Nutella Stuffed Aebleskiver and Smithsonian National Zoological Park

A recipe for Nutella Stuffed Aebleskiver and our visit to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C! These Danish sphere-shaped pancakes are filled with Nutella.

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Our good friends Lauren (blogger of Sew You Think You Can Cook) and Stuart came to visit for the weekend! The last time we saw them was right before our move from Florida (when their little one was only 3 weeks old!), so it was definitely great to spend some time with them.

This was their first time in the DC area, so we let them decide what we were going to do for the weekend. They chose a trip to the National Zoo!

Smithsonian National Zoological Park

The Smithsonian National Zoological Park is located in northwest Washington, DC. Over 2,000 animals (400 species) are represented across 163 acres.

There are a couple of trails (Asian and American), indoor houses (Amazonia, Small Mammal, Reptile Discovery Center, Bird House, Great Apes, Elephant, Panda), a Kids’ Farm, and other habitats situated across the park.

With young children, we have never been able to see everything in one day. The bird section and Amazonia always seem to get skipped and we are too tired by the end of the day to go back. Especially on warmer days, sticking to certain sections and following Evan’s lead works for us.

During our last visit in October, Evan actually spent 45 minutes in the Small Mammal House just watching the meerkats.

The zoo is open every day except Christmas. Check the official website for hours before visiting as they vary based on the season and special events are common.

Admission is free, but parking is 30 dollars if not a FONZ (Friends of the National Zoo) member. You can buy a zoo map at the entrance, but they also have maps posted throughout the park. These photos are a mixture of our visits since May 2010.

To get to the zoo, you can drive or take the metro/bus. I have done both. If driving to the zoo when large crowds are expected (weekends, summer, holidays), a parking reservation is highly recommended.

Parking spots generally fill up by 10-11 am and parking outside of the zoo is limited.

The official metro stop for the zoo is Woodley Park. When arriving, I like to go a stop further to Cleveland Park. It is a slightly longer distance, but a downhill walk instead of trekking uphill.

I then walk downhill to Woodley Park when heading home. The L1 and L2 buses stop in front of the Connecticut Avenue entrance.

The zoo itself is also situated on a steep hill, so be prepared for some walking. When driving, I like parking in lot D.

This is at the bottom entrance of the zoo so you start your day with the uphill walk, but it is all downhill to your car. This lot is also closest to the stroller rentals and petting zoo/play area for those with small children.

We had a great time at the zoo with Lauren’s family, but didn’t have much luck animal-wise. The outdoor animals have been in hiding for our last two visits.

During the summer, they are most active in the early morning and we aren’t able to make it out until closer to noon. I also like cooler weather, so it starts to get a bit too hot for me around this time of year (but it has still been better than summers in Florida so far!).

With the holiday weekend, the crowds were out in full force- including on the metro- all the cars were completely packed.

The pandas are the most popular attraction at the zoo. They have an outdoor habitat, plus a viewable indoor area.

The entrance and exit to the indoor area are along the same pathway, creating a high volume of people on heavy crowd days. We attempted to see them during Memorial Day weekend, but couldn’t even get through the congestion.

There are a few dining options available throughout the zoo and you are allowed to bring in your own food/picnic.

There are also plenty of restaurants surrounding the Woodley Park and Cleveland Park metro stops.

I found out on a previous visit that the tiger is Evan’s favorite animal. As we passed all the other enclosures, he kept asking to see a tiger.

While there weren’t many animals out the day we visited with Lauren and Stuart, the tiger was one of the most active. Evan was so happy.

The carousel is available at an extra charge. Evan asked to go on and apparently didn’t even want to ride an animal. He picked a spot on the bench so he could watch the interior mechanisms. 

The goats get a playground too.

Since moving back to the DC area, I am also updating this post with a few nearby food spots!

Cleveland Park

Saku Saku Flakerie

Saku Saku Flakerie at 3417 Connecticut Ave NW is less than a 1/2 mile (644 meter) walk north of the zoo entrance near the Cleveland Park metro station.

They have a variety of Japanese-French inspired pastries, coffee, and tea. I especially enjoyed the Yuzu Cream Pie Cruffin.

Siam House Thai Restaurant

Siam House Thai Restaurant at 3520 Connecticut Ave NW is a family-owned Thai restaurant with appetizers, curry, noodles, rice, soup, entrees, and desserts.

They are located next to the west entrance to the Cleveland Park metro stop.

I ordered the Guay Teaw Nam (rice noodles with broth, bean sprouts, cilantro, scallions, minced roasted garlic, and choice of protein), Thai Curry Puff (deep fried curry puffs with chicken, onion, potato, yellow curry, and spices), and Thai Ice Tea.

Dolan Uyghur Restaurant

Dolan Uyghur Restaurant’s DC location at 3518 Connecticut Ave NW now has a coffee bar starting 8 am daily with a variety of hot and cold drinks, croissants, baklava, cake, and eclairs.

