Like many countries, the food and eating habits of the Finnish have changed greatly in the past hundred years but staple foods remain to be dairy products, potatoes, and bread, supplemented by root vegetables, peas, beans, smoked meat and fish. However, the use of these main staples varies greatly between the eastern and western parts of the country, as the western side of Finland tends to eat much more meat and fish while eastern Finland cuisine is based more on vegetables.
Regardless of what part of Finland one lives in, some traditional Finnish foods are porridge with berries, rye bread, meat stews made with beef, pork, or reindeer, fish pie or soup, pulla, which is a sweet bread, and an interesting popular dessert called Leipajuusto, which is a cheese that is fried and served with cloudberry jam. One of the most interesting facts that I learned is that Finland has the highest per capita consumption of coffee in the world. Sounds like my kind of place!
To complete my research and immersion into Finnish cuisine, I decided to make a Finnish pancake, or Pannukakku as it is authentically named. A Finnish pancake is oven-baked in a skillet (or baking dish if you don’t have an oven-proof skillet) and is the perfect Sunday morning breakfast when you don’t want to stand over the stove flipping pancakes. The process is as simple as melting butter in the skillet, whipping up the batter, and then tossing the skillet in the oven. 
The batter for pannukakku is thin, but once it gets 30-40 minutes in the oven it bakes up beautifully into a cross between a custard and a pancake. Marc and I both loved Finland’s version of pancakes. I loved how custard-like the pancake was and the caramelized apples were a wonderful topping. Other topping options could be powdered sugar, berries, maple syrup, jam, or whipped cream.
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Finnish Pancake with Caramelized Apples
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
This baked pancake recipe is perfect for when you want something sweet for breakfast but don’t want to have to keep an eye on a stovetop flapjacks.
Ingredients
for the finnish pancake:
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup (240 ml) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) milk
- 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
for the apples:
- 2 apples, peeled and sliced
- 2 tbsp (30 g) butter
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- dash of salt
Instructions
To make the pancake:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add butter to oven-proof skillet and place in oven to melt butter. If you don’t have an oven-proof skillet, you could alternately add already melted butter into a 9×13″ baking dish.
- Next, make the batter.
- Beat eggs in large bowl.
- Add flour, milk, sugar, and salt and stir until well combined.
- Carefully pour mixture into buttered skillet.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes. If you use a 9×13″ baking dish, cooking time will be closer to 30 minutes and if you use a skillet, cooking time will likely be closer to 40 minutes.
To make the caramelized apples:
- Melt butter in medium skillet over low heat.
- Add apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and dash of salt.
- Let caramelize over low heat, stirring often, for about 15 minutes, until apples are soft and caramelized.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Scandinavian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 290
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Apfel Kuchen: Traditional German Apple Cake
- Rieska – Finnish Potato Flatbread
- Fluffy Mashed Potato and Cheese Pancakes
- Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Finnish pancake (pannukakku) and how is it different from regular pancakes?
Pannukakku is baked in the oven rather than cooked on the stovetop. The batter — 4 eggs, 1 cup flour, 2½ cups milk, ¼ cup sugar, and ½ tsp salt — is thin, but 30–40 minutes at 400°F transforms it into something the article describes as “a cross between a custard and a pancake.” No flipping required.
Does baking time change if I use a 9×13-inch baking dish instead of an oven-proof skillet?
Yes — the recipe specifies approximately 30 minutes for a 9×13-inch baking dish and closer to 40 minutes for a skillet. Both are baked at 400°F; the larger, shallower dish allows faster heat penetration.
Can I use toppings other than caramelized apples?
Yes — the article mentions powdered sugar, berries, maple syrup, jam, or whipped cream as alternative toppings. The caramelized apples (cooked low and slow for 15 minutes with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg) are the featured option, but any of those work well with the custard-like pancake base.
