Danish pancake balls (Æbleskiver)

1. Separate the eggs; whisk the yolks with the buttermilk and the flour with the cardamom, sugar and salt, then combine the two into a smooth batter.

2. Melt half the butter and stir it into the batter.

3. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold them gently into the batter in a few additions; this makes the balls light and airy.

4. Heat the æbleskiver pan (a pan with round hollows) over medium heat and put a little butter into each hollow.

5. Fill the hollows almost to the top with batter and, as soon as the bottom has set (2-3 minutes), give each ball a quarter turn with a knitting needle or skewer; keep turning until each one is a golden ball all round, about 6-8 minutes.

6. Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar, for dipping into jam.

Tip: Æbleskiver are the essential treat of Danish Advent, served with mulled wine or (for children) hot chocolate. They were originally named after the apple slices hidden in the batter - if you like, put a small cube of apple in the middle of yours too. If you don't have this kind of pan, a Japanese takoyaki or Dutch poffertjes pan works perfectly.