What German word for pancake combines the words for "pan" and "cake"?

What German word for pancake combines the words for “pan” and “cake”? The answer is Pfannkuchen.

Pfannkuchen is formed from Pfanne, meaning “pan,” and Kuchen, meaning “cake.” Literally, it is a “pan cake,” making the word’s construction unusually transparent to English speakers.

In much of Germany, Pfannkuchen refers to a relatively flat pancake made from flour, eggs, and milk, with sweet or savory variations. It may be served with apple sauce, jam, sugar, cinnamon, cheese, herbs, or bacon. Regional vocabulary varies widely, however, and Eierkuchen is also used for a German pancake, especially in parts of eastern Germany.

There is an additional source of confusion: in Berlin and some surrounding areas, Berliner Pfannkuchen refers not to a flat pancake but to a filled, fried pastry known elsewhere as a Berliner or Krapfen. The regional food term therefore depends on context, but Pfannkuchen is the canonical compound meaning “pan-cake.”