At first glance, crêpes, pancakes and 'eierkuchen' appear to be very similar – they are all made with eggs, milk and flour. However, the differences begin with the batter.
Crêpe batter contains more eggs and less flour, resulting in a thinner, more liquid consistency. Pancake batter, on the other hand, contains more flour, resulting in a thicker consistency and denser texture.
Preparation and technique:
Crêpes are traditionally cooked on a crêpe maker or in a pan. A special spreader is used to evenly distribute the thin batter, producing the classic delicate crêpe. Pancakes, meanwhile, are cooked in a pan where the batter is simply spread by tilting and swirling the pan. Pancakes are thicker and darker in colour, and usually contain sugar in the batter.
Sweet or savoury?
Pancakes can be prepared in either way, with the batter often being adjusted using sugar, salt or spices. In France, however, crêpes are traditionally only served sweet. The savoury version, made with buckwheat flour, is known as a 'galette'.
Although crêpes and pancakes share similar base ingredients, they differ clearly in terms of their batter, texture, preparation and culinary tradition.