Buckwheat Banana, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Chocolate Mousse: An Amazing Breakfast Treat

I’ve said it plenty of time before, breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. I’m usually pretty varied with my breakfasts, while keeping things fairly healthy. Since moving to London my breakfasts have mostly consisted of cereal and a piece of fruit that I can eat quickly before heading out to work. I’ve made myself porridge twice but it’s definitely not been up to my usual standards.

This weekend, I decided to treat myself to an extra special breakfast – pancakes! I still need to gather a wider range of ingredients for my baking cupboard, but did had an overripe banana and a few chocolate chips and a bag of buckwheat flour at my disposal, so banana chocolate chip pancakes was it was to be.

Banana is the magic ingredient here, as not only did it add natural sweetness to the pancake mix but also replaced the egg in the batter, adding moistness and binding properties. I also had the last remnants of a jar of peanut butter so in that went too, along with a pinch of mixed spice which always compliments the flavour of banana.

While the pancakes were cooking I hunted for something to serve them with and hit a snag. I had no yoghurt, jam, sauce, syrup, nutella, berries, or any more peanut butter with which to serve them. I could have eaten them on their own but I like dipping or spreading my pancakes with something – it’s part of the enjoyment of eating them. Then I saw a small glass of chocolate mousse that I’d made earlier in the week…..ohhhh chocolate mousse on warm pancake, that would work!

I assembled the pancakes, added a dollop of the dark chocolate mousse and scurried away to my room to eat them in bed. Warm pancakes with chunks of sweet banana, melty chocolate chips served with cold light and airy dark chocolate mousse is amazing! I believe that all pancakes should be served with chocolate mousse in future. The combination is fantastic! The light airy mousse was rich and silky smooth while being the perfect soft and spreadable consistency. The little bubbles dissolving in the mouth and melting into the warm pancakes. Best thing I’ve eaten all week!

I happily devoured the lot and didn’t feel the remotest bit guilty about eating chocolate mousse for breakfast. The pancakes themselves are egg-less, butter-less and sugar-less so I feel justified in being a bit more extravagant with the accompaniment. The chocolate mousse in question is also dairy free and contains only 40g sugar in the entire recipe (serves 6 and I only used half of 1) so it didn’t feel too sweet or dessert-like. In fact they are probably healthier than many sugary cereals or jam slathered slices of toast people eat for breakfast without batting an eye. Pancakes and chocolate mousse, who’d have thought?! So so good, you’ve got to try it!

The perfect bank holiday weekend breakfast. I should also mention It’s an essential requirement to eat them on a tray, in bed, while still in your PJ’s.

Buckwheat Banana, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

4 tbsp buckwheat flour

1 tbsp dark chocolate chips

½ tsp mixed spice

½ tsp baking powder

1 large banana (¾ batter and ¼ to serve)

1 tbsp smooth peanut butter

4-6 tbsp milk*

1 tsp oil

To Serve

Banana slices

Large scoop of chocolate mousse

OR, chocolate sauce, nutella, yogurt, peanut butter, fruit compote, maple syrup etc

Method

Heat the oven to 75C and place a plate inside to warm up.

Weigh the buckwheat flour, chocolate chips, mixed spice and baking powder into a small mixing bowl.

Slice the banana into thin slices and reserve 5-6 slices for serving. Roughly chop the remaining banana and add to the dry mix.

Add the peanut butter on top along with 4 tbsp milk. Mix to form a batter. Add more milk as required until you have a thick batter that will drop off the end of the spoon, but is not too runny.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Spoon the batter into the pan in 4 blobs to form 4 pancakes, leaving room between each one.

Allow to cool gently for 1 minute, until bubbles start to appear on the surface and the edges are just set. Flip each pancake over quickly and allow to cool for a further 30-45 seconds until lightly golden and cooked through.

