These are so delicious for a Valentine's Day breakfast in bed or a yum dessert for Thursday.

Ingredients

  • 200g plain flour ( or 150g plain flour and 50g wholemeal flour) 
  • 50g icing sugar 
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 or 2 tbsp cocoa (depending on colour & flavour preference) 
  • 2 eggs
  • 200mls milk
  • 1 tsp vinegar (any vinegar) 
  • 1 or 2 tsp red food colouring ( gel not liquid )
  • 2 tbsp oil / melted butter 

 
Maple Cream Cheese Syrup 

  • 100g cream cheese ( full fat ) 
  • 2 tbsp cream
  • 50g icing sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl x 2
  • Sieve
  • Measuring spoons
  • Whisk / fork
  • Weighing scales
  • Measuring jug
  • Frying pan
  • Egg turner


 

Method

Pancakes 

  1.  Put all the dry ingredients in one bowl - (sieve in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda & salt).
  2.  Put all the wet ingredients in the measuring jug - (Combine vinegar & milk together first and allow to sit for 3 or 4mins). Then add in eggs, vanilla & melted butter / oil. Whisk together.
  3.  Heat up a mixture of butter and oil in the pan and begin to fry the pancakes. Begin on a medium to high heat and then as they cook reduce to a medium to low heat. 
  4.  As they firm up around the edges and bubbles form on top flip them over. Cook for about 2 mins on each side.

Maple Cream Cheese Drizzle

  1. To make the syrup, pop the cream cheese in a mixing bowl along with the cream, maple syrup, vanilla and icing sugar.
  2. Whisk until smooth and spoon over warm pancakes.
  3. Top with fresh berries and drizzle over some chocolate sauce.

Top Tips

  •  If you want to achieve that vivid bright red colour you will need to use a more professional grade gel food dye – some of the best for colour pay off include "poppy red", "extra red" and "Christmas red".
  •  A more maroon shade of red will result with a higher quality of cocoa and a different food gel.
  •  To prevent that brown colour all over the surface it is essential to cook them low and slow. These are American style pancakes after all and not crepes so need to cook through fully. Use a non-stick pan and cook them for about 2/3 mins on each side.

Note:

These are so delicious for a Valentine's Day breakfast in bed or a yum dessert for Thursday.

They are the perfect "match made in heaven" of foods  –  I love red velvet cake and I love pancakes so hello –  welcome the invention of red velvet pancakes. The best of both worlds. 

They are fluffy and moist and delicious and who could not love the romantic red colour? The pancakes come out fluffy, lightly sweetened with that signature light chocolate taste just like red velvet cake and, of course, the would not be complete without the maple cream cheese glaze.

With love & fun deliciousness,
Aisling