Hi Liz, anko isn't everyone's cup of tea, but this is so flexible you can stuff it just about anything. I've done peanut butter and chocolate, chocolate and marshmallows, nutella and banana, as well as savory fillings. Hope you're able to find a combo that works for you and your family!

Hi! I'm excited to try this recipe. We will try anko, but in America some people don't like the taste/texture. You suggested we can use pudding/custard and other things, would we add them the same as the anko, then cook them? My children are excited to taste these, we have only had them frozen at the store, never fresh made!! Next time we go to Japan we will try them for sure!

Hi Moy, I've added it to the list of requests. But in the meantime this batter will work for making obanyaki and the process is similar. You'll just need the mold to make the different shape.

May you do a recipe for obanyaki (imagawayaki) please? I have been looking everywhere for an authentic Japanese obanyaki recipe like Haruki-tei or mocu-mocu.
Instagram: @mooimoy

Hi Ygo, the irregular shape of the bottom of a Taiyaki pan makes them a little difficult to use on an electric stove because it won't make even contact with the heating element (the raised parts will get hot and the indentations won't heat up). You might want to consider buying a butane stove (like an Iwatani) to use with you pan. You could also try cooking the taiyaki at a lower setting on your electric stove for a longer period of time. This should help the heat to spread a little more evenly and with enough time you may be able to get the exterior to crisp.

Thank you for the detailed step by step! Mine still came out floppy but it was tricky cooking on an electric stove. Very fun and looking forward to trying new fillings!

Hi Heather, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe so much! I spent quite a bit of time testing various ingredient ratios and cooking methods (as I do with all my recipes) and this was the best I could come up with. It's good to hear that someone who's tested other recipes also found this to be the best😄

Stop looking for a Taiyaki recipe, you found it! This is hands down the best Taiyaki recipe on the internet. I've been searching and testing various ones looking for something that isn't just waffle/pancake batter. Some things that I've learned along the way:

- Cake flour is very important! I tried with just all-purpose and rice flour and it was too dense.
- The Taiyaki batter technique is also critical, don't skip that! Other recipes online just tell you to fill one side and flip, but doing both sides allows for a better batter-to-filling ratio.
- The temperature of the taiyaki pan was the most challenging part of this for me. I don't have a fancy thermometer like the recipe, so keeping the pan at the perfect temp was hard. Too slow and low, they won't be crispy. Too fast and they will burn and be raw in the middle.
- My taiyaki pan is aluminum, but I would definitely go for a cast iron next time.
- I've tried red bean, cream pate, cheddar cheese, nutella, and hotteok (brown sugar walnut) for fillings and I was surprised how different each one behaved. Red bean being the easiest, Nutella being strangely difficult.

Wow, that's a lot of such a specialized device. I don't think I've ever seen ice cream served in a taiyaki cone, so I guess it's more of a thing abroad than in Japan 😆 Good idea using the halves! I was thinking about trying to make monaka (crispy rice-based shells for stuffing) using the two halves of the mold, so doing an ice cream sandwich with Taiyaki is a great idea!

In reply to Marc Matsumoto.

I saw a small electric Taiyaki cone maker for $200, but there's no stove top version. It's probably due to the need for even heat distribution around the mold. I plan to make Taiyaki halves and put ice cream in the middle when they are cooled down. Haven't done it yet, but I think they'd be cute! The Taiyaki are such a huge hit here just the way they are, so I haven't bothered to go further with it. Thanks again for introducing us to this wonderful treat.🍪🐟😍