my top ten pancake recipes

… ahhh, pancake day… or ‘Jif Lemon Day’ if you’re old enough to remember a genius bit of marketing from the 80’s… or Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) for some… or it’s official religious title, Shrove Tuesday.  The day before the start of the Christian religious period of Lent and it’s on this day that we’re supposed to clean the home of all the leftover goodies from winter and eat all the fat so that we prepare our bodies for the lean period ahead.  Here in the UK we’ve always made pancakes and by pancakes i’m talking about the traditional thin, crepe-like pancakes, usually sprinkled with sugar and a squeeze of lemon and then rolled up before scoffing.  This ritual would always involve the tossing of the pancake, flipping that glossy eggy batter from cooked side to raw side and at our house, would inevitably end up with batter on the floor, ceiling and usually mum…

…things have progressed somewhat since I was a kid and now pancakes come in all shapes and sizes with all types of recipes… it’s quite incredible how many recipes there are for something that is made up of eggs, flour and milk… so here are my 10 favourite recipes from across the blog world…

classic pancake tutorial by Belleau Kitchen

this is my go-to recipe for a classic ‘Pancake Day’ pancake… simple, classic and easy once you know how.  I remember cooking these live on radio when I went into BBC Humberside and made these for the presenter so if I can do it live then you can do it at home… lots of tips for you here too.

banana buttermilk pancakes with banana caramel sauce by The Gluten Free Alchemist

there’s something ubiquitous about bananas and pancakes and as the title here suggest Kate manages to hit the nail on the head, twice… they’re utterly divine but they’re also gluten free which if you ask me must be the ultimate challenge for such a basic recipe… but well worth the trial.

chocolate crepes by Supergolden Bakes

another one from Lucy here but this time these are more like the classic crepe variety… she’s used nutella here which I think in recent years has become more synonymous with pancakes than the classic sugar and lemon which is fine by me.  I love they way they look so chic and sophisticated… even though these are perfect for the kids I would reserve them for a very adult dinner party and serve them with triple sec but then I’m a little mean like that!

valentines buttermilk pancakes by Belleau Kitchen

these were my first attempt at a classic, thick buttermilk pancake and they came out beautifully… they had that wonderful thick but fluffy texture that sticks to the top of the mouth in a way that’s only acceptable from a proper pancake… they’re very rich so I served them with tart strawberries which worked an absolute treat.

wholemeal spelt pancakes from Tin and Thyme

Chocolate seems to be the current Queen of pancakes as she has recently taken us through a wide variety of different flours and flavours and recipes.  I think these are my current favourites… not just because of the brilliant pancake recipe itself but because of that stunning coffee cardamom and chocolate sauce… I mean come on people!

monster pancakes by Fab Food 4 All

these pancakes from Camilla are utterly adorable so I just had to include them here… perfect for the kids and you can have so much fun assembling them.  I also love the recipe as it includes coconut oil which I think is a really nice twist to the classic pancake

two ingredient nutribullet banana pancakes by Belleau Kitchen

I think I have to admit that these are my favourite pancakes… they’re so simple to make with just two ingredients yet they taste phenomenal.  They’re mor of your American-style thick pancake rather than the European crepe but they’re so fluffy and rich. I gleaned the recipe from one of those youtube tutorials that had taken the internet by storm a couple of years ago.  The video was mesmerising and having just purchased a nutribullet I simply had to give them a go and i’m really glad I did!

coconut and quark american pancakes by Supergolden Bakes

Lucy has made a stack of divine pancakes here and the combination of coconut and quark must make for a delicious flavour.  They’re thick and fluffy and the quark must add a wonderful mouth-feel to give them that authentic American style pancake texture… just yes. please.

almond pancakes by Elizabeths Kitchen Diary

these look utterly glorious don’t they and they use my favourite flour, ground almonds… they’re also essentially gluten-free which is great but they’re so fluffy and light you’d never know they didn’t have regular flour in them.. they’re also nice and small which I like so you can stack ’em high and eat them like a mini cake!

zucchini walnut pancakes by The View From The Great Island

now these pancakes by Sue are just divine and they err on the savoury which I think is nice and with 5 different grains they almost qualify and healthy… they’re very classic american and the courgette and walnut combo just screams of eating breakfast muffins in a sun-drenched California kitchen in the 1970’s with Joni Mitchell on the radio and dogs around your feet… I want to be there now and I can’t so i’ll just have to make these instead

crêpes de la chandeleur by Lavender and Lovage

now I know I said there would be 10 pancake recipes but I couldn’t leave without sharing this beautiful and classic french crepe recipe from Karen with you.  Hers come from another mid-winter tradition of Candlemass but they are classic crepes nonetheless and they are the recipe I will be using this year to make my pancakes

…so there we are pancake lovers,  my top ten pancake recipes… hopefully there’s a range of pancakes to inspire and delight… happy flipping

eat and of course, enjoy!