Happy National Pancake Day! Take your breakfast from ordinary to sweet with these from scratch Chocolate Cherry Pancakes. They’re light, fluffy and decadent and a great way to start your day!
I try to be responsible in the morning, so usually I eat yogurt or eggs, but the little devil inside me has a sweet tooth (so I do crave things like these Chocolate Cherry Pancakes on occasion). So, my idea of a sweet morning treat is a big fat doughnut! After that I’ll take croissants, French toast or as a last resort, waffles but Kevin (AKA Mr. Bunny ;-) ) LOVES pancakes. Ask him what he wants for breakfast and the answer 99 times out of 100 the answer will be pancakes!
I have to say that I’m usually not a fan, but add a little sweetness, like chocolate and cherries, and some baking finesse and these chocolate cherry pancakes can be the star of my morning… okay maybe the supporting actor because coffee makes my world spin…but you get the picture.
It’s not that I don’t like pancakes…it’s that I don’t like poorly made pancakes that are heavy and dense.
Homemade quick breads can be tricky. But learn a few easy techniques and your breakfast pastries will be divine. So use these tips to make your National Pancake Day breakfast (or brunch if you are a night owl like me), and your chocolate cherry pancakes or any pastries will be the best thing on the menu!
Pancake Tips
- Never over mix your batter! When combining your wet and dry ingredients, mix until just incorporated. It’s better to have lumps than to over mix, which causes a dense, dry product. Frequently, over-mixing also causes tunneling, which is just likes it sounds, large pockets of air inside your baked goods.
- Always sift your flour! I like to sift into my measuring cups and then level off the excess. But if you want to be extra precise get a scale and measure your dry goods by weight.
- Have all your ingredients at room temperature before making your recipe. Yes, this includes eggs and dairy products.
- For extra fluffy quick breads, separate your eggs and whip the whites to soft peaks before folding them into your batter.
Ingredients
- 2 cups AP flour sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs , separated
- 2 tablespoons organic sugar
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 12 ounces sweet cherries fresh or frozen (chopped if large)
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200F.
- Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- In a large bowl whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, melted butter, vanilla extract and egg yolks.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip egg whites and sugar with whisk attachment until soft peaks form.
- Add dry ingredients to buttermilk mixture and stir until just combined.
- Fold in whipped egg whites.
- Over medium heat, melt a teaspoon of coconut oil on a griddle or frying pan. Wipe off excess with a paper towel.
- One at a time, drop 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle.
- Immediately add chocolate chips and cherries to pancake.
- Flip pancake once bubbles form and then pop.
- Transfer cooked pancakes to the oven to keep warm.
- Serve with warm maple syrup.
Pang {circahappy} says
Thank you so much for all the tips, Charity. No wonder my pancakes weren’t at all fluffy :P
I am the same way with breakfast, but croissant is my weakness. It’s nice to have ‘sweet’ breakfast once in awhile, isn’t it? Esp, the fluffy ones you made here :)
vintagekitty says
Ooh how I love a croissant with a cup of cafe au lait! Make that a chocolate croissant! Glad the tips were helpful!