TikTok’s latest trend is taking the good, the bad, and the ugly to new heights with users obsessing over a surprising “new” craze: the scrambled pancake.

The forgiving trend involves pouring pancake batter into a hot pan, and rather than letting it set and cook in the usual round fashion, you use a spatula to gently push the batter around, much as you would when making scrambled eggs. The result is the definition of ugly/delicious and creators are living for it.

After all, everyone knows the first pancake is a write-off – now we can continue to royally mess up the rest of the batch and call it cuisine.

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It’s tempting to clench one’s fist and say that anything passes as cooking these days (and don’t worry, there’s plenty of that on TikTok) but the scrambled pancake actually has its roots in Austria and Germany. Kaiserschmarrn, which translates to “emperor’s mess” is a staple that takes its name from Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I, who reigned from 1848 until his death in 1916 (incidentally, he accidentally ushered in the end of the Habsburg Empire but that was probably for the best). 

It is said that the scrambled pancake, or kaiserschmarrn, was so thoroughly enjoyed by the emperor when first served to him, that he finished his whole plate and then that of his wife/cousin Elisabeth.

Stagnant family ponds aside, the emperor clearly had good taste because the scrambled pancakes have been a favourite ever since in Eastern Europe and now, the Wild West of the internet.

TikTok cooks reckon that by scrambling the pancake batter, they’re getting crispier edges, fluffier interiors, and more nooks and crannies for your syrup to flow through. Sounds like a winner to us.

How do you make scrambled pancakes?

Ingredients

• 2 cups (300g) self-raising flour
• 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
• 1/4 tsp bicarb soda
• 1 1/2 cups (375ml) milk
• 1 egg
• 40g salted butter, melted, cooled, plus 60g extra, chopped
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  Butter, berries and maple syrup, to serve
  

Method

1. Whisk flour, sugar and bicarb in a large bowl to combine. Make a well in the centre. Whisk milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla in a jug. Add to the flour mixture and whisk well to combine.
2. Heat a small frypan over medium-low heat. Add a little of the chopped butter and melt. Spoon 1/4 cup (60ml) measure of pancake batter into the pan. Gently push the batter from the outside of the pan toward the centre for 4-5 minutes until the batter is cooked through.
3. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely to keep warm.
4. Repeat with remaining batter, adding a little butter to pan between batches as needed. Serve pancakes with butter and berries and drizzled with maple syrup.

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