Not exactly a bake or a cake but I’m currently going through a bit of a pancake obsession. Mainly due to entering into the whole baby led weaning adventure. I wanted to find something nutritious, tasty and sugar free that we could all enjoy together.
I attempted (and burnt) a lot of banana pancakes first. They’re sweet but have more of a frittata taste and texture to them than I like in my pancakes. However they went down a storm!
Next up sweet potato pancakes. Really easy to fry up and rather tasty! They could be served as a savoury side dish or with fruit and yoghurt to sweeten them up further. Again the baby loved them so we’re onto a winner
Porridge pancakes were by far my favourite. They’re more savoury than the others but they’re fluffy and the perfect companion to fruit and yoghurt to increase the sweetness (and a good drizzle of maple syrup for me of course!). I then attempted a banana porridge pancake hybrid which was all the more delicious.
Coconut pancakes were also extremely popular in our house. Fluffy, light and sweet.
All of these pancakes require very little effort, are pretty simple to make and can be frozen for future snacking. I have a small bowl attachment for my hand (stick) blender which works wonderfully to blend the ingredients together for all 4 types of pancake.
The trick to good pancakes is getting the temperature right when frying them. I use a large non stick frying pan on an induction hob with coconut oil as it has a high smoking point. Setting 5/6 on the hob seems to have enough sizzle to it.
I use an ice cream scoop to put the batter into the pan which helps to make mini round pancakes.
Flipping the pancakes as soon as the edges are cooked (not wet or runny) and using a two palette knife approach to gently lift and flip them over means they’re easier to handle and much less likely to end up a scrambled mess. *I learnt the hard way.
Depending on the thickness of your pancakes they take a minute or two on each side to cook through. The sweet potato pancakes take a little longer (about 4 mins each side) but if you’re making mini pancakes you can squeeze about 6 in one pan and cook them in batches.
Ingredients
Banana pancakes
Makes approx. 10-15 mini pancakes
Freezer friendly
1 banana
1 egg
1. Blend the banana and egg to make a runny batter.
2. Heat coconut oil in the pan in a medium heat
3. Spoon batter into small rounds in the pan. About 5cm diameter.
4. Cook for about 1/2 mins and flip over for another minute.
5. Remove from heat carefully using two spatulas (they’re a delicate pancake!)
6. Leave to cool on kitchen paper and serve still warm.
They freeze really well too and baby enjoyed them cold from the fridge the next day too!
Sweet potato pancakes
Makes approx. 15 mini pancakes
Freezer friendly
1 large sweet potato
2 eggs
Coconut oil to fry pancakes in
Optional 1tsp cinnamon
1. Peel and cut sweet potato into small chunks. Steam until cooked and soft
2. Whizz up the sweet potato and egg in the blender to make a thick runny batter.
3.. Spoon batter into hot greased pan.
4.. Cook for about 5 mins each side or until golden brown.
5. Serve as savoury snack or with yoghurt and fruit.
Porridge Pancakes
Makes approx. 20 mini pancakes
Freezer friendly
1 1/3 cup porridge oats – blended to a fine flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup natural/greek yoghurt
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp mixed spice
1/2tsp ground ginger
*Optional Blueberries/raspberries to drop into the batter as pancakes are cooking to make fruity porridge pancakes
Coconut oil (to fry the pancakes in)
1. Blend oats to a fine flour
2. Add baking powder
3. Blend in rest of ingredients
4. Leave batter to thicken for a couple of mins.
5. Cook in hot greased pan until golden brown on each side. (2/3 mins each side)
6. Serve with yoghurt and fruit or as a hand held snack.
Banana Porridge Pancakes
Makes approx 20 mini pancakes
Freezer friendly
1 1/3 cup porridge oats – blended to a fine flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 ripe banana
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Coconut oil (to fry the pancakes in)
1. Blend oats to a fine flour
2. Add baking powder
3. Blend in rest of ingredients
4. Leave batter to thicken for a couple of mins.
5. Cook in hot greased pan until golden brown on each side. (2/3 mins each side)
6. Serve with yoghurt and fruit or as a hand held snack.
Coconut pancakes
Makes approx 15 – 20 mini pancakes
Freezer friendly
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/8 cup (or I used half of a 1/4 cup of milk as my cups don’t come in 8th measurements) cup coconut milk (hardly seems worth opening a can for such a small amount but it really enhances the coconut flavour)
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/8 cup (or I used half of a 1/4 cup) wholemeal flour
2 tbs melted coconut oil
*plus additional coconut oil for frying pancakes
1. Beat eggs together
2. Beat in coconut milk
3. Beat in the rest of the ingredients
4. Let the batter stand for a minute or two to thicken.
5. Heat oil in pan and spoon batter into small rounds.
6. Cook for 1-2 mins each side.
7. Serve with fruit and yoghurt as you like
