Taiyaki with Sfogliatella Filling Recipe
たい焼きとスフォリャテッラフィリング
I have always been fascinated by taiyaki. Every time I see pictures of them from Japan, I think — that is such a cool thing to make. A fish-shaped waffle pastry, sold from street carts, filled with something warm and sweet — it just felt like the most whimsical and cool food concept. I knew I had to make it.
Taiyaki is one of the most beloved Japanese street foods — a fish-shaped waffle-like pastry that has been sold from street carts in Tokyo since 1909. Its name comes from tai, meaning sea bream, which is a symbol of prosperity in Japan, and yaki, meaning to grill. Street food in Japan is taken as seriously as any restaurant meal — it is an art form. Traditionally filled with sweet red bean paste, taiyaki has evolved over the years to include custard creams, matcha, chocolate, and more.
But sfogliatella is one of my favorite desserts of all time — one of the most iconic pastries of Naples, a crispy shell filled with a dense, fragrant ricotta and semolina cream scented with cinnamon, candied orange peel, and vanilla. That ultra crispy pastry that literally shatters when you take a bite, pieces flying at whoever is sitting across from you. And that thick, smooth filling. There is something about cinnamon and citrus together that immediately takes me to Italy — and I think it is because of this pastry. But sfogliatella is also a bit time consuming to make and requires a little setup, so I thought — how can I get all of those flavors into something simpler? And that is how this recipe came to be. Also, I think it looks much cuter this way. (hehe)
So the question became obvious: what if the sfogliatella filling lived inside a taiyaki? The batter is completely traditional. The filling is completely authentic. The only thing different is what is inside the fish. A Japanese vessel carrying a Neapolitan soul. That is Pasticceria Umami.
recipe by victoria casella
Meet the Ingredients
Cake Flour — a very finely milled, low protein flour that produces a lighter, more tender, more delicate texture than standard all purpose flour. You cannot substitute all purpose flour 1:1. If unavailable, substitute by replacing 2 tbsp of every cup of all purpose flour with cornstarch.
Semolina — a coarsely ground flour made from durum wheat. You may recognize it as the flour used to make the pasta you see in the supermarket — in Southern Italy, pasta is traditionally made with just semolina and water, no eggs. This dough is used because semolina pasta is more shelf stable, dries better, and is sturdy enough to hold up to the rich, chunky seafood sauces typical of Southern Italian cooking. Beyond pasta, semolina is also used in breads and regional pastries — including sfogliatella filling, where it acts as a thickener and gives the cream its characteristic dense, smooth texture.
PanAngeli Vanillina — a traditional Italian vanilla powder used in Italian baking for generations. Where American vanilla (Madagascar Bourbon vanilla) is deep, rich, and caramel-like, Italian vanillina is sweeter, lighter, slightly citrusy, and refreshing — a completely different character that is distinctly Italian. One packet equals approximately 1 tsp of American vanilla extract. Available at Italian specialty stores or online.
Ingredients
— 2 cups cake flour, sifted
— 1⅓ cups whole milk
— 2 tsp baking powder
— 4 tbsp granulated sugar
— 2 packets PanAngeli Italian vanillina
— ½ tsp fine sea salt
Sfogliatella Filling
— ½ cup whole milk
— ¼ cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
— ⅓ cup fine semolina
— 1 cup whole milk ricotta
— 1 large egg yolk
— 1 packet PanAngeli Italian vanillina
— ½ tsp ground cinnamon
— 2 tbsp finely chopped candied orange peel (or the zest of 1 organic orange if candied peel is unavailable)
— Zest of 1 organic lemon
To Cook
— Avocado oil or neutral oil, for greasing
Method — 手順
Makes 10 taiyaki
01. Cook the Semolina Base
Combine milk and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and milk is warm. Slowly pour in semolina in a thin steady stream, whisking constantly — think of making polenta, adding it gradually prevents lumps from forming. Cook over medium low heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture thickens significantly and pulls away from the sides of the pan (like making Choux pastry, pâte à choux) — about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat.
02. Add the Ricotta
Let the semolina base cool slightly — warm but not hot. Add ricotta, egg yolk, vanillina, cinnamon, candied orange peel, and lemon zest. Mix with a spatula until completely smooth and evenly combined.
03. Pipe the Filling
Transfer filling to a piping bag. The filling can be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to use, or used immediately once cooled to room temperature. No freezing necessary.
04. Make the Taiyaki Batter
Combine sifted cake flour, baking powder, sugar, vanillina, and salt in a bowl. Add whole milk and mix gently with a spatula until just combined — do not overmix. Rest the batter in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
05. Cook the Taiyaki/Prepare Everything First
Before you begin cooking have your filling and batter both in piping bags ready beside the iron.
06. Heat & Grease the Iron
Heat up your taiyaki iron until thoroughly hot. Grease both sides lightly with avocado oil or another neutral oil. Neutral oil has no flavor and will not interfere with the batter. Avoid butter — butter has a low smoke point because of its milk solids, the same milk solids that give you brown butter, but here those solids will burn before the taiyaki is cooked. If you want to use a butter flavor, use ghee or clarified butter instead — the milk solids have been removed, so it burns at a much higher temperature. The batter should sizzle the moment it hits the iron.
07. Fill the Mold
Pipe batter into the bottom half of the mold, making sure to get into the corners and the fin details — the batter is thick and will not spread on its own easily, so pipe directly into every corner to ensure a complete fish shape. Fill about ⅔ full. Immediately pipe the sfogliatella filling into the center, from the head of the fish down to just before the tail — the tail has very little space so avoid filling there. Pipe a small amount of additional batter on top to completely cover the filling.
08. Cook
Close the iron and cook over medium heat for 2½ to 3 minutes, until the indicator light comes on or the taiyaki is deep golden and crispy. Remove carefully using an offset spatula.
09. Trim if Needed
If any batter has overflowed beyond the border of the fish mold, trim it immediately with a pair of scissors while the taiyaki is still warm. Do not wait — once it cools the thin overflow becomes crispy and brittle and the seams may crack if you try to trim them.
10. Cool & Serve
Let cool slightly before serving.
RECIPE NOTES
There are two styles of taiyaki — the traditional style, known as Tennenmono, made one at a time in an individual cast iron fish-shaped mold, which produces a super crispy, waffle-like exterior. And the modern style, known as Renshiki, made on a large hot plate with multiple molds at once — this is the style used in this recipe, and the kind you will easily find on Amazon. The result is crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside. Imagine if a waffle and a pancake had a baby. That is a taiyaki.
The sfogliatella filling can be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to use, or used the same day once cooled completely.
Do not overmix the batter — overmixing develops gluten and protein, resulting in a chewy dense taiyaki rather than a light crispy one. Mix just until combined and rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cooking.
A piping bag is the best tool for both the filling and the batter — it gives you control, precision, and wastes nothing. A squeeze bottle works for the batter too but some will get stuck at the bottom.
The batter is thick and will not spread on its own. Make sure to pipe into every corner of the mold including the fin details to get a complete, well-defined fish shape.
Use a neutral oil like avocado oil to grease the iron — butter will burn because it contains milk solids. Those are what give you brown butter, but the reason why butter will burn. If you prefer a buttery flavor, use ghee or clarified butter instead (which has the milk solids removed so now burns at a higher temp).
If any batter overflows beyond the mold border, trim with scissors immediately while still warm. Once cooled the thin overflow becomes crispy and brittle and the seams may crack.
The iron must be thoroughly hot and well greased before every taiyaki. If the iron is not hot enough the batter will stick.
You can make these ahead, just store them in the fridge in an airtight container, and reheat in the oven until warm and crispy.
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