Forget shake and bake, you can make the lightest most airiest and most gorgeous pancakes in your very own kitchen with just a few pantry staples and a pan with this easy pancakes recipe. Devour for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert – you can eat them whenever you want, especially on Shrove Tuesday!
Got a fave go-to pancakes recipe?
There are SO many pancake variations to choose from, some like them big, fat and fluffy to absorb a river of maple syrup, others prefer crepe-like pancakes, thin and rolled to munch on… and then there are the pikelet lovers among us who just want a bite-sized snack. Essentially though, they’re all variants of the same thing. Flour, milk and eggs combined to make a delicious disc of pan-fried goodness.
Don’t have a trusty pancake recipe? Scroll on down to find our easy to follow one!
Pancake topping ideas
Overwhelmed with choices and not sure what to top your pancakes with? Here’s a handful of our favourite pancake topping ideas:
- A sprinkle of sugar and fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- Jam and cream
- Maple syrup, golden syrup or honey
- Fresh fruit
- Whipped cream and sprinkles
- Chocolate chips
- Caramelised bananas
- Nutella spread
- Yoghurt and nuts
- Bacon and maple syrup
And of course, you can try ANY combination of all of the above with lip-smacking good and tasty results. OR you can just stick with a spread of butter. Drool….
Tips for cooking the best pancakes
- It’s often said that the first pancake you cook in a batch is always the sacrificial pancake. That’s because this is when you find out if your pan is too hot (turn it down) or your mixture too thick (add a splash more milk!). It’s the experimental pancake. It’s likely to be delicious but not pretty.
- ALWAYS wait for bubbles to come to the surface of your pancake before flipping.
- Don’t overcrowd your pan, you need room to flip!
- You can use the pancake recipe below to make pikelets – just pour much smaller discs. You can even let them cool and freeze them to pop in school lunch-boxes for a recess snack.
- You can even COLOUR your pancakes! Simply add a few drops of food colouring to the pancakes recipe below and mix in. So cool!
Easy peasy pancakes recipe
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 1â…“ cups plain flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ cup caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon butter for frying
Method
- Using a whisk, mix together the plain flour, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl to combine.
- In a small jug (or separate bowl) combine the egg and milk, beating together.
- Make a well in the centre of the bowl containing the flour mixture. Carefully pour the egg and milk mixture into the well and whisk it together until you have a smooth batter, about the consistency of thickened cream.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Lightly grease it using the butter. Use a ladle or ¼ capacity measuring cup to scoop the pancake mixture out of the bowl and into the pan to form each pancake.
- Cook pancakes for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Wait until bubbles appear on one side before gently sneaking a peek underneath to see if it’s golden in colour before committing to flipping completely.
- Stack the pancakes on top of each other to keep them warm and serve straight away with your favourite toppings or even just some butter. Delicious!
Do you make a point or family tradition of eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day)? We’d love to hear your favourite topping combinations, let us know in the comments below!