Serve the pancake on the warmed plate. Top with the slices of reserved banana and extra toppings or your choice. It’s just to have something spreadable or dippy to eat them with – yoghurt, compote, mousse, cream, sauce etc.

Eat and enjoy – preferably on a tray in bed for a relaxing treat

Serves 1 – easily doubled.

*Note: Replace the milk with almond or coconut milk to make these pancakes dairy free and vegan too! Also, make sure your baking powder and buckwheat flour are gluten free, as some are not.

Celebrating 8 Years of Apple & Spice with Apple & Cinnamon Oat Pancakes with Caramel Sauce

Wow it’s hard to believe my little blog has been going 8 years! As is my tradition on my blogs anniversary, I was in need of an apple inspired recipe to celebrate. I always like to try and do something a little different and as Pancakes Day (Shrove Tuesday) is tomorrow, pancakes seemed the ideal treat.

I thought about doing traditional pancakes, but also wanted something a bit more healthy and substantial to eat for brunch and decided instead to create pancakes using ground up gluten free oats in place of any flour. They are also sugar free, being naturally sweetened with freshly grated apple (skin on) and a dash of cinnamon for a flavour boost. I’d consider them fairly healthy – just don’t look too closely at the caramel sauce I then drizzled over them!

Using the oats as the only ‘flour’ base worked well, and together with the grated apple, gave the pancakes a nubbly soft texture and a delicious slightly nutty flavour where the outer edges had toasted in the pan. The inside texture wasn’t quite as fluffy as regular pancakes, but softer and moister with a definite porridge flavour. However, as a porridge and breakfast lover I was delighted with this. I think these would make fantastic breakfast fodder with a little yoghurt and fresh fruit.

The batter won’t win any awards in the looks department, it is a little lumpy and brown in colour, but the taste and toppings soon perk them up.

I decided to use almond milk in the pancakes as I like its subtle nutty flavour and creaminess, but you can use regular milk too. As they stand the pancakes themselves are also dairy free, but you’d have to use a different sauce if you wanted to make the whole dish dairy free. Maple syrup would be a delicious alternative! Oaty, apple packed and lightly cinnamon spiced these pancakes were a tasty way to celebrate 8 years of Apple & Spice.

This year I’ve managed to combine 3 of my food loves – apple, spice and breakfast all in one – hurrah! See below for my previous years apple inspired treats.

1st year – Spiced Apple Cake

2nd year – Individual Apple & Oat Crumbles

3rd year – Overnight Spiced Apple Stack

4th year – Fruity Tea Loaf

5^th year – Roasted Apple & Custard Pots

6^th year – Apple, Caramel & Almond Tart with Peanut Praline

^7th year – Apple & Hazelnut Upside Down Double Layer Cake

This Years Apple & Cinnamon Oat Pancakes with Caramel Sauce

Pancakes

50g gluten free oats

1 large red eating apple

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp baking powder

100ml almond milk

1 egg

1 tbsp sunflower oil

Sauce

½ tin carnation caramel

3-4 tbsp almond milk

Handful of pecans, to serve

Method

Heat the oven to 100C. Lay a piece of kitchen roll over a large plate and place into the oven to warm. Also add a couple of serving plates.

Start by making the sauce. Heat the caramel and milk together in a small pan until a nice warm drizzling consistency. Transfer to a small serving jug and set aside.

To make the pancakes, blitz the gluten free oats in a processor until they are broken down. They should resemble coarse flour, you don’t want it completely powdery. Add to a mixing bowl.

Quarter the apple, remove the core and grate it into the bowl, keeping the skin on.

Add the cinnamon and baking powder and stir together.

Measure the milk, add the egg and lightly whisk together. Pour the wet mixture over the dry mix and beat together to incorporate. You should have a fairly thick dropping consistency batter. Add a little more milk if too stiff.

Heat a large frying pan and brush the base with a little oil. Add heaped tablespoons of the pancake mix and form into round shapes with the back of the spoon.

