Happy Pancake Day!
I have decided to start my pancake day with these caramelised apple pancakes, maple butter and a dollop or two of thick yoghurt.
In our house, pancakes are enjoyed American style for breakfast and crepe style for dessert. These pancakes are my take on the classic American style with the added bonus of little chunks of cooked apple. The pancakes have been lightly spiced with cinnamon to compliment the apple and the topping – well that is quite something.
Have you ever tried date butter? Well neither had I until recently. Then I made it and, wow! I have always been a huge fan of Moose Maple Butter but from now on this maple date butter will be a permanent fixture in my fridge and it’s about as easy to make as whipped cream. It is really good spread onto crumpets or you can use it as your sweetener for natural yogurt. Try dipping chunks of banana into it and it becomes almost banoffee-like. Its fudgy, caramel-like, Speculooos whipped texture is totally winning me over and the maple syrup is there simply to give it a maple hint because I love it and wanted to include it. This added sweet note can be omitted or you could substitute it with a pinch of cinnamon or leave it out. The date butter will be fine au naturel. Make it, I promise you, it’s divine.
If you are thinking that pancakes are just too much of an effort to make, especially when you can buy them so easily, why don’t you do what I do and make them in advance? I make up a batch during the day, zip lock them, then I just re-heat them in the oven or toast them at the last minute. You could keep a batch in the freezer. They make a brilliant quick breakfast/after school treat and pancakes definitely deserve to be eaten more than once a year on Pancake day.
What is your favourite way to eat pancakes?
Here are a few more perfect pancakes to inspire you…
Fluffy coconut & quark American pancakes – Supergoldenbakes
Coconut pancakes – The Crafty Larder
Nutella spelt pancakes – Baking Queen
Banoffee pancakes – Penne for your Thoughts
Choc chip & raisin scotch pancakes – Tinned Tomatoes
Welsh pancakes – Tin & Thyme
Scotch pancakes – Coriander Queen
Blueberry & banana pancakes – Fab Food 4 All
I am linking up to #SimplyEggcellent (Belleau Kitchen) and #FoodYearLinkUp (Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen).
Caramelised apple pancakes with maple date butter
Ingredients
- For the pancakes:
- 225 g self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 25 g light brown sugar
- 1 egg beaten
- 300 ml full fat milk
- Caramelised apple for the pancakes - 1medium/2 small apples chopped into small pieces and fried until golden in 1tbsp butter
- Unflavoured oil for frying the pancakes
- For the maple date butter:
- 250 g pitted dates
- Water to cover the dates
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- For the pancakes:
- Measure the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and brown sugar into a bowl. Pour in the milk and the beaten egg
- Whisk until you have a smooth batter then fold in the caramelised apples
- Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and pour in a small splash of oil, then place three large spoonfuls of pancake batter into the pan and cook them for 3-4 minutes
- When small holes appear in the pancakes you can flip them over and cook the other side for 1 more minute
- Place the cooked pancakes on a baking tray and keep them in a low oven while you finish cooking the rest of the pancakes
- For the maple date butter:
- Soak the dates overnight in a Kilner jar with just enough water to cover them
- The next day, place the dates and the soaking water into a high powered blender/food processor and blitz for between 3-4 minutes until the mixture is completely smooth
- Add in the maple syrup and blend for a further minute
- Transfer the maple date butter to a sterilised jar and use immediately to enjoy with the pancakes
- Any leftover maple date butter can be kept in the fridge for several weeks
Recipe Notes
These pancakes served with maple date butter are also super tasty when you add a dollop or two of creme fraiche/greek yoghurt.
Look fab, like the sound of the maple date butter. My two are strict traditionalists and had a pile of regular pancakes with sugar and lemon this morning!
Hi Anna, hope you enjoy your pancakes today.I think all pancakes are good!
Love the look of these, light and fluffy with apples and cinnamon – yes please!! Thank you so much for linking to me!
Thanks Isabella!
Oh my these pancakes are just lush, my family would go mad for them I know! Thanks for linking to my pancakes:-)
That maple-date butter sounds divine! We’re big fans of breakfast pancakes here too 🙂
Pleased to hear it Helen!
Where can I get maple date butter? I’m thinking I should have this in my life! Love your distinction of fat pancakes for breakfast and crêpes for dessert!
Sorry Kavey, I did make the maple date butter. Didn’t make that clear enough in the post, so I will have to write another post and use it again to make it the main ingredient!
Ooh I love the sound of adding the caramelised apples and cinnamon – delicious. I’ve not tried date butter before so I’ll have to keep an eye out for it.
Just realised you made the maple date butter, the way I read it first time around I thought you’d found it in a jar somewhere – I really must be more observant! It’s definitely going on my to-make list x
Oh I think it’s my fault for not making it clear enough Charlotte, but I think it is so good, hope you try it too!
The date maple butter is how we make our “salted caramel” sauce. I should have thought to put it on pancakes this year, as these look delicious.
Intersting Dannii, and such a useful way to make a naturally sweet sauce isn’t it?
Oh wow the maple date butter sounds like the perfect topping for pancakes! x #FoodYearLinkUp
Maple date sounds delicious and I love the idea of adding apple to pancakes
Works well Jo, and a little added texture to the fluffy pancakes works well 🙂
Can you beiliev that I have everything to make these pancakes. Breakfast sorted.
Oh brilliant Bintu, enjoy them!
these are genuinely stunning pancakes… LOVE how thick they are! Thanks so much for linking their gloriousness to Simply Eggcellent x
Thanks Dom, they are a favourite here!
These look absolutely Droolworthy, I need the recipe for your maple date butter too!
I think I need to do another recipe using the date butter as so many peole keep asking about it!