Cakes & Bakes: Jammy cornmeal griddle cakes

This past week or so has been so warm, we’ve not had our wood-fired range cooker running. That means I couldn’t produce an oven-cooked recipe for this week’s Cakes & Bakes post; no cake, no bread. Jammy cornmeal griddle cakes are a delicious brunch dish cooked on a stove top using a griddle stone or cast iron frying pan.

Using half cornmeal and half wheat flour gives the pancakes a unique flavour. Buttermilk & bicarb rather than ‘plain’ cow’s milk gives the texture a softness and lightness.

A little swirl of jam takes the griddle cakes to a different level; we used some home-made blackcurrant jam, but you can use any other to your liking – strawberry, raspberry, apricot, plum… If your jam is a little thick, simply mix it with a couple of teaspoons of water to get a thinner consistency.

Serve your stack of cornmeal griddle cakes with a knob of butter on top or with extra jam or maple syrup drizzled over.

Click here or on the image below to save the recipe to Pinterest

Jammy cornmeal griddle cakes

Print recipe Pin recipe

Course Breakfast

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

100 g/3½oz cornmeal either fine or coarse
100 g/3½oz plain flour
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
200 ml/7fl oz buttermilk
50 g/1¾oz unsalted butter melted, plus extra for the skillet
2 eggs beaten
2 tbsp jam we used blackcurrant, but feel free to use any other fruit

Instructions

Preheat your griddle/ large cast iron frying pan over a low heat. Rub a bit of butter all over it
In a large measuring jug, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, bicarb and salt. Make a well in the centre
In a medium measuring jug, pour in the buttermilk. Add the melted butter and stir to combine
Pour the buttermilk/butter mixture and beaten egg into the well in the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to bring the mixture together
Spoon in the jam and swirl it through a little. Don't over-mix, a few lumps of flour is fine
Once the griddle is hot, pour/ladle on approx. 3tbsp/50ml of the mixture into a round shape. Allow the griddle cake to cook for a couple of minutes. When bubbles begin to form and the top begins to dry out around the edges towards the middle, flip over and cook the other side for another minute. Repeat until all the batter is used

jammy cornmeal griddle cakes ingredients

Serve with extra jam, a pat of butter or maple syrup

Keyword cornmeal, griddle cakes

Cakes & Bakes: Tea-soaked sultana buttermilk pancakes

These tea-soaked sultana buttermilk pancakes are a great weekend recipe. It’s when you have the time to hang around waiting for your dried fruit to rehydrate and plump up. It’s a drawn out process; frying off a stack of twelve, one at a time. We have three, identical little frying pans; so I juggle with cooking and flipping three at a time.

The secret to successful buttermilk pancake batter is to not over-mix it; a few lumps of flour here and there is a good thing. It should be thick and clumpy as it falls from your ladle or spout.

Letting the batter rest for half an hour or so before cooking allows for the buttermilk, bicarb and baking powder to interact which produces the light, airy, puffed up pancakes.

My recipe produces a dozen, 10cm/4-inch diameter pancakes – that should be enough for breakfast or brunch for three… or a pair of ravenous people. Serve with a sprinkling of sugar, lemon & sugar or drizzle of maple syrup over the top.

Click here or on the image below to save my tea-soaked sultana buttermilk pancakes recipe to Pinterest

Tea-soaked sultana buttermilk pancakes

Print recipe Pin recipe

Course Breakfast

Cuisine British

Servings 3

Ingredients

250 ml strong hot tea
75 g/2½oz sultanas
125 g/4½oz plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp baking powder
20 g/¾oz sugar
½ tsp salt
300 g/10½oz buttermilk
1 medium egg lightly beaten
2 tbsp unsalted butter melted (and a little extra for the frying pan)

Instructions

Soak the sultanas in the tea for at least an hour
In a large measuring jug, combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, sugar and salt
Gently mix in the buttermilk, beaten egg and melted butter. Don't overmix
Fold in the soaked sultanas
Allow the mixture to stand for about ½ an hour
Heat a frying pan or skillet on a medium flame, add a little butter and pour/ladle about 115ml /4 fl oz to form each pancake
Allow to cook on one side for about a minute before flipping and cooking the other side
Repeat until all the batter has been used
Sprinkle with a little sugar and serve

Tea-soaked sultana buttermilk pancakes ingredients

Drizzle over a little maple syrup or honey & lemon

Keyword buttermilk, pancakes

Cakes & Bakes: David’s batter cake

It was St David’s Day 3 days ago (or as the Welsh say it, Dydd Gŵyl Dewi); so I thought I’d flip through my Welsh Fare cookbook to find a suitable recipe to celebrate the day. I came across something called David’s batter cake; even though I don’t think the dish is named in honour of the saint, I’d like to dedicate it to him!