Allow to cook over a low heat for 1 minute before flipping over with a pallet knife and cooking for a further 30 seconds, or until slightly puffed and browned.

Remove from the pan and transfer to the large plate covered with kitchen roll in the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining batter.

When ready to serve divide the pancakes between the plates, top with a handful of pecans and drizzle with the caramel sauce.

Makes 8 small pancakes

Lemon & Poppy Seed Pancakes with Hot Stewed Plums

It’s pancake day, or to give it its proper name, Shrove Tuesday this coming Tuesday. This is the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, when people are meant to use up their eggs, milk and sugar before refraining from them for Lent. Giving up the foods is not something many people adhere to nowadays, but the act of making and eating pancakes is a much loved and followed tradition, certainly in my house.

Growing up we always had the thin crepe style pancakes, served with freshly squeezed lemon juice and a sprinkling of caster sugar. I still love these, but decided to experiment with a thicker style pancake this year. I wanted to stick with the lemon theme, so added lemon zest to the batter rather than squeezing it over at the end. To accompany the lemon I decided to add some poppy seeds. Lemon and poppy seed is a classic combination and I liked the slightly crunch and appearance they added to the pancakes.

The pancakes were thicker than crepes, but not quite as thick or fluffy as the American style pancakes. I ate these for lunch so rather than dousing them in syrup I served them with some hot stewed plums, which kept them less sweet and more suitable for lunch.

I loved the deep glossy red colour the plums turned after stewing. Their freshness and natural juice added a lovely fruity syrupy flavour. I added a little yellow cornmeal to the batter to help give them a bit of texture and also lend a subtle yellow colour to the pancakes. Cornmeal can something makes things a bit dry, but the fruity juices from the plums soaked into the pancakes and helped keep them soft and moist.

The lemon flavour really came through and worked wonderfully with the fruity plums. The poppy seeds added a slight crunch but they were more for appearance than flavour. Overall a very tasty lunch and a nice change to the usual crepe style lemon and sugar pancakes, although I’m not saying I won’t enjoy a few of those on Tuesday too!

Pancakes, how do you enjoy yours?

Lemon & Poppy Seed Pancakes with Hot Stewed Plums

Ingredients

100g gluten free plain flour

25g yellow fine ground cornmeal

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp baking powder

3 tsp poppy seeds

4 tsp caster sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

1 egg

70-80ml milk

Oil for frying

Plums

6 ripe plums

1 tbsp caster sugar (optional)

1 tbsp water

½ tsp vanilla extract

Method

Half the plums and remove the stones. Slice into segments and place into a pan along with the water.

Heat gently, stirring occasionally until the plums are softened and have released their red glossy juices. Taste and add a little sugar if they are too tart for your liking.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Set aside while you make the pancakes.

Heat the oven to 50C and place 2 plates into the oven to warm.

Add all the pancake ingredients expect the egg, milk and oil into a bowl and mix together. Make a well in the centre and crack in the egg. Mix gently until the mixture starts to form a batter. Add the milk gradually until you have a smooth, thick, pourable batter.

Brush a pan with a little oil and heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the pancake batter, letting the mix spread and find its own shape.

Leave to cook for 15-20 seconds before flipping over and leaving to cook for a further 15 seconds until lightly golden.

Remove the pancake from the pan and transfer to the plates in the oven to keep warm.

Repeat with the remaining batter. You should get 8-10 small pancakes from the mix.

Divide the pancakes between the two plates. Top with the warm stewed plums and serve.

Serve with a scoop of ice cream or Greek yoghurt if desired.

Makes 8-10 small pancakes, serves 2

Green Olive, Garlic & Rosemary Pancakes and a Giveaway

I was recently gifted a lovely selection of olives from Fragata. Some black, some green and some stuffed with garlic. There was also a jar of hot peppers which I am longing to try out with some houmous and falafels. Fragata specialise in Spanish olives and other mediterranean products. 

