Master the recipe for basic English Pancakes and you can make perfect crepe-style pancakes this Shrove Tuesday and any day of the year!
And for a real grown-up treat this Pancake Day, fill them with Amarula Vanilla Spice Cream, spiked chocolate sauce and caramelised walnuts. Swoon!
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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AMARULA
Pancake Day – Shrove Tuesday – is nearly upon us and once again everyone is going flipping crazy! I am partnering with Amarula Vanilla Spice Cream to bring you an – OMG soooo good! – pancake recipe that is aimed at grown ups.
Filled with Amarula-spiked whipped cream, caramelised walnuts, stem ginger and chocolate sauce, it is great for sharing, really easy to make and even easier to devour!
A sweet liqueur like no other
Amarula Vanilla Spice Cream is a smooth liqueur with a truly unique taste. It is a blend of velvety cream, vanilla and a hint of ginger laced with African marula fruit.
Great for enjoying over crushed ice, in sweet cocktails, hot drinks like coffee and chocolate and a perfect partner for desserts.
I used the Amarula Vanilla spice in the whipped cream filling and the chocolate sauce – so delicious!
English Pancakes VS French Crepes
English pancakes actually have a lot in common with their French cousins – they are both thin, flat pancakes which can be filled or traditionally simply sprinkled with sugar and lemon juice.
They don’t look anything like American pancakes which are small, thick and fluffy – in the UK these style of pancakes are called Scotch pancakes or drop scones.
English pancakes are smaller and a slightly thicker than crepes – and a little easier to make. You don’t need a special pancake pan (though it helps) but a good quality non-stick pan is a must.
Here’s what you will need
- Plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- Sugar – leave out if you are making savoury pancakes
- Salt
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract (optional)
- Butter or oil – I prefer to add a little rapeseed oil, but melted unsalted butter also gives a lovely flavour
- Milk – use semi-skimmed or whole milk
- Oil or butter for greasing the pan
Perfect pancake batter step by step
Take a look at this step by step tutorial – please note you will find the full recipe, including ingredients in the recipe card at the end of this post.
This is a recipe for English pancake batter which is a crepe-style pancake, slightly thicker than the lacy French crepes. You will get 8-12 pancakes using this recipe, depending on how thin you make them.
STEP 1 Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl to aerate the ingredients.
STEP 2 Add the eggs, oil and a small amount of the milk and start mixing together using a small balloon whisk. Begin mixing at the centre of the bowl, slowly incorporating the flour until you have a thick batter.
STEP 4 Gradually add in the remaining milk, mixing with the balloon whisk until you have a smooth thin batter, the consistency of slightly thick single cream.
STEP 5 I like to strain the pancake batter into a mixing jug to get rid of any small lumps and make it easier to pour into a hot pan. Leave the batter to rest for 30 minutes or put in the fridge to use later – it will keep for a couple of days, covered.
How to cook pancakes step by step
Flipping is showy, but not essential to cooking the perfect pancake! Make sure you use a good quality non-stick pan and keep an eye on the temperature.
STEP 1 Mist the pan with a little rapeseed oil and then wipe most of it away using kitchen paper. Heat until the pan is really hot then turn the temperature down a little.
STEP 2 Pour in about half a ladleful of batter – it should sizzle slightly when it hits the hot pan. Working quickly, tilt the pan so that the batter covers the surface. Patch up any holes with a little batter, drizzles from a spoon.
STEP 3 Cook for 30 seconds then loosen the edges of the pancake using a silicone spatula and check the underside – it should be golden and ready to flip.
STEP 4 Flip the pancake over using a spatula (this pancake flipper is very useful) or by tossing it in the air if you are feeling brave. Cook for 20-30 seconds and then simply slide it onto a plate. Continue until you use all of the pancake batter, stacking the pancakes on the plate as you go.
Filling your pancakes
STEP 1 Whisk double cream, icing sugar and Amarula Vanilla Spice using a hand or stand mixer. Start whisking at the lowest speed setting and gradually increase the speed until the cream holds peaks. Place in the fridge while you make the chocolate sauce.
STEP 2 Heat the cream and Amarula Vanilla Spice Cream in a saucepan until small bubbles appear around the edge of the pan. Pour over a bowl of dark chocolate buttons, leave for a couple of minutes then stir with a spoon until the chocolate melts and is the consistency of double cream.
STEP 3 Spread the cream over the pancake, drizzle with a little chocolate sauce and sprinkle with chopped nuts and very finely diced stem ginger, if using. Roll the pancake up and repeat until you have filled them all.
