Our favourite day of the year is almost here, on the 4th March we’ll all be blessed with the excuse of being able to eat pancakes for every meal. We don’t know about you, but we’re flipping excited!
When it comes to making the perfect pancake that all comes down to personal taste and to make things a little easier we’ve pulled together to create a pancake day bible of all the recipes you need to know about ready for the big day. Whether you’re a fan of sweet or savoury, healthy or indulgent, we’ve got you covered with lots of recipes and topping ideas. See you on the flip side.
1. american pancakes
Them good old chunky American pancakes are a firm favourite with our friends across the pond. Fancy finding out why for yourself this pancake day? We’ve got just the recipe!
Ingredients:
- 135g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 130ml milk
- 1 large egg (beaten!)
- 2 tbsp melted butter
Step 1 – sift together your dry ingredients and in a separate bowl whisk together your wet ingredients.
Step 2 – Pour your wet mixture into your dry mixture and whisk together until smooth with no lumps. Leave the mixture to stand for a couple of minutes.
Step 3 – Heat a none stick frying pan over a medium heat with some butter or oil. Once the oil/butter has heated add a ladle of batter to the pan (or two if your pan is big enough!).
Finally – Wait around 3 minutes until the pancake begins to bubble on top and the edges start to set. Flip over and cook for another 2 minutes. Add your favourite toppings and enjoy (Psst, spoiler alert we’ve listed our favourites below).
2. crepes
More familiar to the UK, the crepe is akin to our traditional go-to pancake. Crepes first originated in France and Germany. But this oh so sweet treat is now enjoyed on a global scale, especially when pancake day rolls around.
Ingredients:
- 175g plain flour
- 3 large eggs
- 450ml milk
Step 1 – Sift the flour into a large bowl or jug. Crack in the eggs and whisk in half of the milk (225ml). Once smooth, mix in the rest of the milk and set aside for 30 minutes.
Step 2 – Heat a large none stick frying pan, add a drizzle of oil and wipe out any excess. Once the pan is hot, add enough batter to just cover the surface of the pan. When the edges begin peeling away from the pan, shake to see if the pancake easily releases (if not, just cook for a bit longer).
Finally – Flip the pancake over and cook for another couple of minutes until brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and you’re ready to serve!
3. protein pancakes
Finding yourself on a high protein diet but keen to find a work around for pancake day this year? You’re in luck. These protein pancakes are delicious, nutritious, and ideal for those following a diet and exercise regime!
Ingredients:
- 1 banana
- 75g oats
- 2 tbsp milk (non-dairy works too!)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- Cinnamon
- 2 tbsp protein powder
Step 1 – This may just be the easiest recipe of them all, add all of your ingredients into a blender and blend for 2 minutes until smooth.
Step 2 – Heat a large frying pan with a little oil and add a couple of ladles of batter to create 2-3 rounds in the pan with a gap between each. Cook for a couple of minutes until bubbles start to form on the top. Flip over and cook until golden on both sides. Top with some healthy (or not so healthy) toppings and enjoy.
4. cinnamon roll pancakes
Because, why not? Cinnamon is delicious. Plus, it contains antioxidants, is good for heart health, and may even help to lower your blood sugar levels (1). That sounds like good enough reason to jazz up your pancakes with a dash of cinnamon this pancake day to us.
Ingredients:
- 145g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 40g melted butter
- 140ml milk
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Step 1 – Combine your flour, baking powder, caster sugar and half of your cinnamon into a bowl. Crack in your eggs, half of the melted butter and all of your milk. Whisk until smooth.
Step 2 – In a separate bowl, mix together the rest of the melted butter and cinnamon with the maple syrup and light brown sugar. Transfer to a squeezy bottle (or a piping bag will work just fine too!).
Step 3 – Heat a large frying pan with a little oil and ladle in the pancake mixture to create small rounds. Use the cinnamon mixture to pipe swirls on the top of each pancake whilst they cook. Flip over once bubbling and cook until golden on both sides. Voila!
5. savoury spinach pancakes
And finally, something for those who prefer savoury to sweet. If you’re adverse to all things sweet and sticky, but want to join in the pancake day celebrations, this recipe’s for you.
Ingredients:
- 125g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 100ml milk
- 50g spinach leaves (washed and chopped)
Step 1 – Add your ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth (your mixture should be a lovely shade of green once it’s done!).
Step 2 – Heat some butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add small dollops into the pan and cook until the edges begin to set, with bubbles rising to the surface. Flip over and cook for two minutes more. Serve up and top with some savoury toppings – our eggs benedict combo is a must try!
our 5 favourite pancake topping combinations
And it wouldn’t be pancake day without topping that warm fried goodness off with something utterly delicious now would it? So, we’ve listed our favourite pancake topping combos below to help ignite some inspiration in your household this year.
1. the classic (lemon & sugar)
When it comes to pancake day, lemon and sugar is an absolute staple in UK households. Super simple and guaranteed to satisfy those sweet tooths – if you haven’t already tried where have you been hiding?
2. banoffee (caramelised banana, biscuit crumbs & toffee sauce)
Our favourite way to get one of our 5 a day whilst still adding lots of indulgence to your pancake day treat. Layer your pancakes with caramelised banana’s, biscuit crumbs (lotus Biscoff are a firm favourite of ours) and some toffee sauce.
how to: create caramelised bananas
Step 1 – Add 100g caster sugar into a frying pan and heat on medium. After a couple of minutes the sugar should start to caramelise around the edges, once this happens stir the sugar with a wooden spoon until the sugar turns to a golden amber colour (be super careful not to burn).
Step 2 – remove from the heat and stir in 50g butter, vanilla seeds and 2 tbsp of cold water. Keep stirring until combined.
Step 3 – Add bananas (cut side down) and return to the heat. Cook for a couple of minutes until the bananas begin to turn golden brown and then turn over.
Finally – Once caramelised, remove from the pan and serve! (Careful, the mixture will be HOT).
3. eggs benedict
If jumping straight to the sweet stuff seems a little too rogue, why not try some savoury pancakes first. Layer your pancakes with crispy bacon and hollandaise sauce and then top with a runny poached egg. Delicious!
4. berries & yogurt (or chocolate for a bit more naughtiness)
Pancake day can bring with it a little bit too much indulgence so if you’re looking for a way to create some healthier pancakes then why not combine berries with some low-fat Greek or natural yogurt. This keeps the calories a little lower whilst still creating a sweet treat. Honey is also a great addition to this combo!
Or, if the healthiness is out the window, top your berries and pancakes with a huge drizzle of your favourite melted chocolate.
5. chocolate on chocolate
This one’s for the chocoholics! Add some cocoa powder to your pancake mixture of choice to create a chocoholics dream pancake. Finish off with either your favourite chocolate spread or melted chocolate and then go all out by topping it all with chunks of your chosen chocolate bar. Devine!
sources:
1. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-cinnamon