I love olives, in sandwiches, on pizza, or munched on their own, but rather than just eating them in their natural form, I wanted to try something a little different. After a short ponder between scones, muffins or pancakes, I settled on pancakes. Having pancakes for a lunch is a weekend treat of mine that I hadn’t yet done this year, so pancakes it was to be. I usually make sweet pancakes, so the idea of savoury salty olive pancakes intrigued me.

The green olives stuffed with garlic sounded particularly good and I decided to pair it with fresh rosemary as olive, garlic and rosemary sounded a great flavour combination. I made the batter for the pancakes using brown rice and chickpea flour, the latter having a very savoury taste and slightly dense texture. This seemed fitting for savoury pancakes and I thought its earthy flavour would be lifted by the salty tang from the olives.

To accompany my pancakes I wanted something light and fresh and went with a fresh milky ricotta cheese that I flavoured with fresh rosemary and lemon zest. This worked really well, its light fresh flavour adding a delicious contrast to the savoury salty pancakes. 

I loved the flavour the green olives gave to the pancakes. Unless you look closely you can’t really tell they are there, as they hide camouflaged in the batter, but when you bite into one, a sharp salty tang and that wonderful fresh olive flavour fills your mouth in a most satisfying way. The garlic wasn’t too pungent (as I feared it might be) and gave a subtle hint of flavour. The ricotta then neutralises the saltiness from the olive, getting you ready for the next bite. Simply delicious. 

Giveaway

The lovely people at Fragata are also offering one of you the change to win a sample of some of their products. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what your favourite olive is and how you like to eat them. Competition open to UK residents only. Only one entry per person. Competition closes at midnight on Saturday 8^th February. The winner will be chosen at random. Please leave a way for me to contact you should you win. Good luck!

Green Olive, Garlic & Rosemary Pancakes and a Giveaway

Ingredients

50g chickpea/gram/besan flour

30g brown rice flour

1 tsp baking powder

115ml milk

10 garlic stuffed green olives

10 leaves fresh rosemary

¼ tsp dried oregano

Freshly ground pepper

1 tbsp oil

To Serve

100g ricotta

Zest of ¼ lemon

7 leaves fresh rosemary

6 cherry tomatoes

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C. Cut the tomatoes in half and place cut side up on a foil lined baking tray. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Then turn off the oven and place two serving plates into the oven to warm. Also put in another place topped with a sheet of kitchen roll to hold the pancakes and keep them warm as you make them.

Spoon the ricotta into a small bowl and add the lemon zest. Finely chop the rosemary, add to the ricotta and mix together well. Store in the fridge until required.

To make the pancakes, weigh the flours and baking powder into a bowl and mix together. Chop the rosemary and add to the flour along with the oregano and a few twists of black pepper. Don’t add salt as the olives are salty enough.

Slowly add the milk, whisking well to remove any small lumps of flour. You should end up with quite a thick batter.

Chop the olives into rounds so you have a ring of olive filled with a small piece of garlic in each slice. Fold the olives into the batter.

Heat the oil in a large pan. Drop level tablespoonfuls of the batter into the pan, trying to get a few bits of olive in each one. (It’s best to do this in small batches) Cook for 1 minute before flipping over and cooking on the other side until lightly golden brown. Remove the pancakes from the pan and transfer them to the plate lined with kitchen roll that’s keeping warm in the oven. Repeat with the leftover batter. You should get around 6 pancakes from the mix.

To serve, divide the pancakes between the two serving plates. Place a couple of spoonfuls of the herby ricotta onto each plate, you can quenelle them by shaping it between two spoons if you want to be fancy. Scatter around some of the roasted tomatoes and finish with a little fresh sprinkling of lemon zest and rosemary if desired.

Eat and enjoy. Makes 6 pancakes

Serves 2 as a light lunch, or mini ones could be used as canapés. 

