard. Find out more about matcha.
5. 5. Sweet potato: Garnet yams or Japanese sweet potatoes mashed with sugar and cinnamon are reminiscent of sweet potato pie.

Here’s how to make golden, fluffy taiyaki at home.

1. 1. Use cake flour. Taiyaki calls for a soft and cakey batter, so fine-milled, low-gluten flour works very well. If unavailable, use all-purpose flour, but take extra care not to overmix.
2. 2. Rest the batter. Like crepe batter, taiyaki batter benefits from a short resting period to relax any gluten that may have developed during mixing.
3. 3. Use a fish mold. For the classic fish shape, along with the crispy edges of each scale, a taiyaki pan is a key component for making this traditional Japanese snack. If you don’t have one, a small waffle iron will work, but you won’t get the classic shape and feel of the original dish.
4. 4. Use just enough batter. Whether you’re using a fish pan or a waffle maker, take care not to overfill the mold, as the spongy batter will spread and puff up as it cooks.
5. 5. Consume immediately. Like most street food, taiyaki tastes best eaten on the spot for the ideal crisp, fluffy texture.