Blueberry & Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Pancakes - mmm! There is no better way to celebrate Sunday morning than with fluffy pancakes. This straight forward blueberry lemon ricotta pancake recipe is a staple in our house and we enjoy it with seasonal fruits, maple syrup and butter. 

This recipe is easily modifiable with what you have at hand, but after a lot of testing, I find the lemon and blueberry give the pancakes such a restaurant quality, and the ricotta makes them so moist. The key to cooking perfect, fluffy pancakes is cooking it on a super low flame. It takes a little while but I place each cooked pancake in a dish in the oven at 160C to keep them warm as I cook the rest. 

For this recipe, use room temperature eggs. Using eggs at room temperature helps the pancakes rise better as they are less viscous than cold eggs. The method itself is pretty simple. Sieve the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Then add the sugar, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, milk and ricotta and mix it all together using a whisk. When the pancake batter is completely smooth, stir in the blueberries. Tap the bowl on your work surface a few times to remove any large air bubbles. That's it! You can always make the batter ahead of time so all you need to do is cook the pancakes when needed. This is especially convenient when hosting!

To cook the pancakes, melt a little butter in a pan on very low heat, then using a measuring cup, place 1/4 cup in the middle of the pan. 1/4 cup gives you nice sized pancakes that you can stack. Let the pancake cook until it freely moves itself when you shake the pan, then gently flip over. I usually add a lid to the top of the pan so it can also cook the top side a little as well. The pancake should be golden on either side, will be stiff in shape and the blueberries will burst - that is when you know it is fully cooked. Repeat until the batter is finished. 

To serve, place a little butter between each pancake, drizzle with good quality maple syrup and garnish with more fruits. The recipe is so simple that you will want to make these time and time again. They are perfect when you wish to indulge a little, or impress breakfast guests. You can add a chocolate drizzle or a dollop of Nutella if you really want to treat yourself, or they're just as good if you have them plain!

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Blueberry & Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Prep time: 10 mins    Cook time: 30 mins   Serves 2-3 people     

Ingredients

140g or 1 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

zest of 1 medium lemon

juice of 1 lemon

180ml or 3/4 cup milk

200g ricotta 

2 eggs at room temperature

100g or 1 cup of blueberries

butter for cooking​

fruits for toppings (optional)

maple syrup (optional)

butter for topping (optional)

Method

1. Sieve the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda into bowl.

2. Using a microplane, add the zest of 1 lemon to the bowl.

3. Add the juice from 1 lemon, milk, ricotta, eggs and sugar to the bowl.

4. Using a whisk, mix the pancake mixture until a smooth batter forms. 

5. Add in the blueberries to the batter, folding them in.

6. Place a pan on very low heat and add a very small piece of butter - enough to coat the base of the pan where the pancake will sit. 

7. Once melted, use a 1/4 cup to measure out the batter and pour to the centre of the pan.

8. Allow the pancake batter to spread out on its own then cover with a lid and let it cook until the pancake is golden brown from underneath and easily moves itself when you shake the pan.

9. Gently flip the pancake and cook the other side, placing the lid over the pan. Cook until golden.

10. Repeat process until the batter has finished, storing the cooked pancakes in a 160C oven to keep warm.

11. To serve, place small pieces of butter between the pancakes and stack on a plate. Drizzle maple syrup and serve with fruits.