STEP 4 Drizzle with extra chocolate sauce and sprinkle with more nuts, dust with a little icing sugar and enjoy!
Pancakes tips & troubleshooting
Pancakes are really easy to make but require a bit of practice! Here are my tips to pancake success!
- Get the batter just right – it needs to be smooth and the consistency of slightly thicker single cream. Make sure your rest it for at least half an hour before using or make a few hours in advance.
- Make the batter in a blender – simply blitz all the ingredients for a few seconds then rest and use. My husband – the in-house pancake master – insists that blender batter is “lazy” (well, duh!)
- Watch the pan temperature! It needs to be quite hot so that the batter sizzles when it hits the pan, but not so hot that it burns the pancake. Adjust as you go, adding a little more oil or batter to grease as needed.
- You can double the recipe to make a bigger batch of pancakes. They keep well in the fridge for a day or two, stacked on a plate and separated by greaseproof paper.
- Freeze the pancakes, again separated by paper and wrapped well or sealed in a ziplock bag. Defrost in the refrigerator and reheat by briefly pan frying before serving.
- Get creative with your fillings and toppings! Fresh fruit like berries or segmented orange are delicious but you can also use ricotta cheese or savoury fillings like spinach, mushrooms and cheese.
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English Pancakes with Spiked Vanilla cream and Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients
Pancake Batter
- 120 g (1 cup) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp melted butter or rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 360 ml (1 ½ cups) semi-skimmed milk
- 1 tbsp melted butter or vegetable oil to grease the frying pan
Vanilla Cream
- 360 ml (1 ½ cups) double cream
- 60 ml (¼ cup) Amarula Vanilla Spice
- 100 g (1 cup) icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
Chocolate Sauce
- 100 g (3½ oz) dark chocolate buttons
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) double cream
- 1-2 tbsp Amarula Vanilla Spice
Caramelised nuts
- 200 g (7oz) walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
- 2-3 tbsp sugar
Optional toppings/fillings
- 2 globes stem ginger , very finely diced
- icing sugar to dust the pancakes
Instructions
Make pancake batter
- Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl to aerate the ingredients.
- Add the eggs, oil, vanilla extract if usisng and a small amount of the milk and start mixing together using a small balloon whisk. Begin mixing at the centre of the bowl, slowly incorporating the flour until you have a thick, smooth batter.
- Gradually pour in the remaining milk, mixing with the balloon whisk until you have a thin batter, the consistency of slightly thick single cream.
- I like to strain the pancake batter into a mixing jug to get rid of any small lumps and make it easier to pour into a hot pan – this is optional.
- Leave the batter to rest for 30 minutes or put in the fridge to use later – it will keep for a couple of days, covered.
Cook the pancakes
- Mist the pan with a little rapeseed oil and then wipe most of it away using kitchen paper. Alternatively use a knob of butter to grease the pan. Heat until the pan is really hot then turn the temperature down a little.
- Pour in around half a ladleful of batter – it should sizzle slightly when it hits the hot pan. Working quickly, tilt the pan so that the batter covers the surface of the pan. Don't use too much batter as the pancakes will be too thick and rubbery.
- Cook for 30 seconds then loosen the edges of the pancake using a silicone spatula and check the underside – it should be golden and ready to flip.
- Flip the pancake over using a spatula. Cook for 20-30 seconds and then simply slide it onto a plate. Continue until you use all of the pancake batter, stacking the pancakes on the plate as you go.
Filling your pancakes
- Whisk double cream and icing sugar using a hand or stand mixer. Start whisking at the lowest speed setting and gradually increase the speed , adding the Amarula, until the cream holds peaks. Place in the fridge while you make the chocolate sauce.
- Heat the cream and Amarula Vanilla Spice Cream in a saucepan until small bubbles appear around the edge of the pan. Pour over a bowl of dark chocolate buttons, leave for a couple of minutes then stir with a spoon until the chocolate melts and is the consistency of double cream.
- Toast the chopped nuts in a hot pan, sprinkle with the sugar and cook for a few minutes until they start to colour and sugar melts and caramelises. Keep an eye on them as they can easily burn! Transfer to a bowl.
- Spread the cream over the pancake, drizzle with a little chocolate sauce and sprinkle with chopped nuts and very finely diced stem ginger, if using. Roll the pancake up and repeat until you have filled them all.
- Drizzle with extra chocolate sauce and sprinkle with more nuts, dust with a little icing sugar and enjoy!
Video
Nutritional Info
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