Description
Delight in these fluffy American pancakes served with a luscious cherry-berry syrup, crispy maple-glazed smoked streaky bacon, and creamy mascarpone. This classic breakfast recipe combines sweet and savory flavors for a perfect weekend treat or special brunch.
Ingredients
Scale
Pancakes
- 350g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 150g buttermilk or plain yogurt
- 325ml milk
Cherry-Berry Syrup
- 200g fresh or frozen blueberries
- 150g frozen or canned pitted cherries
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 tbsp water
Bacon and Serving
- 200g thick-cut smoked streaky bacon
- Flavourless oil (vegetable or sunflower) for frying
- 200g mascarpone
- Maple syrup, to serve
Instructions
- Prepare the pancake batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the self-raising flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, 2 tsp caster sugar, and a good pinch of salt. Add the eggs, buttermilk (or yogurt), and milk, then whisk until you have a smooth batter. You can make this batter up to a day in advance; if so, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Make the cherry-berry syrup: Combine the blueberries, cherries, cornflour, 2 tbsp sugar, and vanilla pod or vanilla extract in a saucepan. Stir to coat the berries evenly with the cornflour. Add 1 tbsp water and bring to a boil over high heat, bubbling for 1-2 minutes until the mixture thickens into a syrup but the berries retain their shape. Set aside to cool, then remove the vanilla pod if used. Serve this syrup warm.
- Preheat the grill and prepare bacon: Heat the grill to medium-high and line a baking tray with foil. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on the tray. Set aside. If you can, preheat a separate oven to a low setting (50°C / 30°C fan / gas ½) and place a baking tray inside to keep the pancakes warm as they cook. Otherwise, keep pancakes warm under the bacon while it cooks.
- Cook pancakes: Heat a small amount of flavourless oil in a large heavy frying pan over moderate heat. Use a piece of kitchen paper to spread the oil evenly, leaving just a fine coating. Pour the batter into a jug for easy pouring. When the pan is hot but not smoking, pour batter to make pancakes approximately 7-8 cm in diameter, spacing them well to fit three at a time. Adjust heat so the batter sizzles gently, not aggressively. Cook each pancake for about 2 minutes until the underside is golden and bubbles form on the surface with edges setting. Flip with a fish slice and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side. Transfer cooked pancakes to the warm tray. Wipe oil over the pan and continue until all batter is used, producing about 12 pancakes.
- Grill bacon: When halfway through cooking the pancakes, place the bacon under the grill. Grill for 4-5 minutes on each side until crispy. For maple bacon, brush bacon with maple syrup during grilling, turning regularly to avoid burning and get a sticky sweet finish.
- Serve: To serve, stack pancakes layered with a dollop of mascarpone, pieces of crispy bacon, and spoonfuls of cherry-berry syrup between each layer. Serve with extra maple syrup on the side. Enjoy warm.
Notes
- Make the pancake batter up to a day ahead and chill to save time.
- For perfectly round pancakes, pour batter while swirling the jug over the pan instead of straight from the bowl.
- Keep cooked pancakes warm in a low oven or under the grill while finishing the batch.
- Brush bacon with maple syrup as it grills for a delicious maple bacon twist.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: American pancakes, fluffy pancakes, cherry-berry syrup, maple bacon, breakfast recipe, brunch, mascarpone pancakes
