Cakes & Bread
Taiyaki (Japanese Fish-Shaped Cake) with Vanilla Custard Filling, Crispy Outside and Soft Sweet Inside
Prep
30 min
Cook
30 min
Servings
6
Level
Medium
Taiyaki is a classic Japanese fish-shaped cake that's crispy on the outside yet soft and warm on the inside. It used to be typically filled with red bean paste, but nowadays it can be filled with sweet, creamy vanilla custard instead. It's perfect as an afternoon snack paired with warm tea, and making it is really fun since you get to use the distinctive fish-shaped mold. The faint caramel aroma from a perfectly cooked taiyaki shell makes it hard for anyone to resist going back for another bite.
🧂 Ingredients
🍽️ Servings: 6
Adjust the servings and the ingredient amounts & nutrition below update automatically.
- 200 grams All-purpose flour (medium-protein)
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 50 grams Granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2 Eggs
- 250 ml Full-cream liquid milk
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Melted unsalted butter
- 30 grams Full-cream milk powder
- 3 Egg yolks
- 60 grams Granulated sugar (for the custard)
- 20 grams Cornstarch
- 300 ml Full-cream liquid milk (for the custard)
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 15 grams Unsalted butter (for the custard)
- to taste Vegetable oil or butter, for greasing the mold
🛒 Products You Might Need
Chefman Air Fryer 8 Qt | TurboFry® 4-in-1 with 450°F Hi-Fry Option for Crispier Results | Bake, Dehydrate, Frozen | XL Nonstick Dishwasher-Safe Basket | Stainless Steel
$79.99
Ninja Air Fryer Pro, 5 Qt, 4-in-1, Grey, AF141
$81.99
Meat Slicer Machine for Home, 200W Food Slicer with Two 7.5" Blades
$129.99
Juicer Machines with 5.8" Large Chute, 2-in-1 Cold Press Juicer for Whole Vegetables Fruits 400W, Masticating juicer Easy to Clean Juice Extractor Machine for Making Nut Mike, Juice, Premium Gray
* Affiliate links — you can help support KulinerBDG by shopping through them
👩🍳 Instructions
- 1 Make the custard first: combine the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl, and mix well until smooth with no lumps.
- 2 Heat the liquid milk and milk powder in a saucepan over low heat until warm (do not let it boil), then slowly pour it into the egg yolk mixture while continuously whisking so the eggs don't clump.
- 3 Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens like pudding. Turn off the heat, then stir in the vanilla extract and butter until well combined.
- 4 Transfer the custard to a container, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- 5 For the taiyaki batter: combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl, and mix well.
- 6 In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then add the liquid milk, honey, and melted butter, and stir until well combined.
- 7 Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture little by little while whisking until the batter is smooth with no lumps. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.
- 8 Heat the taiyaki mold over medium heat on the stove, and lightly grease both sides of the mold with oil or butter.
- 9 Pour the batter into one side of the mold until it's about half full, add 1-1.5 tablespoons of the chilled custard in the center, then pour more batter on top to cover the custard.
- 10 Close the mold and cook over low-medium heat, flipping the mold every 1-2 minutes so it cooks evenly on both sides for about 5-7 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
- 11 Carefully open the mold, remove the taiyaki, and serve while warm so the shell stays crispy and the custard inside stays soft and gooey.
💡 Tips
• If you don't have a special taiyaki mold, you can use a waffle iron or a small pancake griddle instead — the shape won't look like a fish, but it'll still taste great.
• Make sure the custard is completely cold before adding it to the batter so it doesn't melt and mix into the batter while cooking.
• Don't open the mold too soon, since the taiyaki needs time for the shell to fully set so it can be released easily without tearing.
• Taiyaki tastes best served warm; if it's cooled down, reheat it briefly in a toaster oven to make the shell crispy again.
📊 Nutrition Facts / serving
245 kkal
Calories (kcal)
6 gramg
Protein
9 gramg
Fat
34 gramg
Carbs
💬 Comments (0)
Log In to leave a comment!
No comments yet. Be the first! 😊