Pancake Day Chocolate Pancakes

By Sandhya Hariharan

Make your Pancake Day extra special with these easy and tasty chocolate pancakes! They're fluffy and made in the American style, perfect for a delightful breakfast or brunch treat.

With just 5 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking time, you'll have a stack of delicious pancakes ready in no time. Plus, you can involve the kids in the kitchen – it's a fun activity for everyone!

These pancakes are anything but boring. Top them with balsamic strawberries and a drizzle of maple syrup for an extra burst of flavour. Once you try these chocolate pancakes, you'll never want to go back to plain ones again!

Makes 24 pancakes

Ingredients:

For the Pancake Batter:

• 300g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 60g cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil or melted butter
• 300ml milk

For Balsamic strawberries:

• 300g strawberries, sliced
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (from Cole and Mason Haverhill Oil and Vinegar Pourer)
• 2 tsp sugar

To serve:

• Maple syrup
• Balsamic strawberries

Method:

Prepare the Balsamic Vinegar Strawberries Topping:

1. In a bowl, combine the sliced strawberries with balsamic vinegar and sugar. Stir gently to coat the strawberries.
2. Allow the mixture to rest for at least an hour before serving to let the flavours meld.

To make the Pancake Batter:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the self-raising flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, caster sugar, and salt until well combined.
2. Create a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, sunflower oil or melted butter, and milk.
3. Whisk the mixture until smooth and no lumps remain. The batter should be thick but pourable.

To cook the pancakes:

1. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Using a tissue paper, coat a layer of oil on it.
2. Pour a spoonful of batter into the pan for each pancake. You can cook about 3 pancakes at a time, depending on the size of your pan.
3. Cook the pancakes for about 20-30 seconds on the first side until bubbles start to form on the surface. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds until cooked through and lightly golden.
4. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven at the lowest setting while you cook the remaining pancakes.

Serve:

• Once all the pancakes are cooked, stack them on a plate.
• Spoon the balsamic vinegar strawberries topping over the pancakes. Drizzle maple syrup and enjoy.