Poffertjeskraam Albert Cuyp ★ 4.2
Albert Cuyp's poffertjes stall flips Amsterdam mini-pancakes in a cast-iron griddle, served with butter and powdered sugar, the snack the market eats walking.
Try: Poffertjes with butter and powdered sugar
History
Poffertjes originated as a 19th-century street-fair snack across the Netherlands. The cast-iron griddle with rounded indentations and the buckwheat-and-wheat batter are the defining technique. Amsterdam's market stands, especially the Poffertjeskraam at Albert Cuyp, keep the format unchanged: order a portion of twenty, eat on the curb with a wooden fork. Berry Maatjes' rum-and-raisin variants are the only acceptable embellishment.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Egg
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 200g plain flour
- 50g buckwheat flour
- 7g fast-action dried yeast
- 300ml warm milk
- 1 egg
- Pinch of salt
- Butter for cooking
- Icing sugar and unsalted butter to serve
Method
- Whisk yeast into warm milk and leave 5 minutes to activate.
- Combine flours and salt in a bowl. Make a well, pour in the yeast milk and egg; whisk to a smooth batter.
- Cover and leave to rise 30 minutes until slightly bubbly.
- Heat a poffertjesplaat (or a cast-iron takoyaki pan) over medium heat. Brush cavities with butter.
- Pour batter into each cavity until just full; cook 2 minutes until the edges set.
- Use a skewer or small fork to flip each poffertje and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Serve immediately with a small knob of butter and a generous dusting of icing sugar.
Tip from the editors. The poffertjesplaat must be hot and well-buttered before adding batter; a cold pan produces flat poffertjes instead of domed ones.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat poffertjes
Poffertjes in Amsterdam
Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs ★ 4.2
Upstairs Pancakes on Grimburgwal occupies an Amsterdam canal house dating to 1539, four tables of pancakes, teapots on the ceiling, since 1961.
Signature: Sweet pancakes, Savoury bacon-and-cheese pancake
Order: The bacon and cheese pancake with apple, drowned in stroop.
Tip: Cash-only; reservations by phone a week ahead. The stairs are steep, the room is tiny.
Poffertjes in Utrecht
Biologische Boerenmarkt Vredenburg ★ 4.6
Utrecht's organic farmers market on Vredenburgplein every Friday. Local farmers sell cheese, organic produce, bread, juices, meat and sustainable fish.
Boerenmarkt Snack Stalls ★ 4.5
The Saturday boerenmarkt on Vredenburgplein is the cheapest eating in Utrecht. Fresh haring, warm bitterballen and stroopwafel baked on the iron cost €2-5.
Try: Haring with raw onion, bitterballen and fresh stroopwafel
More cities are in research. Want poffertjes covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.