I make pancakes a lot more than one day a year, but if you have never tried them then this is a good day to get started. As well as these delicious sweet pancakes, you will soon find yourself trying savoury fillings, which make an ideal evening meal. I particularly like ham and cheese as a filling or chicken and asparagus.
To get a really smooth pancake it really is worth letting the batter sit for half an hour if you can. It is always best to let it rest and if you are under time pressure you could make it the night before. Your pan should be medium hot. You don’t want it smoking hot and you don’t want it so hot that the butter burns. It is well worth buying a non-stick pancake pan. They are not expensive and you may find you will use it a lot.
The second recipe uses traditional gingerbread spices to make these light and fluffy pancakes, which are good enough to serve as a dessert. Bananas are a nightmare this time of the year so buy them a few days ahead to give them time to ripen for this recipe. As for flipping pancakes, I have nothing to say except that practice makes perfect. Good luck.
Gingerbread pancakes with syrup. \ Philip Doyle
Gingerbread Pancakes with Sticky Bananas
Serves four
Traditional gingerbread spices make these light fluffy pancakes good enough to serve as a dessert particularly with the addition of the sticky bananas.
For the sticky bananas:
75g (3oz) dark muscavado sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
Four small bananas
25g (1oz) butter
For the pancakes:
225g (8oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of salt
50g (2oz) light muscovado sugar
Finely grated rind of 1 small lemon
300ml (1/2 pint) milk
One large egg
Sunflower oil, for cooking
Cinnamon sticks, to decorate (optional)
1 First make the syrup for the sticky bananas. Place the dark muscovado sugar in a pan with the vanilla and three tablespoons of water and bring to a simmer, stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes until a syrup has formed. Set aside.2 To make the pancakes, sieve the flour, cinnamon, ginger and salt into a bowl. Stir in the light muscovado sugar and lemon rind. Put the milk and egg into a jug and whisk to combine. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and whisk in the liquid ingredients to give a smooth batter.3 Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add a little sunflower oil and smear all over the base with kitchen paper. Spoon in heaped tablespoons of the batter – you should fit in four at a time. Once bubbles begin to appear on the pancakes, turn them over and cook for another minute or so until golden. Repeat until you’ve used up all the batter, which should make about 12 pancakes in total. Keep them warm in a low oven while you cook the remainder.4 To make the sticky bananas, heat a large frying pan. Peel the bananas and cut into slices. Add the butter to the heated frying pan and sauté the bananas for a minute or two on each side until golden brown. Pour in the syrup and continue to cook until the bananas have become caramelised and sticky.5 Layer up the gingerbread pancakes on plates with the sticky bananas and syrup. Add cinnamon sticks to decorate before serving if you like.Pancakes with raspberries & chocolate fudge sauce
Serves four
For the pancakes:
100g (4oz) plain flour
1 tbsp caster sugar
Two large eggs
300ml (1/2 pint) milk
1 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for cooking
For the chocolate fudge sauce:
150ml (1/4 pint) cream
75g (3oz) light muscovado sugar
25g (1oz) cocoa powder
Good pinch of sea salt flakes
100g (4oz) plain chocolate, broken into squares (70% cocoa solids)
25g (1oz) butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
To decorate:
450g (1lb) raspberries
Icing sugar, to dust
1 Sieve the flour into a bowl and stir in the caster sugar. Make a well in the centre and whisk in the eggs, milk and sunflower oil until your have a smooth batter. If you have time, leave it to rest for 30 minutes or cook straight away.2 Meanwhile, make the chocolate fudge sauce. Place the cream, light muscovado sugar, cocoa powder, salt and half of the chocolate in a pan over a medium-low heat. Cook for a couple of minutes until the chocolate has melted and the sauce has thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate with the butter and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Leave to cool and thicken before using. 3 To cook the pancakes, place a medium non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and wipe it with some oiled kitchen paper. Once hot, ladle in a thin layer of batter and cook for one minute on each side until golden, keeping them warm in a low oven as you go. 4 Arrange the pancakes on warm plates in cone shapes and have the raspberries spilling out of each one. Drizzle over the chocolate fudge sauce and add a light dusting of icing sugar on the raspberries to serve.
