I ate these in a café once and thought the inclusion of pumpkin was genius; I had to try recreating the recipe as soon as I got home. These are light and fluffy, with the perfect amount of warming spice. I’ve thrown a banana in the mixture for extra sweetness, which also results in the edges of the pancakes becoming a little caramelised and crispy as they cook.
Serves 4
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes (+ 40 minutes to pre-cook pumpkin)
DF (use DF milk + coconut oil) | GF (use mix of buckwheat + GF flour)
Pancakes
- pumpkin (or butternut), roasted and mashed, ¾ cup (see Note page 12)
- banana (ripe) 1 large
- free-range eggs 3
- milk 1 cup
- vanilla essence or extract 1 teaspoon
- salt pinch of
- brown sugar 2 tablespoons
- self-raising flour 1 cup (or a mix of buckwheat and GF flour + 1 teaspoon baking powder)
- baking powder 1 teaspoon
- ground ginger ¼ teaspoon
- mixed spice ½ teaspoon
- ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon
- ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon
- coconut oil or butter to cook
Apple and walnuts
- walnuts ¼ cup, chopped (optional)
- coconut oil or butter 1 tablespoon
- apples 3, peeled and diced
- ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon
- brown sugar 2 teaspoons
To serve
yoghurt (dairy or coconut)
maple syrup
Method
- Preheat oven to 50°C . Place pumpkin, banana, eggs, milk, vanilla, salt and sugar in a blender and blend until smooth and there are no lumps.
- Sift flour, baking powder and spices into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in pumpkin mixture. Whisk together until a smooth, uniform batter forms.
- Heat about 2 teaspoons of coconut oil or butter in a large non-stick fry pan on medium heat. Pour half ladlesful of pancake batter into the fry pan. Cook for about 2 minutes on one side until little bubbles start to appear on the surface, then carefully flip with a fish slice and cook for about 2 minutes on the other side, or until pancakes are golden brown and just cooked through. You should be able to cook about three at a time. Keep pancakes warm on a plate in the oven while you cook the remaining batter.
- Once you have cooked all the pancakes, wipe out fry pan with paper towels. Place walnuts in the fry pan and toast on medium heat for a few minutes, tossing frequently to avoid burning. Set aside. Melt coconut oil or butter in the fry pan. Add apples and cinnamon and cook for a few minutes, then add sugar and walnuts, and toss to coat and caramelise.
- To serve, stack a few pancakes on each plate and top with Apple and Walnuts. Serve with yoghurt and a drizzle of maple syrup
Note
To cook pumpkin or butternut, toss 600–700g (peeled and chopped) with a drizzle of oil and maple syrup on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Roast at 180°C for 40–45 minutes or until soft and slightly caramelised
Extracted with permission from Let’s eat! Mostly healthy, always delicious, by Nadia Lim (nadialim.com RRP$49.99)
