Pancakes with sweet cinnamon butter
You guys know I love pancakes (exhibits A and B) but I haven't yet had a chance to share the pancakes I make for special occasions. These pancakes are definitely not healthy but they are the lightest, fluffiest and softest pancakes you will ever make. They're also made purely of store-cupboard ingredients, which means that you can probably make these right now. Is this the best Shrove Tuesday or what?
I spent today with Jess, pictured above very happily tucking into some pancakes. I've realised I don't mention Jess much in my posts or on social media, which is crazy as she is one of my best friends. I think it's because seeing Jess isn't usually an occasion; I see her almost as much as I see my sister, who lives with me. She's my constant, the friend I shamelessly rely on and wouldn't know how to live without. You can see it in her beautiful face, there is only goodness and light there. Along with Niluja, the cutie who completes our trio, we have been friends for thirteen blissful years. And I thank my lucky stars for every single day of our sometimes deep/usually nonsensical conversations, endless laughter and unconditional friendship. Do you have friends like this? Isn't it great?
Anyway, my little ode to Jess aside, let's go back to the beauty in question. I use three tricks to make my pancakes super light: whisking the egg until really frothy to incorporate air into the batter; mixing baking soda and lemon juice to create air bubbles that help the pancakes rise; leaving my batter for twenty minutes before cooking to give the baking powder time to activate. Do these three things and you will always have perfect pancakes.
You can top these with whatever you like. I like mounds of berries, sliced bananas or apples sautéed until soft and golden, drizzled with golden syrup, maple syrup or honey. This time, however, I wanted to pay homage to IHOP's dreamy Cinn-a-Stack pancakes by stacking them with a simple and sweet cinnamon butter. It's subtle, addictive and melts in your mouth. You could include a cream cheese glaze to really push those cinnamon roll flavours - but you don't really need it. This is plenty indulgent as is. Could I, however, recommend just a smidge of Nutella? Cause that should never be optional.
Light and fluffy pancakes
Makes 10 small pancakes.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup plain or spelt flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg or egg substitute
- 3/4 cup milk (soy or almond also work well)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
METHOD
Mix together the dry ingredients and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg for a good minute, until really light and frothy. Mix in the rest of the wet ingredients and leave for about 2 minutes.
Whisk in the dry ingredients until just combined. Don't overmix, it's perfectly fine to have lumps in the batter. Rest the mixture for 20 minutes.
Heat a good nonstick pan over low heat and grease with just the lightest dash of oil or butter. When hot, pour about two tablespoons of batter per pancake onto the pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface of the pancake. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. You can flip and cook one more time if neccessary. Repeat until you've used up all the batter.
Sweet cinnamon butter
Makes about 1/2 cup.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/3 cup butter or dairy-free spread, softened
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
METHOD
Mix together all the ingredients with a spoon or fork until thoroughly combined.
Refrigerate any leftover butter and save for toast or waffles.
