As promised, one more pancake recipe to close out National Pancake Week. And since it’s almost the weekend (my birthday weekend no less), we’re going to have cake for breakfast! There is no limit to my sweet tooth, so I could probably eat dessert for every meal of the day and be perfectly happy, but I think we both know that’s not the best idea. Instead, I’m apparently on a mission to turn all of my favorite treats into pancakes – it started with cookies, then we moved onto brownies, and now, finally, cake. Speaking of cake, can someone please help me convince my mother that it’s ok to make my own birthday cake? I so rarely have an occasion to make a fancy layer cake so of course I want to take advantage (plus, then I ensure I get exactly what I want without having to trouble anyone else). My mom thinks it’s crazy, but I know you guys will back me up, right? π
But anyway, I digress, back to these pancakes. Carrot cake is one of my favorite types of cake, especially because it’s usually covered with cream cheese frosting. Though there’s no frosting here, the pancakes were still a hit. They’re light and fluffy with the warm spices you’d expect to find in carrot cake. I was nervous about the carrots adding too much texture, so I grated mine really fine with my microplane (the big one I’d use for Parmesan), and they were perfect. I also made honey butter to serve with the pancakes, and it really took them over the top. The syrup was completely unnecessary with all of the other flavors going on, so I’d probably skip it next time.
With all the pancakes I’ve been making lately, and no one to help me eat them (Shane’s not much of a pancake guy), I think I have enough stashed in my freezer to last me quite a while. Not that I’m complaining – I love a quick, easy breakfast, and even more so when cake is involved π
Carrot Cake Pancakes
barely adapted from Cooking Light, January 2010 (via MyRecipes.com, originally seen on Picky Cook)
Pancakes
5.6 oz (about 1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
Dash of ground ginger
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon canola oil (plus more for cooking)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups finely grated carrot (about 1 pound)
Honey Butter
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey
pinch salt
pinch cinnamon
{If you aren’t going to serve the pancakes until you’ve cooked all of them, preheat oven to 200 F. Spray a wire rack with cooking spray and set it inside a baking sheet then place the baking sheet in the oven.}
Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cloves and ginger together in a medium bowl. In a measuring cup, whisk the brown sugar, buttermilk, canola oil, vanilla and eggs until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and whisk just until barely combined (it’s ok if the batter is lumpy). Fold in the carrots.
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet set over medium heat (or spray with nonstick cooking spray). Once the oil starts shimmering, use paper towels to wipe the pan so only a thin, even coating of oil covers the bottom and sides. Use a 1/4 cup measure to portion the batter into the pan. Cook on the first side until the edges are set and bubbles form on the surface. Use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook for 1-2 minutes on the second side, or until golden brown and cooked through. {If not serving immediately, transfer the pancakes to the wire rack in the oven.} Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil to the pan if necessary.
To make the butter, stir the butter, honey, salt and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Serve with the pancakes.
Makes about 12 pancakes
Happy Birthday! I love this idea! I think a schmear of cream cheese thinned with some syrup between each layer would be yummy too!
I am so into the looks of these…YUM! carrot cake meets pancake = perfect!
I loved your dessert pancake series, but this is my favourite recipe of all! Carrot cake pancakes – just to die for! π Thanks for sharing the recipe!
yummy π these look so fluffy and perfect for a breakfast in bed morning! to be honest, i’m not a fan of carrot cake but these look so delicious that you could lie to me about them & i’d still eat it π
Hubby and I are trying to decide what to eat for our hike on Sunday (since we always allow ourselves some extra calories on hike days) this would be so yummy for carbing up!
mmmm love all variations of pancakes, including this one! We had it with a cream cheese “syrup” π
Have a fantastic birthday weekend…I hope it’s full of good food!
This is like dessert fr breakfast! I love carrot cake, and I love pancakes, they look delicious!
I have been looking for a good recipe for carrot cake pancakes…how’d you know? And honey butter sounds like a must with these!
mmm, i want some with pecans….. yummm! Happy pancake week!
Great idea to freeze them, because I think I’d be the only one in my house eating the “fun” flavors of pancakes.
Have a wonderful birthday! It’s totally OK to make your own cake. That way you get exactly what you want!
Happy Birthday!! I love the look and sound of these pancakes and I’m with Shane-not such a pancake gal, but these seem like a recipe I should try.
Happy Birthday!! These look great! I think I will try them using whole wheat flour! π
Happy early birthday! I agree, it’s absolutely okay to make your own cake. What better way to celebrate than with a cake you know you’ll love?
Happpppppppyyyyyy Birthday. I hope you have a truly enjoyable one! I think you should totally make your own cake. I’d want to make my own too – for those very reasons you gave!
And your carrot cake pancakes? – They sound and look incredibly delicious!
Have a GREAT weekend!
Ooooh, these sound delish!!!
I made a similar recipe (maybe the same one?) awhile ago and we loved them! I wish I’d thought to add honey butter though! Yum!
Happy birthday weekend! π
Happy Birthday! Why do I always get hungry when I look at your messages π Love the idea of carrot cake pancakes. Will try this for sure. Have a great week-end.
This looks awesome!! Loved the droolworthy pictures. Bookmarked!
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I couldn’t agree with you more! These pancakes sound delicious. I keep trying to convince Mohamed that I WANT to make myself a cake but he won’t hear of it. I hope you have a wonderful birthday and I can’t wait to see your cake!
Happy birthday! I’m glad I’m getting around to reading this today because I’m thinking about having pancakes for dinner. We have lots of carrots right now too.
Hope you’re having a great birthday weekend. I’m totally with you on making your own cake. Hopefully we’ll get it see it. π Pancakes are not high on my list of breakfast foods, but this sounds more like dessert. Which I totally support for breakfast.
Awesome….
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My son loves carrot cake and he loves pancakes. This would be a perfect treat for him.
Ohh those look delish I am going to have to give them a go for sure.
Happy Birthday, hope it was everything you wanted from it. I can certainly understand wanting to make your own birthday cake! The pancakes certainly look delicious, so thick and fluffy.
Happy Birthday! A little late… what a great way to celebrate! Next time, if you’re in a pinch, you could always try using a jar of carrot baby food – it would give you the flavor and the nutrients without the grating or worrying about chunks…
Hope you had a very happy birthday! These pancakes are definitely something I will try. Carrot cake is so good it has to also be good in pancake form. I wonder if I could make some sort of cream cheese syrup?
I feel the same way about making myself my own cake. I hope you got a chance to do it. π
Love these pancakes! Carrot cake has to be one of my favorite types of cake.
Pinned this recipe to try soon!
Great combo! Been wondering what to do with the carrots in the fridge…maybe I will try this!
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Oh my…these look absolutely amazing! I have to make them ASAP!
I like the idea of carrot cake meets pancake.