I make pancakes a lot more than one day a year, but if you have never tried them then this is a good day to get started. As well as these delicious sweet pancakes, you will soon find yourself trying savoury fillings, which make an ideal evening meal. I particularly like ham and cheese as a filling or chicken and asparagus.
To get a really smooth pancake it really is worth letting the batter sit for half an hour if you can. It is always best to let it rest and if you are under time pressure you could make it the night before. Your pan should be medium hot. You don’t want it smoking hot and you don’t want it so hot that the butter burns. It is well worth buying a non-stick pancake pan. They are not expensive and you may find you will use it a lot.
The second recipe uses traditional gingerbread spices to make these light and fluffy pancakes, which are good enough to serve as a dessert. Bananas are a nightmare this time of the year so buy them a few days ahead to give them time to ripen for this recipe. As for flipping pancakes, I have nothing to say except that practice makes perfect. Good luck.
Gingerbread pancakes with syrup. \ Philip Doyle
Gingerbread Pancakes with Sticky Bananas
Serves four
Traditional gingerbread spices make these light fluffy pancakes good enough to serve as a dessert particularly with the addition of the sticky bananas.
For the sticky bananas:
75g (3oz) dark muscavado sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
Four small bananas
25g (1oz) butter
For the pancakes:
225g (8oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of salt
50g (2oz) light muscovado sugar
Finely grated rind of 1 small lemon
300ml (1/2 pint) milk
One large egg
Sunflower oil, for cooking
Cinnamon sticks, to decorate (optional)
1 First make the syrup for the sticky bananas. Place the dark muscovado sugar in a pan with the vanilla and three tablespoons of water and bring to a simmer, stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes until a syrup has formed. Set aside.2 To make the pancakes, sieve the flour, cinnamon, ginger and salt into a bowl. Stir in the light muscovado sugar and lemon rind. Put the milk and egg into a jug and whisk to combine. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and whisk in the liquid ingredients to give a smooth batter.3 Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add a little sunflower oil and smear all over the base with kitchen paper. Spoon in heaped tablespoons of the batter – you should fit in four at a time. Once bubbles begin to appear on the pancakes, turn them over and cook for another minute or so until golden. Repeat until you’ve used up all the batter, which should make about 12 pancakes in total. Keep them warm in a low oven while you cook the remainder.4 To make the sticky bananas, heat a large frying pan. Peel the bananas and cut into slices. Add the butter to the heated frying pan and sauté the bananas for a minute or two on each side until golden brown. Pour in the syrup and continue to cook until the bananas have become caramelised and sticky.5 Layer up the gingerbread pancakes on plates with the sticky bananas and syrup. Add cinnamon sticks to decorate before serving if you like.Pancakes with raspberries & chocolate fudge sauce
Serves four
For the pancakes:
100g (4oz) plain flour
1 tbsp caster sugar
Two large eggs
300ml (1/2 pint) milk
1 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for cooking
For the chocolate fudge sauce:
150ml (1/4 pint) cream
75g (3oz) light muscovado sugar
25g (1oz) cocoa powder
Good pinch of sea salt flakes
100g (4oz) plain chocolate, broken into squares (70% cocoa solids)
25g (1oz) butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
To decorate:
450g (1lb) raspberries
Icing sugar, to dust
1 Sieve the flour into a bowl and stir in the caster sugar. Make a well in the centre and whisk in the eggs, milk and sunflower oil until your have a smooth batter. If you have time, leave it to rest for 30 minutes or cook straight away.2 Meanwhile, make the chocolate fudge sauce. Place the cream, light muscovado sugar, cocoa powder, salt and half of the chocolate in a pan over a medium-low heat. Cook for a couple of minutes until the chocolate has melted and the sauce has thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate with the butter and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Leave to cool and thicken before using. 3 To cook the pancakes, place a medium non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and wipe it with some oiled kitchen paper. Once hot, ladle in a thin layer of batter and cook for one minute on each side until golden, keeping them warm in a low oven as you go. 4 Arrange the pancakes on warm plates in cone shapes and have the raspberries spilling out of each one. Drizzle over the chocolate fudge sauce and add a light dusting of icing sugar on the raspberries to serve. 
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