Note: Fragata did not pay me for reviewing their products and I was under no obligation to give them a positive review. These thoughts and comments are my own.

Courgette Fritters with Griddled Halloumi

The weekends are my favourite time to allow myself to relax, take a little time and prepare something different and tasty for at least one of the meals during the day. Looking for lunch inspiration my fridge revealed a block of halloumi cheese and a courgette. A short while later courgette fritters with griddled lemon & chili halloumi was created.

For the fritters I used gram/chickpea flour which has a very savoury beany flavour that I think always works well in savoury fritters. It can be a little bland on its own, so I added some lemon zest and oregano to pep it up a bit. I decided not to add salt to the mix, as halloumi cheese is incredibly salty, and as I planned to eat them together I thought this would be enough seasoning.

 

Halloumi cheese is very firm and salty. You have to eat it fried or heated in some way otherwise it’s tough and squeaky. As I was planning ahead, I added some lemon, oregano and chili flakes to my halloumi and left it to marinate for 2 hours before cooking it. This added an extra flavour dimension, but you could probably get away with griddling it straight away. I don’t have a griddle pan so instead used my panini press and just didn’t close the lid, which worked really well and, even if I do say so myself, was quite a genius idea.

 

Halloumi cheese is best eaten straight after cooking, so make sure you cook the fritters first and leave them warming in the oven while you quickly cook the halloumi. Then it’s all hot and ready to go at once.

While the fritters were keeping warm in the oven I also added a few halved tomatoes. They didn’t really cook, as the heat was only low, but they warmed though enough to help enhance their natural juicy sweetness.

 

A little drizzle of sweet chili sauce and lunch was served. The pancakes were lightly crisp on the outside and still soft and tender in the centre. The courgette adds more of a colour and texture than any actual flavour, but everything eaten together produced a lovely combination of tastes and texture. Soft fritters, firm salty cheese, juicy tomatoes and a little heat from the chili. I wish Saturdays came round more than once a week!

 

And now for something completely different…

I’m off to a tiny Greek island with my sister next week so it may be quiet on here for a while. I hope to return having experiences some of the tastes and delights Greece has to offer. I’m longing to try the thick Greek yoghurt, honey, nuts, fresh fruit, feta cheese etc. Anyone got any gluten free Greek dishes they could recommend?

Courgette Fritters with Griddled Halloumi

Fritters

150g (1 large) courgette

30g gram/chickpea flour

1 egg

1 tsp lemon zest

¼ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp baking powder

½ tbsp oil

Halloumi

Zest of ½ lemon

½ tsp dried chili flakes

¼ tsp dried oregano

Halloumi cheese

To Serve

Cherry tomatoes

Sweet chili sauce

Method

Cut the halloumi into ½cm slices and lay on a plate in a single layer.

Sprinkle over the lemon, chili and oregano. Cover in cling film and leave to marinate for as long as possible – up to 24 hours.

For the fritters, wash and coarsely grate the courgette. Place onto some sheets of sturdy kitchen roll or a tea towel and wring most of the liquid out. It can be damp, but you don’t want it soggy.

Place into a large bowl and add the chickpea flour, lemon, oregano and baking powder. Toss until all the courgette is coated in the flour. Add the egg and mix until combined into a batter. It should be quite soft but still hold its shape when spooned into the pan. The more you stir, the more liquid will come out of the courgettes.

Add a little milk if your batter is too thick, or another 1-2 tsp of chickpea flour if too runny.

Warm your oven to around 100C. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place on a baking tray and leave to warm in the oven. Also place a plate with a sheet of kitchen roll on into the oven to warm gently.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and drop tablespoonfuls of the batter into the pan. Allow to cook for 1 minute before flipping over the cooking for a further 30 seconds. They should be lightly golden.

Remove the fritters from the pan and transfer to the warm plate with kitchen roll to keep warm while you cook the rest.

