Baking for occasions is often the reason I bake in the first place. I need an excuse to whip something up because a) I'm now an ex-student with loans galore to pay back, b) rent, bills and the like and c) baking is an expensive hobby, so good ingredients can't be wasted. I know that one day I'll be able to make a cake just for the fun of it, no occasion, no excuses needed, but until then I cling madly to this busy time of year where the excuses are plenty.
Pancake day is perfect. Literally everyone I know gets excited about pancake day. All day at work there's been questions of "Have you had pancakes yet?" or "Are you making pancakes tonight? What kind? What with?" It's a food celebration that everyone really gets behind, and I love that. It's amazing to hear how differently everyone does it, and especially what they have on the side (or smothered all over in my case).
A lot of people I know are classic pancake-rs: lemon and sugar. Others are completely mad, with all variations of fruit juice going on, Baileys and even one I heard on the radio: Jaffa cake pancakes i.e. top with orange marmalade then a layer of dark chocolate. When I do pancakes, though, I get all American about it. I can't stand flat, yellow, floppy, English pancakes. I need fat, golden brown, American style pancakes that scream 'heart-attack-on-a-plate' when they're stacked ten high and drowning in maple syrup.
If that sounds more you too (and I hope it does, because they are delicious and you'll be missing out otherwise) then my recipe below, with a simple taste twist, is going to make your pancake day one of the best.
INGREDIENTS
200g plain flour, sifted
140g ground almonds
130g caster sugar
6 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
4 tbsp oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
METHOD
In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. In another small bowl, mix together the wet ingredients before adding to dry ingredients. Whisk until combined well and there are no lumps.
Place a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Once hot, pour in desired amount of batter for the size of pancake you'd like and bake until golden brown on both sides. This should take approx. 3 minutes on each side.
For an optional side, whip some heavy cream and a dash of vanilla essence with an electric whisk.
The addition of ground almonds to this recipe is something I actually came up with today. I had half a packet in the back of the cupboard and when it fell out onto the counter in front of me I just had to use it and see what would happen. The change in taste of the pancake is really great. They're still very sweet, even more so because of the drop of vanilla essence, but now have an interesting, nutty background flavour.
What makes it even more exciting is pairing the pancakes with some of Joe & Seph's amazing sauces. The three flavours of Salted Caramel, Chocolate Caramel and Chocolate & Hazelnut Caramel came into my work today and I honestly think more staff members than customers brought them as a pancake day treat. I personally love the mixture of nut and chocolate, so adding the Chocolate Caramel sauce to these pancakes made for a great flavour combination. The sauces are so indulgently creamy too, they melt in your mouth alongside a warm pancake and you just know that in the morning you won't regret a thing.
I know I certainly won't regret trying something new with this staple recipe or splashing out on some quality side sauce.
What do you have with your pancakes?
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