3 ways to jazz up your pancakes

It’s nearly the end of February which only means one thing – pancake day is here again!

I love pancakes, and my guilty pleasure is definitely beautiful thick fluffy pancakes drowned in maple syrup. But considering how many times I eat them a year (don’t judge me – they’re just so irresistible!) they don’t feel special enough to eat on the day.

So if you’re like me and want to jazz up your regular pancakes to try something new, why not attempt one of the three delicious recipes written below?

1. Tofu pancakes

These vegan tofu pancakes are delicious! With the rise of veganism over the past few years, I think it’s only right to give a vegan pancake a try. Very simple to make, this incredibly soft and fluffy guilt-free pancake recipe serves two.

Ingredients:

175g silken tofu

1 tsp vanilla extract

200ml almond milk (or any other non-dairy milk)

½ tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for frying

125g all-purpose flour (gluten-free if needed)

2 tbsp coconut sugar

½ tsp ground cardamom

½ tbsp baking powder (gluten-free if needed)

½ tsp salt

1. Grab a mixing bowl and mix together tofu, vanilla extract and milk until it becomes a smooth but thick batter.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cardamom, baking powder and salt until combined, with no lumps.

3. Pour the tofu mix into the dry ingredients and mix well, until it becomes a consistent thick batter.

4. Heat a large non-stick frying pan and pour in a very small amount of oil. Once hot, pour some of the pancake batter in and fry for about 2 minutes on each side, until cooked to your preferred taste.

Why not try serving with maple syrup, strawberries and blueberries?

2. Stilton and spinach pancakes with soft egg

Love the taste of pancakes, but don’t have much of a sweet tooth? Give these yummy savoury pancakes a try! This recipe serves four, perfect for sharing with your friends or family.

Ingredients:

400g spinach

400g chopped chesnut mushrooms

175g crumbled stilton

Knob of butter

2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for heating pancakes

4 large eggs

4 ready-made crepes (or you can make these yourself!)

1. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and wilt the spinach. Once wilted, use a sieve to squeeze out any excess moisture.

2. Melt the butter in the frying pan before adding the mushrooms. Fry until golden and soft.

3. Add the spinach and stilton to the pan and cook until the stilton starts to melt (about 30 seconds), then set aside.

4. Clean the frying pan before adding the vegetable oil over a medium heat. When hot, fry the eggs for 2-3 minutes until the white has set but the yolk is still runny.

5. Whilst the eggs are cooking, take a separate frying pan and warm up the crepes according to their instructions.

6. Divide the mushrooms, stilton and spinach mixture equally among the crepes, before topping with a fried egg and seasoning.

3. Lace pancakes

If you’re incredibly good at cooking, this one is for you. Using the same ingredients as a normal pancake recipe this seems easy to make, but allows you to get arty creating any freehand pancake shapes. The following recipe will make around 12 pancakes, great for if your first few attempts don’t turn out the way you want them to be!

Ingredients:

175g plain flour

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

300ml milk

25g unsalted butter, melted

1. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle.

2. In a separate bowl or jug, whisk together the egg, egg yolk and a few tablespoons of the milk. Once whisked, pour into the well.

3. Whisk ingredients in the bowl together, gradually adding half of the remaining milk and making sure the flour is only being whisked in a little at a time to make for a smooth batter. Stir in the remaining milk.

4. Cover and leave for about 15 minutes. After, pour the batter into a plastic squeezy bottle.

5. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and brush with a little melted butter. Use the squeezy bottle to draw a freehand pattern in the pan using the batter.

6. Cook the pancake for 45-60 seconds until small holes appear on the surface and the underside is lightly browned. Once this has happened, flip the pancake with a palette knife.

7. Cook the other side for about 30 seconds until golden brown. Repeat these steps until you are out of batter!

#pancakes #baking #food