Repeat until all the batter is used up. Leave the fritters to keep warm in the oven while you cook the halloumi

Heat a dry griddle or frying pan (I used my Panini press!) and place the slices of marinated halloumi onto the grills. Allow to cook for 30 seconds without touching them, then flip over and cook for further 30 seconds. They will release some oil as they cook. They should be softened and nicely griddled when done.

To serve, remove the fritters and tomatoes from the oven. Arrange 3-4 fritters in a stack in the middle of the warmed plate. Place 2-3 slices of halloumi on top and arrange some of the warmed tomatoes around the edge. Drizzle with a little sweet chili sauce.

Eat immediately. Makes 7-8 fritters

Spiced Carrot Fritters

I was going to call these pancakes, but that conjures up images of sweet carrot cake style pancakes, whereas these are savoury, so fritters they are!

At the weekends I love doing a little stovetop cooking to create a whole assortment of tasty pancakes/fritters, both sweet and savoury. I find it adds a little interest and luxury in place of the usual weekday cereal or sandwiches - depending on when I eat them. Sweet pancakes are usually a weekend breakfast treat, whereas savoury ones tend to be more of a lunch time thing. There is just something so satisfying about eating a warm, slightly crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, pancake.

I tend to go with whatever I fancy or have leftover in the fridge. Half an overripe banana or an open can of sweetcorn. I love how you can jazz them up with different spices, chocolate chips or some finely chopped chili. There are so many different styles you can create with just a batter and a saucepan, thick American style pancakes, thin delicate crepes, veggie fritters or more substantial griddle style scones - delicious served with cheese or jams (sorry I tend to get rather carried away with thinking about all the possibilities!)

For the latest batch, it was a half eaten tub of houmous that depicted today would be a fritter day. Carrots and houmous are one of life’s perfect pairings, but I’ve been eating carrots dipped in houmous all week and wanted to jazz things up a bit. Hence these spicy carrot fritters, served with harissa spiced houmous were created.

The grated carrot retained a little texture, and kept the fritters quite moist. The spices in the batter were quite subtle, while the houmous added a wonderful creaminess and occasional fiery kick from the harissa, depending on whether I got a big blob of it or not. I love the process of cutting a bite and dipping it into your ‘sauce’ of choice. It feels much more fun and involved than just taking a bite of a sandwich or a spoonful of cereal. Each bite is given attention and savoured. These tasty fritters fulfilled my weekend craving and went well with some leftover roasted tomatoes I had from last night’s dinner.

Does anyone else have any foodie weekend traditions or treats?

Spiced Carrot Fritters

Fritters

1 large carrot

3 tbsp teff flour

1 tbsp brown rice flour

1 spring onion

1 egg

100ml milk

½ tsp gluten free baking powder

¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda

¼ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp chipotle or normal chili powder

½ tbsp oil for frying

To serve

Houmous

½ tsp harissa paste

Salad and/or roasted veg

Method

Grate the carrot and finely slice the spring onion. Add to a small bowl along with the spices, flours and raising agents. Mix together to coat the carrot in the flour and spices.

Beat in the egg, followed by enough milk to make a thick batter. It should be thin enough to spread slightly in the pan, but thick enough to retain its shape when spooned out.

Heat a little oil in a large frying pan and place a plate into the oven to warm slightly.

When the oil is hot, spoon tablespoons of the batter into the pan and allow the fritters to cook until the batter looks set around the edge, about 1 minute.

Flip the fritters over and cook for a further 30-50 seconds, before removing from the pan and placing on kitchen paper. Transfer them to the warm plate in the oven while you use the leftover batter to make more fritters.

When ready to serve, place a generous blob of houmous onto the plate and swirl through a little of the spicy harissa paste.

Serve with salad and/or leftover roasted veg.

