Dorayaki or Dora cakes are popular Japanese confection that look a lot like smooth American pancakes but with an oriental spin. Dorayaki is prepared with all-purpose flour,egg, honey and topped with anko or sweet red bean paste. Two of these pancake-like patties are usually served together with the red bean paste forming a layer in between the two.
While the original consisted of only one layer, the current shape of the confection was invented in 1914 by Usagiya in the Ueno district of Tokyo. Dora means a 'gong' in Japanese, and the similarity of the shapes between the two, could be the reason behind the fascinating nomenclature. There are many legends associated with the origins of the dessert, one of the most captivating one has to be that the first Dorayaki were made when a samurai named Benkei who apparently forgot his gong (dora) upon leaving a farmer's home where he was hiding, and the farmer ended up using the gong to make the pancakes.
