I can’t let fall go by without posting a recipe using pumpkin pie spice. It seems every post you see is featuring this ingredient. So when I had three college girls come over for breakfast last weekend, I tried these fall inspired pancakes on them. They were just a little more trouble to prepare than more traditional pancakes but we all agreed that the carrots added a great texture and they were very reminiscent of carrot cake. The recipe I used suggested a cream cheese maple syrup frosting, but we decided a regular cream cheese frosting tasted better than the maple syrup version. I added toasted pecans to the batter and then sprinkled more on top. If you don’t want to go with the sweeter version, they were equally delicious plain or with just a bit of butter and syrup.
I’ve been working on my pancake technique since I am a waffle maker at heart. Here are some tips I’ve picked up which really seem to make a difference. First separate the eggs but don’t whip the whites, just add them in at the end. Don’t over mix the batter and either refrigerate for let it rest for about 30 minutes or more. Next, put on your patience hat, which means put the heat on medium and make a test pancake to get the heat just right. You need to cook them slowly so that they gradually form bubbles. Wait until the bubbles pop before you turn them. If they are too brown, then turn down the heat for the next batch. These will stay warm in a 200º oven if you want to serve everyone at one time. My batch made about 12 medium pancakes.
Adapted from The Cooking Channel
Carrot Cake Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- PANCAKES
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs separated
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup carrots peeled and finely grated
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger diced
- ½ cup toasted pecans
- FROSTING
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the buttermilk and egg yolks. Add melted butter and vanilla. Pat grated carrots dry with a paper towel and add to wet ingredients along with orange zest, mixing well.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients mixing just until combined, Add egg whites, ginger and nuts, cover and mix until incorporated. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.
- For Frosting, combine ingredients and mix with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. If too thick, add a tablespoon or two of milk.
- Heat skillet to medium heat and coat with butter or cooking spray. Add batter and cook until bubbles form and then pop. Once popped, turn and cook for an additional minute. If the first pancake is too brown, turn down the heat. Keep warm in an oven set to 200º.
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