Makes around 6 small fritters. Serve one for a main meal or 2 as a starter

Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes with Almond Cream Cheese Glaze

On my last morning in LA I decided I wanted to enjoy some gluten free pancakes. The English pancake is usually thin and flat, very similar to a French crepe, but I absolutely adore American pancakes, which are thick, fluffy and often made with buttermilk and served with all sorts of syrups and added nuts or chocolate chips etc.

After a little online research I found a café that had rave reviews for its gluten free pancakes. They had some specials, including a delicious sounding pumpkin pancake. To get there involved a 40minute bus journey, but I set off to the bus stop and waited…and waited….and waited. An hour later, with a rumbling tummy I admitted defeat and mooched back to the flat instead. I’ve no idea why the bus failed to turn up and yes, I was waiting at the right stop! I might have been tempted to find an alternative route, but as I had a plane to catch in a few hours time I didn’t want to risk getting lost.

So I never got my American pancakes – waaaaa :(

Once back home I was determined to enjoy some American style pumpkin pancakes and decided now was the time to open the can of pumpkin puree I’d picked up. Just look at its gorgeous vibrant orange colour! Why oh why can’t we buy pumpkin puree in the UK, or at least a decent pumpkin to make our own. I’ve found the best thing to do here is to mash a sweet potato, but it’s not quite the same…anyway, rant over.

After sampling the delights of Babycakes NYC creations I went online and discovered they had shared a recipe for pancakes on their blog. It was both vegan and gluten free, made using rice milk and applesauce as the wet ingredients. I simply substituted the pumpkin puree for the applesauce and used regular milk as that’s all I had on hand. I also added my own mix of spices and some little chucks of dark chocolate, which I think always work well together.

They turned out perfectly. I’ve never had such light, moist and fluffy pancakes before. The pumpkin gave them a wonderful orange hue and a natural earthy sweetness. The spices just added a background note of warmth, while the little chips of dark chocolate were wonderful to come across, in every other bite.

I’m not a big fan of maple syrup, so to make them extra special I concocted a little cream cheese glaze which I spiked with some almond extract. Drizzled on top of the hot pancakes it melted into a great butter-like consistency. They were fabulous and more than made up for me missing out on them while in LA. Haha!

I got three large pancakes out of the mix below, but you could easily double or triple it depending on requirements. I bet they would work brilliantly with other purees too, banana, apple, orange, pineapple…!

Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes with Almond Cream Cheese Glaze
(Recipe adapted from Babycakes NYC blog)

Ingredients
100g Doves Farm plain flour mix (mix of rice, maize, tapioca, corn & buckwheat)
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
80g pumpkin puree (or mashed sweet potato)
120-150ml milk (any kind you like)
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp mixed spice
10g dark chocolate, chopped (dairy free if you like)
1 tsp agave nectar or honey
Sunflower oil for frying

Almond Cream Cheese Glaze
25g cream cheese (dairy free if you like)
40g icing sugar
1 drop almond extract

Method
Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the icing sugar and mix to incorporate. Beat in the almond extract and set aside. Heat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to melt until just soft and gooey. Stir and set aside.
To make the pancakes, place all the dry ingredients into a bowl and gently mix together. Add the agave nectar and pumpkin puree and mix so that it starts to form a thick batter. Add a little milk and beat until smooth. Add more milk until you achieve a thick spoonable batter, the consistency of a thin cake batter.
Finally stir in the chocolate chips.
Heat the oven to low and place a plate with a sheet of kitchen paper on it in the oven to keep warm.
Lightly grease the base of a frying pan and heat until warm but not too hot.
Spoon around two tablespoons of the pumpkin batter into the pan and gently spread it into a thick even round if necessary. Leave it alone for 45-60 seconds to cook and brown undisturbed. Then quickly flip the pancake over to cook the other side, with the help of a fish slice or palette knife.
Once cooked, transfer to the kitchen roll lined plate in the oven to keep warm and continue to cook the remaining pancakes.
Serve stacked on the warm plate, topped with a dollop of the cream cheese glaze. Eat and enjoy!