It’s that time of year again, and Pancake Tuesday has arrived! We’re ready to get the pans out and start flipping, and to celebrate the tastiest day of the year, Siúcra has developed a number of new recipes to take your pancakes from drab to fab!
Now don’t get us wrong, we all love the classic lemon and sugar, but if you’ve had enough of all the usual recipes, here are some delicious options to experiment with this year.
1. Black Forest Pancakes
For the ultimate indulgence, try Siúcra’s Black Forest Pancakes. Chocolate pancakes are drizzled in kirsch and layered with fruity cherry compote and fluffy crème Chantilly to make a decadent dessert so tasty you’ll want to make it all year round. Garnish with chocolate shavings and cherries, then sit back and bask in the compliments.
Ingredients
Pancakes:
25g (1oz) butter, plus extra for cooking
175g (6oz) self-raising flour
50g (2oz) cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
25g (1oz) Siúcra Caster Sugar
Pinch of sea salt flakes
300ml (1/2 pint) milk
1 large egg
Dash of Kirsch (cherry liqueur – optional)
Cherry Compote:
450g (1lb) cherries, pitted and halved
25g (1oz) Siúcra Golden Granulated Sugar
2 tsp arrowroot or cornflour
Crème Chantilly:
200ml (7fl oz) cream
2 tbsp Siúcra Icing Sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Grated plain chocolate, to decorate (70% cocoa solids)
Method
1. First make the cherry compote. Place the cherries, Siúcra Golden Granulated Sugar and arrowroot or cornflour in a pan with two tablespoons of water. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat and then cook for 3-4 minutes until the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.
2. To make the crème Chantilly, put the cream into a bowl with the Siúcra Icing Sugar and vanilla. Whisk by hand or with an electric beater until you have soft shiny peaks.
3. To make the pancakes, melt the butter in a small pan or in the microwave. Sieve the flour, cocoa and baking powder into a bowl and stir in the Siúcra Caster Sugar and salt. Whisk the milk, egg and melted butter in a jug with the kirsch, if using. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and whisk in the liquid ingredients until smooth.
4. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add a knob of butter and then spoon in heaped tablespoons of the batter – you should fit in four at a time. Once bubbles begin to appear on the pancakes, then turn them over and cook for another minute or so until golden. Repeat – you should end up with 12 pancakes in total.
5. To serve, place a pancake on each serving plate and spoon over some of the cherry compote, then add a dollop of the crème Chantilly. Add another pancake and repeat the layers, finishing with a dollop of the crème Chantilly. Decorate each one with any remaining cherry compote and some grated plain chocolate to serve.
2. Siúcra’s Gingerbread Pancakes with Sticky Bananas
For this sweet option sticky bananas are sandwiched between lightly spiced pancakes and drizzled with a sweet syrup to make a breakfast worth getting out of bed for. The addition of cinnamon and ginger to the batter gives another layer of flavour to these fluffy American-style pancake.
Ingredients
Pancakes:
225g (8oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of salt
50g (2oz) Siúcra Light Golden Brown Sugar
Finely grated rind of 1 small lemon
300ml (1/2 pint) milk
1 large egg
Sunflower oil, for cooking
Sticky Bananas:
75g (3oz) Siúcra Rich Dark Sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
4 small bananas
25g (1oz) butter
To decorate:
Cinnamon sticks (optional)
Method
1. First make the syrup for the sticky bananas. Place the Siúcra Rich Dark 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, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt into a bowl. Stir in the Siucra Light Golden Brown Sugar and lemon rind. Put the milk, egg and vanilla 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, then turn them over and cook for another minute or so until golden. Repeat – you should end up with 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 liked.
3. Siúcra’s Crêpes with Raspberries and Chocolate Fudge Sauce
Add a dash of ‘je ne sais quoi’ to your Pancake Tuesday with these thin and delicate crêpes. They are surprisingly easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time. As for fillings, let your fridge or pantry be your guide, then fold or roll your way to an array of breakfast, lunch, snack or dessert options. Sweeten your day and serve with fresh raspberries, a generous serving of smooth rich chocolate sauce and a sprinkling of icing sugar. Ooh la la!
Ingredients
Crêpes:
100g (4oz) plain flour
1 tbsp Siúcra Caster Sugar
2 large eggs
300ml (1/2 pint) milk
1 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for cooking
Chocolate Fudge Sauce:
150ml (1/4 pint) cream
75g (3oz) Siúcra Light Golden Brown 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
Siúcra Icing Sugar, to dust
Method
1. Sieve the flour into a bowl and stir in the Siúcra Caster Sugar. Make a well in the centre and whisk in the eggs, milk and sunflower oil until you have a smooth batter. If you have time leave it to rest for 30 minutes or start cooking straight away.
2. Meanwhile, make the chocolate fudge sauce. Place the cream, Siúcra Light Golden Brown 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 crepes, 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 1 minute on each side until golden, keeping them warm in a low oven as you go.
4. Arrange the crepes 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 Siúcra Icing Sugar on the raspberries to serve.
Happy Pancake Tuesday!