Have a flipping fantastic Pancake Day

Looking for tasty new toppings to perk up your Pancake Day? Then toss out the old and try the new with these great recipe ideas.

Buttermilk berry pancakes

Ingredients

30g unsalted butter, plus more for cooking in the pan
25g granulated sugar
1 large egg
¼ tsp vanilla extract
150ml buttermilk
¼ tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp baking soda
130g plain flour

Method

1. Set your oven to 200°C and insert a large baking sheet so that it can heat up.
2. Melt the butter in the bottom of a large bowl and whisk in the sugar. The mixture should be lukewarm but not piping hot. Let the mixture cool slightly before adding the egg.
3. Whisk in the egg and vanilla, and then add all but 1-2 tbsp of the buttermilk.
4. Whisk in the salt and baking soda until fully combined. Stir in the flour until it disappears. Once it becomes a thick mixture, add 1-2 more tablespoons of the remaining buttermilk and stir until combined.
5. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add a knob of butter and dollop in small mounds of pancake batter (tip: use a tablespoon scoop measure – 2 tablespoons per pancake to make sure they are all even and roughly the same size).
6. Once bubbles form on the top, lift the edge of the pancake to check if it is lightly browned before flipping it over.
7. Reduce the heat to medium/low for the remainder of the cooking time. Once golden brown on both sides, transfer to the heated oven. Repeat with the remaining batter. Five minutes in the oven will cook the batter.

You can serve the pancakes with a huge variety of toppings. Why not try:

• Butter and maple syrup
• Berries with crème fraiche
• Butterscotch banana (see recipe below).

Banana butterscotch pancakes

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas
100g unsalted butter
100g dark brown sugar
¼ tsp sea salt
3 tbsp double cream

Method

1. Cut the bananas at an angle of 15mm slices. Melt the butter and sugar together in a saucepan and stir until the sugar dissolves.
2. Add the banana and cook for a further 4-5 mins.
3. Stir in the salt and double cream.
4. Serve the bananas and sauce with warm pancakes and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Pancakes filled with ham, egg and cheese

Ingredients (serves four)

80g plain flour
5 eggs
250ml milk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Pinch of salt
4 tbsp single cream
100g mature cheddar, grated
Butter, for frying
100g Adlington ham, torn
Fried mushrooms or steamed spinach to serve

Method

1. Mix the flour, an egg, milk and pinch of salt in a bowl.
2. Combine the mustard, cheese and cream in another bowl.
3. Heat the oven to 180°C (fan) and line a baking tray with parchment.
4. Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Once heated, add enough batter just to cover the pan, rotating the pan to cover the surface in a thin layer. Cook until the surface is set, and the underside is browning, then carefully flip and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat.
5. Spoon a quarter of the cheese mixture into the middle of the pancake, using the back of the spoon to create a space in the centre to hold the egg. Crack an egg into the space and lay some ham around the edges. Fold each side of the pancake to make a square, cook in the pan for another 30 seconds and bake until the egg whites are set. Serve with fried mushrooms or wilted spinach.