Celebrate the beginning of December with a plate of delicious gingerbread pancakes. They are fluffy, soft, and full of those perfect warm winter spices. Demerara sugar gives them an ever so slightly caramel flavour, while the black treacle gives a deep, robust flavour.
I love to serve them with a tiny drizzle of chocolate or honey, but you can serve them with whipped cream and some maple syrup, if you wish. If you do serve them with a syrup of any kind, you can heat it up slightly before pouring it onto pancakes.
Ingredients
120 grams plain flour
50 grams Demerara sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
50 grams black treacle
180 grams vanilla yoghurt
2 medium eggs
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Sift together the plain flour, baking powder, baking soda, as well as cinnamon, allspice, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, and cocoa powder, if you are using it. Once sifted, add the Demerara sugar, and whisk it really well. Separate the eggs into yolks and whites, and reserve them. Take another bowl, and whisk together the black treacle, yoghurt, yolks, and vanilla. When the wet ingredients are well combined, pour them over the dry ingredients, and mix gently to blend. Do not overmix the batter.
Pour the whites into a medium bowl, and whip them until firm peaks form (with a whisk, or a hand-held mixer). Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, keeping as much of the air in as possible. Heat your pan (or griddle) to medium heat, and lightly coat it with vegetable oil. Using a small ladle or a measuring cup (80 ml; 1/3-cup), take out the batter and pour it onto the pan. Cook for about a minute or so on one side, or until the bubbles have formed all over the top of the pancake. Gently flip it over, and cook for another minute, or until cooked. Serve them immediately with a topping of your choice. Yields 6 medium pancakes.