The recipe notes explain that it’s called slapan dafydd in Welsh and that this particular version hails from Llanfachraeth in Anglesey.

It’s one of many versions of Welsh griddle cakes included in the book. Some include lard, some mixed spice, some use eggs, others don’t. The majority of recipes use wheat flour, a couple have oat or barley meal instead. Most versions are small, others (like this one) take up the entire bakestone or griddle pan.

It’s recommended that you split the just-cooked batter cake in half horizontally and slather the two pieces with butter. Justin did this and added some home-made jam to the equation… he heartily endorses this last step!

Click here or on the image below to save the David’s batter cake recipe to Pinterest for later

David's batter cake

Welsh Fare, A selection of Traditional Recipes

Print recipe Pin recipe

Course Afternoon tea

Cuisine Welsh

Ingredients

285 ml/½ pt warm buttermilk
60 g/2oz butter
285 g/10oz plain flour
85 g/3oz sultanas
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
85 g/3oz sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp vinegar

Instructions

Melt the butter in the warm buttermilk (I melted the butter with a quick zap in the microwave)
Put the flour, sultanas and salt in a bowl, gradually pour in the buttermilk mixture and beat well. Leave this mixture to stand for a few hours, if possible
When ready to bake the cake, beat the eggs, add the sugar, soda and vinegar and then pour this second mixture into the first one, beating well
Pour all the mixture on to a greased, moderately hot bakestone to make one large cake. Bake and turn as for pancakes
Then split in half while warm and spread with butter

Keyword batter cakes, griddle cakes

Cakes & Bakes: Banana pancakes with maple syrup-glazed pecans

We’ve been really good this Christmas – we haven’t thrown any food away. Thanks to some thoughtful menu planning, all our leftovers were magicked up into new dishes.

There was a single, overripe banana that got close to the edge – but I used it today to make banana pancakes topped with maple syrup-glazed pecans.

If you don’t have maple syrup, you could use runny honey instead. You could also swap the pecans for walnuts.

Because of the amount of natural sugar in the ripe banana, the pancakes caramelised quickly around the edges. My advice is to heat the frying pan and then turn the heat down as low as it will go once you pour in the batter. Don’t wait until the top-side has dried before you flip it… you risk burning. Two minutes each side… tops!

The pancakes and garnish were a triumph – a stack of light, fluffy pancakes with a sweet, nutty topping. We had a lovely brunch for two – all down to not wanting to throw out a banana!

Click here or on the image below to save my banana pancakes recipe to Pinterest

Banana pancakes with maple syrup-glazed pecans

Print recipe Pin recipe

Course Breakfast

Servings 4 people

Equipment

hand blender
crepe/pancake pan
wok/sauté pan

Ingredients

1 medium banana overripe
120 ml milk
25 g caster sugar
1 medium egg
1 pinch salt
100 g self-raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 knob butter
100 g pecans
3 tbsps maple syrup plus extra for drizzling

Instructions

In a large measuring jug, add the banana (chopped), milk, sugar, egg and salt. Blitz using a hand blender (or use the jug blender attachment of a stand mixer, if you have one)
Sift in the self-raising flour and bicarbonate of soda and pulse until just mixed in. Cover and chill in the fridge while you prepare the maple syrup-glazed pecans
Turn your oven on to the lowest heat setting and put a heat-proof plate inside - this is to keep the first pancakes warm while you cook off the later ones
Melt the knob of butter in a wok or steep-sided frying pan. Add the pecans and toss until lightly toasted
Add the 3 tablespoons of maple syrup syrup and toss again until the pecans are completely coated. Set the pecans aside until the pancakes are cooked
Heat your pancake/frying pan and add a teaspoon of vegetable oil. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting
Pour in about 100ml/5 tablespoons of the batter into the centre of the pan so that it forms a circle. After about a minute, the top should begin to bubble and dry out slightly. Lift the edge every so often to make sure that it isn't beginning to burn on the bottom. Slide a spatula underneath and flip over to cook the other side. When both sides are cooked, put the pancake on the warmed plate in the oven. Repeat until all the batter has been used
Divide the pancakes between 4 plates (or two, if you're both hungry!), sprinkle over the pecans, drizzle over a little more maple syrup and serve

Banana pancakes and maple syrup-glazed pecans ingredients

Keyword bananas, maple syrup, pancakes, pecans

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: pancakes

Cakes & Bakes: Jammy cornmeal griddle cakes

Jammy cornmeal griddle cakes

Ingredients

Instructions

Cakes & Bakes: Tea-soaked sultana buttermilk pancakes

Tea-soaked sultana buttermilk pancakes

Ingredients

Instructions

Cakes & Bakes: David’s batter cake

David's batter cake

Ingredients

Instructions

Cakes & Bakes: Banana pancakes with maple syrup-glazed pecans

Banana pancakes with maple syrup-glazed pecans

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions