Dorayaki Pancake Red Bean Sandwich

Ingredients

• For the batter
• 3 eggs
• 60 ml honey
• 150 g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 60 ml water
• 1 tsp neutral oil, for greasing the pan
• For the filling
• 400 g tsubuan, chunky sweet red bean paste, thick enough to hold its shape

Method

1. 1
   Whisk the eggs and honey together in a bowl until the honey is fully dissolved and the mixture is pale and slightly thickened. Sift in the flour and baking soda, then add the water. Whisk to a smooth, pourable batter with no dry pockets. Cover and rest at room temperature for 15–30 minutes. The batter will look slightly thicker and uniform when ready.
2. 2
   Set a heavy pan over low-medium heat. Brush lightly with neutral oil, then wipe the pan almost clean with a folded cloth — a thin, even film remains. This is where the dish lives or dies: too much oil produces blotchy surfaces; too high a heat burns the exterior before the interior sets. The pan is ready when a small drop of batter sizzles gently but does not spit.
3. 3
   Pour a ladleful of batter (approximately 60 ml) onto the pan to form a round roughly 9 cm in diameter. Cook undisturbed on low-medium heat. Watch the surface: when bubbles have formed and broken across the entire top and the edges appear set and matte, the pancake is ready to flip.
4. 4
   Flip the pancake once with a wide spatula. Press the pancake very gently and briefly with the back of the spatula to flatten the underside and ensure even contact with the pan. Cook for a further 30–40 seconds. The underside should be an even amber-brown with a characteristic mottled pattern; the pancake should feel soft and springy, not doughy, when lightly pressed.
5. 5
   Transfer the finished pancake to a tray, cooked-side up. Repeat with the remaining batter, re-greasing and wiping the pan between each pancake. Pair the pancakes by size as they come off the pan. Allow them to cool until just slightly warm — not hot, not fully cold.
6. 6
   Spread a generous layer of tsubuan — approximately 60–70 g — onto the flat (underside) surface of one pancake of each pair. The paste should be thick enough to hold a clean, domed profile without slumping to the edge. Press the second pancake flat-side down onto the filling with light, even pressure. The anko should reach but not breach the perimeter. If it oozes, the paste is too loose.