What to get for a man who has everything? Well, if this man is a die-hard carrot cake fan, why not make him a batch of delicious carrot cake pancakes for breakfast? Light and fluffy, but loaded with texture from the carrots and nuts and boasting an incredible flavor combination of spice, orange zest, and candied ginger, these sensational pancakes will become a part of my man’s birthday breakfast from here on after.
Carrot Cake Pancakes
Bobby Flay
INGREDIENTS
1½ cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons pure cane sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs
1½ cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup packed finely grated peeled carrots, patted dry on paper towels (about 3 medium carrots)
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, optional
1 tablespoon finely diced candied ginger
1/4 cup finely chopped toasted pecans or walnuts, optional, plus more for garnish
Cooking spray or melted butter
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spices, baking soda and sea salt in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the carrots and orange zest, if using, and mix until smooth.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Fold in the ginger and pecans, if using, and mix until just combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Coat the skillet with cooking spray or brush with melted butter. Spoon 1/4 cup mounds of the batter onto the skillet, spreading with a spatula. Cook until the tops are covered with bubbles and the edges look cooked, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip the pancakes over and cook until the bottoms are lightly browned, about 1 minute. Repeat with the remaining batter. Keep the cooked pancakes warm in the oven on a baking sheet, if desired.
Yield: About 14 pancakes
LINNELL’S NOTES
1. With my stove top griddle on medium heat, these pancakes cooked too fast. I had to turn it down to medium-low to prevent them from burning.
2. Don’t even think of omitting the candied ginger or the orange zest. Both add much to the overall depth of flavor.
3. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, go to this page to find buttermilk substitutions. I used a mix of sour cream, nonfat yogurt and milk. Just make sure you are making the appropriate amount, since these substitutions only make 1 cup.
4. I served these pancakes with a wonderful Cinnamon Apple Syrup from Apple Hill.
Enjoy!
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