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Stack of golden imagawayaki cakes on a wooden board with one split open revealing dark red bean paste filling

Easy Pan-Fried Imagawayaki Japanese Red Bean Cakes

Thick pancake batter is cooked in a molded pan around a ball of sweet red bean paste until golden and crisp at the edges.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 5 servings
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Japanese
Calories: 244
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Batter
  • 200 g all-purpose flour
  • 60 g granulated sugar
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder fresh, not expired
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 egg large; room temperature
  • 180 ml whole milk
  • 1 tbsp honey about 15 g
Filling and Cooking
  • 300 g sweet red bean paste (anko) koshian smooth or tsubuan chunky
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil for greasing the pan

Method
 

Make the Batter
  1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  2. In a second bowl, whisk the egg, milk, and honey until smooth. Pour into the dry ingredients and whisk until no lumps remain; the batter should look like thick pancake batter.
  3. Cover and let the batter rest 15 minutes at room temperature so the baking powder can activate.
Shape the Filling
  1. While the batter rests, divide the red bean paste into 10 portions of about 30 g each and roll into firm balls.
Cook the Imagawayaki
  1. Heat the imagawayaki pan, or a 30 cm / 12-inch nonstick skillet fitted with 10 cm / 4-inch egg rings, over medium-low heat. Brush each mold with vegetable oil.
  2. Ladle about 2 tbsp batter into each mold to fill it halfway. Drop one anko ball into the center of each, then top with another tablespoon of batter to cover the filling completely.
  3. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the edges look set and the underside turns deep golden. Cook in batches of 4 to 6 so the pan isn't crowded and every cake browns evenly.
  4. Flip each cake carefully with a thin turner, or close and flip a two-sided imagawayaki pan, and cook the second side for 3 to 4 minutes, until deep golden and a skewer inserted through the batter comes out clean.
  5. Transfer finished cakes to a wire rack. Wipe the pan, re-oil the molds, and repeat with the remaining batter and anko balls.
  6. Serve warm, or let the cakes cool completely before storing.

Notes

  • Rest the batter a full 15 minutes; skipping this makes the shell tough.
  • Roll all anko balls before heating the pan, filling goes fast once cooking starts.
  • Cook in batches of 4 to 6 cakes so the pan isn't crowded.
  • Re-oil the pan between every batch, not just the first one.