It is a perfect stop on the way to the zoo and directly next to the Cleveland Park west metro entrance. I enjoyed the Caramel Macchiato and Midye Baklava (pistachio, lemon salt, sugar, and butter with a “mussel” shape on top).

Woodley Park

Baked by Yael

Baked by Yael is across the street from the zoo entrance at 3000 Connecticut Ave NW. They feature sweet and savory treats with a variety of nut-free kosher cake pops, bagels, sandwiches, and pastries.

The kids enjoyed their cake pops during our latest visit. The panda-shaped chocolate cake pop was such a fun treat to pair with a day at the zoo.

Veganesha

Veganesha is across the street from the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan metro station at 2623 Connecticut Ave NW.

This vegetarian and vegan eatery focuses in South Indian cuisine with a variety of Kerala favorites, dosa, vada, pulav, curries, bread, desserts, and drinks.

I enjoyed the Mysore Masala Dosa (rice and lentil flour crepe with spicy chutney spread, potato masala, coconut chutney, and sambar) and Masala Chai (tea with ginger and cardamom).

Looking for more zoo visits?

Check out:

• Bear Doughnuts and San Diego Zoo
• Tiger Pappardelle and San Diego Zoo Safari Park
• Chocolate Almond Toffee and Greater Palm Springs

Nutella Stuffed Aebleskiver

After a day at the zoo, Lauren and I spent Sunday in the kitchen. A couple of weeks before their visit, Lauren sent me Greens and Chocolate’s link for Nutella Stuffed Aebleskiver and asked if I had the pan to make them while they were here.

I did not have the pan at the time, but ended up getting it on Amazon that day: Aebleskiver Pan. I had the pan on my wishlist for a while and this was the final push to order it.

Aebleskiver (Æbleskiver, Ebleskiver) are Danish pancakes shaped like a sphere with the help of a special pan. They are often filled with jam.

Aebleskiver Fillings

We filled our Aebleskiver with Nutella (and honey for the last batch since Chad doesn’t like chocolate). The possibilities are endless. As a note, the honey soaked into the batter so it wasn’t as prominent.

Maybe next time we will add cooked apples and a little cinnamon. Apples were actually the traditional filling for Aebleskiver (hence the translation of the name to “Apple Slices”). A vanilla custard would also have been delicious.

A Few Tips

Greens and Chocolate shared this video that demonstrates how to turn the Nutella Stuffed Aebleskiver. We did not watch the video ahead of time, but it would have been very helpful in preventing some troubleshooting on our part. She turns her Aebleskiver a bit more than we did.

It took us a couple of batches to get the hang of forming them. The first time we made these, I used a small tasting spoon to turn the Aebleskiver.

For the latest batch, I actually used Aebleskiver turners. They made a huge difference. I have also seen others use skewers or even chopsticks.

I originally heated the pan to medium, but it became too hot and the first set of Nutella Stuffed Aebleskiver burned a bit on the bottom. They did much better on medium low.

Adjust the heat for your pan between medium and low as needed.

Looking for more Nutella recipes?

Try my:

• Nutella Mascarpone Cups
• Strawberry Nutella Hand Pies
• Nutella Taiyaki

Nutella Stuffed Aebleskiver Recipe

Adapted from Greens and Chocolate

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Nutella Stuffed Aebleskiver

A recipe for Nutella Stuffed Aebleskiver and our visit to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C! These Danish sphere-shaped pancakes are filled with Nutella.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Danish

Keyword aebleskiver, breakfast, brunch, chocolate, Danish, Denmark, nutella

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 3 Dozen

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs separated
• 2 cups (470 milliliters) buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons (60 grams) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For assembly:

• Vegetable oil for greasing
• 1/2 cup (150 grams) Nutella

Instructions

• Separate the eggs by placing the egg whites in a clean mixing bowl and the egg yolks in another medium bowl.
• Beat the egg whites until medium peaks form.
• Whisk the buttermilk, butter, and vanilla extract into the egg yolks until smooth.
• In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the egg yolk mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites just until no white streaks remain.
• Place the aebleskiver pan over medium-low heat. Use a pastry brush to grease each hole with oil. If desired, place the nutella in a piping bag or ziploc bag with the corner snipped off.
• Once heated, quickly fill each hole barely halfway with the batter. Pipe or spoon about 1 teaspoon of nutella into the center of each aebleskiver. Cover with more batter, until each hole is almost filled.
• Cook until the edges are set and golden, adjusting the heat as needed to about medium low, about 2 minutes.
• Use a small spoon, skewer, or aebleskiver turner to flip the aebleskiver 1/3 of the way over.
• Cook another minute before flipping the rest of the way over to cook the remaining batter. Use the small spoon, skewer, or aebleskiver tool to transfer to a plate. Grease as needed and repeat with remaining batter and nutella.
• Serve warm with powdered sugar or maple syrup.